Ukraine will be able to join the EU roaming area as early as 2026

The European Commission proposes to integrate Ukraine into the EU roaming zone from January 2026. This will allow Ukrainians to make calls and use mobile internet from Ukrainian phone numbers in 27 EU countries without additional charges. The same will be available to Europeans in Ukraine.

This is reported by the press services of the European Commission and the Ministry of Digital Affairs of Ukraine.

Roaming will be the first area where the European Union will extend the internal market regime to Ukraine. This means that Ukrainians traveling to the EU and EU citizens visiting Ukraine will be able to use mobile communications — calls, SMS and mobile internet — at their usual domestic rates. In addition, they will have the same quality and speed of mobile communications as at home. Calls to emergency services will remain free.

The current agreement between Ukrainian and European operators will be extended until December 31, 2025. Until then, Ukrainians and Europeans will continue to enjoy the benefits of a common roaming area until Ukraine finally joins the EU roaming area.

The European Commission has sent its proposal to the EU Council for approval.

• In June 2025, Ukraine officially notified the EU of the full alignment of its roaming legislation with European standards, a key condition for access to the EU roaming area. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law on joining the roaming area with the European Union on June 2.
• Currently, Ukrainians in the EU are temporarily enjoying free roaming. Mobile operators introduced it on a voluntary basis after Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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