From January 1, 2026, Ukrainian citizens will be able to use mobile services across the European Union without paying additional roaming charges.
Ukraine officially joins the EU’s common roaming area under the “Roam Like at Home” framework.
This means that calls, SMS messages and mobile internet will be available to Ukrainians in all 27 EU member states under the same terms and tariffs as in Ukraine.
What will change in practice
Starting in 2026, Ukrainian mobile subscribers traveling or staying in the EU will be able to:
- make and receive calls;
- send SMS messages;
- use mobile internet
without activating special roaming packages or paying extra fees.
At the same time, EU citizens visiting Ukraine will retain their domestic mobile tariffs while using their phones in Ukraine.
Ukraine becomes a full participant in the EU roaming market
The decision to grant Ukraine access to the EU’s internal roaming market was approved by the Ukrainian government and the Council of the European Union in summer 2025. Its implementation begins on January 1, 2026.
“Ukraine is entering the unified EU roaming system as a full-fledged participant. We have completed all the necessary procedures, and the European Union has confirmed this. In one sector, Ukraine already fully complies with EU rules and standards,”
said Taras Stetsenko, Director of the Directorate for Electronic Communications at Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation, in a comment to DW.
Same conditions in all EU countries
According to Liliia Malion, Head of Ukraine’s National Commission for the Regulation of Electronic Communications (NCEC), roaming services will be included by default in most Ukrainian tariff plans.
- No separate roaming activation will be required;
- The conditions will be the same across all EU countries;
- There will be no difference whether a subscriber is in Poland, Germany or France.
Voice calls and SMS will follow domestic tariff rules.
Mobile data usage may be subject to fair use limits, especially for unlimited plans, in line with EU regulations. However, users will still receive a sufficient amount of mobile data while roaming.
What this means for Ukrainians living in the EU due to the war
The new rules apply both to Ukrainians traveling temporarily to the EU and to those living there under temporary protection while using Ukrainian SIM cards.
Ukrainian regulators, the European Commission and telecom operators have coordinated measures to ensure that Ukrainians displaced by the war can continue using Ukrainian SIM cards in the EU without restrictions.
A joint agreement between Ukrainian and European mobile operators is in force until March 4, 2027, with the possibility of extension.
According to the NCEC, around three million Ukrainian SIM cards are currently present in the EU, with more than one million actively used.
Will mobile prices increase in Ukraine?
Ukrainian regulators state that joining the EU roaming zone will not automatically lead to higher domestic mobile tariffs.
Any tariff increases, they explain, are driven by infrastructure investments, energy costs, backup power systems and network restoration amid ongoing Russian attacks.
Some operators may also introduce social or domestic-only plans for users who do not travel abroad.
What mobile operators say
- Vodafone Ukraine confirmed that prices will not increase due to roaming integration and that existing tariff plans will remain valid in the EU.
- Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, updated its roaming conditions in December 2025, noting changes to mobile data limits in the EU while keeping domestic internet terms unchanged.
Why this matters
Ukraine’s inclusion in the “Roam Like at Home” area is more than a technical telecom decision. It:
- reduces financial pressure on millions of Ukrainians abroad;
- strengthens ties between Ukraine and the EU at a practical, everyday level;
- demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to align with EU internal market rules ahead of future membership.
