European Commission Proposes Ukraine’s Integration into the EU Roaming Zone in 2026

Today, the European Commission proposed integrating Ukraine into the EU roaming zone as of January 2026. This will allow Ukrainians to make calls, send SMS messages, and use mobile internet from Ukrainian phone numbers across 27 EU countries without additional costs, while also granting the same benefits to Europeans visiting Ukraine.

“We want the people of Ukraine to remain connected with their loved ones in the EU as well as in their own country. That is why we are proposing that Ukraine joins our roaming family. Once again, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine and its citizens,” stated European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Roaming is the first area in which the EU is extending the Internal Market regime to Ukraine.

In practice, this means that travellers from Ukraine visiting the EU, and travellers from the EU visiting Ukraine, will not pay additional roaming charges. All mobile services – including calls, SMS, and data – will be charged at domestic rates. The agreement also guarantees consumers the same quality and speed of mobile connectivity as at home, as well as free access to emergency services.

In addition, the current agreement between EU and Ukrainian telecommunications operators will be extended until December 31, 2025. This will ensure that Europeans and Ukrainians can continue to benefit from shared roaming arrangements until Ukraine’s formal integration into the EU roaming zone.

The Commission has today transmitted the proposal to the Council of the European Union for approval. According to the proposal, Ukraine will effectively join the EU “Roam Like at Home” zone on January 1, 2026, allowing EU and Ukrainian operators to technically implement the “Roam Like at Home” requirements during this period.