Ukraine Completes Steps to Join EU Roaming Zone by 2026

Ukraine has officially notified the European Commission that it has completed all necessary legislative procedures to join the EU’s Roam Like at Home zone, marking a key milestone toward integration with the European digital single market, The Gaze reports, citing European Pravda.

According to Radio Free Europe editor Rikard Jozwiak, the Commission received the final notification on Friday. Ukraine, alongside Moldova, is expected to fully join the EU roaming zone on January 1, 2026, enabling citizens to use mobile services in the EU at no extra cost beyond domestic rates.

“I know that the word "historic" is overused these days but this is exactly that,” Jozwiak said.

The Roam Like at Home area currently includes all 27 EU countries plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. This expansion will be the first time the zone includes EU candidate countries.

The move follows the June 2 signing by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of a law aligning Ukraine’s electronic communications regulations with EU standards. The European Commission must now initiate a formal decision enabling mutual internal market treatment for roaming services.

Ukrainians have already benefited from temporary roaming agreements introduced after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. These agreements were last extended in July 2024 for another year.

Once full integration is in place, Ukrainian mobile users will be able to call, text, and use data across the EU without paying additional roaming charges, regardless of the specific country they are visiting.

As The Gaze previously reported, on June 2, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed legislation aligning the country’s telecommunications regulations with the EU’s “Roam Like at Home” (RLAH) initiative, paving the way for Ukrainian mobile users to enjoy free roaming across all 27 EU member states.