How roaming for Ukrainians in EU will change starting in early 2026
From 1 January, 2026, Ukrainians will be able to make calls, send SMS messages,and use mobile internet in all 27 European Union countries at their regular domestic tariff.
The same rules will apply to European subscribers traveling to Ukraine.
Ukraine has become the first country outside the European Economic Area to receive a reciprocal internal market regime with the EU after meeting all required conditions and procedures. Above all, Ukraine ensured full alignment of its national legislation with EU roaming law – something that even EU member states had not fully achieved before.
Read more about what will change in practice for Ukrainians in the column by Liliia Malon of the National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications (NCEC): Roam like at home: how mobile communications between Ukraine and EU will change.
The author recalls that from the start of the full-scale invasion until 31 December 2025, a Joint Statement by Ukraine and the EU on affordable roaming for Ukrainians in the EU has been in effect.
"In 2026, the situation changes fundamentally: by joining ‘Roam Like at Home,’ Ukraine becomes an integral part of the EU’s internal roaming market, where uniform rules apply," Liliia Malon writes.
According to her, this guarantees stability, transparency and consumer protection; enables free use of mobile services across the single Ukraine–EU roaming area; and integrates Ukrainian business into the European market.
The head of the NCEC (the national authority regulating electronic communications, radio frequency spectrum and postal services) emphasises that Ukrainian users will not need to activate anything additionally, roaming quality will be the same as at home and access to emergency services will be free of charge.
The NCEC and mobile operators are responsible for implementation and oversight.
"‘Roam Like at Home’ means that while you are in the EU, your domestic tariff applies, not an unlimited one," Liliia Malon explains, giving an example.
If your plan includes 100 minutes and 100 SMS messages, you can use them in any EU country in the same amount. But if you have used 60 minutes at home (in Ukraine), only 40 minutes will be available while roaming in the EU.
If you then use another 25 minutes in the EU, you will have 15 minutes left upon returning. In other words, within a tariff package that includes ‘Roam Like at Home,’ Ukraine and the EU are treated as a single geographic zone.
Incoming calls are free of charge. However, limits may apply to mobile internet.
In such cases, the operator is required to inform you in advance about the limit and warn you when you reach it.
The head of the NCEC stresses that roaming applies only to short-term trips to the EU. At the same time, due to the war, an exception has been made for Ukrainians: they may use Ukrainian SIM cards in the EU without restrictions until 4 March 2027, with the possibility of extending this exception.