Brussels – The new year marks an important step in the gradual integration of two candidate countries into the European Union. On 1 January 2026, Ukraine and Moldova joined the ‘Roam Like at Home’ area, allowing their citizens to enjoy the same free roaming benefits that EU citizens have had since 2017.
Ukrainian and Moldovan citizens can now use their mobile phones – including making calls, sending texts and using data – across the EU and other associated countries without incurring additional charges. The same benefits also apply to EU citizens communicating or travelling in Ukraine and Moldova.
This policy is based on the principle that, when you travel to another member of the no-roaming-charge area, your mobile calls, texts and data work just like at home, and you do not have to pay extra fees for roaming.
The forthcoming abolition of all roaming charges with both Montenegro and Albania is expected by 2026, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “This is good for business, this is good for tourism, and it is especially good for bringing our people together,” she said during her latest tour of the Western Balkans.
What is the free roaming area
Since 15 June 2017, the Roam like at Home rules have enabled EU consumers to use mobile services – calls, texts, and data – across member states at the same cost as in their home country. These rules ensure not only fair pricing, but also consistent quality: users must have access to the same network speed and service standards wherever they are in the EU. Access to emergency services remains free of charge, as is customary throughout the Union.
Beyond the EU’s borders, the same no-roaming-charges regime also applies to the three EEA EFTA members – Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – since the Regulation entered into force in 2017.
With regard to Ukraine, Kyiv expressed its interest in joining the EU’s roaming regime in 2022, with the commitment to align the national roaming legislation with EU standards. In April 2022, European and Ukrainian operators agreed to voluntary measures providing affordable mobile connectivity to over four million refugees who had sought shelter in the EU after fleeing the Russian invasion.
The decision regarding Moldova is part of the gradual economic integration into the EU’s internal market, as set out in the 2016 Association Agreement. Moldovan citizens and businesses already enjoyed lower roaming charges since 2024.
Currently, plans are underway to expand the free roaming area to include the Western Balkans region. At the EU-Western Balkans Summit held in Tirana in December 2022, leaders signed a declaration committing to the gradual reduction of data roaming charges. This commitment took effect on 1 October 2023, following an agreement among 38 European and Balkan telecommunications operators, with the ultimate goal of fully eliminating additional roaming fees by 2028.
