Property

Can a foreigner buy property in Ukraine?

Published 29 October 2026 · facts checked against the primary sources on 2026-10-29 · Ukraine For ALL, Kyiv

The rules sit in four places: the Law on the Regime of Foreign Investment (what a foreigner may acquire), the Land Code (which land), the Civil Code (the form of the deal) and the Tax Code (the tax number every party needs). Martial law adds its own layer, described further down.

What can a foreigner buy?

Article 81(3) lists how a foreigner acquires a permitted plot: by a sale, rent, gift or exchange contract or another civil-law agreement, by buying out the plot under a building they own, or by inheritance.

What if you buy through a company?

A company registered abroad may own non-agricultural land inside settlements when it buys real estate there or builds premises for its business in Ukraine, and outside settlements when it buys real estate (Land Code, Art. 82(2)).

A Ukrainian company with foreign participants is still blocked from farmland. Article 130 bars foreigners from even holding stakes in companies that own agricultural land, with an exception for the charter capital of banks and other financial institutions. That rule falls away only if a referendum approves foreign ownership, and several bans stay in place even then:

• state and communal farmland, and land-share plots closer than 50 km to the state border, for companies with foreign participants or beneficial owners;
• companies whose participants or beneficial owners are citizens of the state Ukraine recognises as the aggressor;
• companies whose beneficial owner cannot be identified, or is registered in an offshore zone on the Cabinet of Ministers' list;
• persons under Ukrainian sanctions that ban buying land, and their related persons.

How does the purchase work?

1. Get a Ukrainian tax number. Article 70.12.2 of the Tax Code requires the taxpayer registration number in civil contracts whose subject is a taxable object. Get it before the signing day.
2. Check the seller and the object. Ownership and encumbrances are public under the state registration rules (Civil Code, Art. 182(2)). The seller's debts matter as well: if the seller is listed in the Unified Register of Debtors, a notary must refuse to certify the sale of their property (Law No. 1404-VIII, Art. 9(3)).
3. Sign a written contract before a notary. A sale of a land plot, a house, an apartment or other real estate must be in writing and notarised (Civil Code, Art. 657).
4. Register the ownership. Ownership of real estate, its encumbrances and its transfer are subject to state registration (Civil Code, Art. 182(1)). A refusal to register can be challenged in court (Art. 182(3)).

If you will not be in Ukraine for the signing, a representative can sign on your power of attorney. A Ukrainian notary accepts a document drawn up abroad with the participation of a foreign authority once it is legalised, unless Ukrainian law or a treaty of Ukraine waives legalisation (Law No. 3425-XII "On Notariat", Art. 100).

Does buying property give you residence?

The Law on Immigration has no category for property buyers. The investor category requires a foreign investment of at least USD 100,000 into Ukraine's economy, proven by a bank certificate that shows one of two specific money routes. The details are in Ukraine residence by investment.

What does martial law change?

Ownership rules stay the same, with two additions an owner should know:

• Forced alienation for state needs. Law No. 4765-VI allows private property to be taken for the needs of the state under martial law by decision of the military command, agreed with the regional or local administration, and in combat areas by the military command alone (Art. 4). Owners are entitled to full compensation, paid in advance or, where that is impossible, afterwards (Art. 3).
• Insurance. Since 2026 the budget pays part of the war-risk premium on business property insurance, within the limits in war-risk insurance for an investment in Ukraine.

Martial law was most recently extended for 90 days from 05:30 on 31 October 2026.

Where people get stuck

• No tax number on the day. The notary cannot complete the deal without it.
• A plot that turns out to be agricultural. The land's designated purpose decides what a foreigner can own, whatever the plot is used for in practice.
• The seller's hidden debt. A listing in the Unified Register of Debtors stops the sale at the notary.
• Paperwork from abroad. A power of attorney certified abroad without the legalisation or treaty formality that Article 100 of the Law on Notariat requires does not get past the notary.

FAQ

Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Kyiv?

Yes. Acquiring houses, apartments and premises is a form of foreign investment under Article 3 of Law No. 93/96-ВР. The contract is notarised and the ownership is registered with the state.

Can a foreigner buy land in Ukraine?

Only non-agricultural land: inside settlements, or outside them under a building the foreigner owns (Land Code, Art. 81(2)). Agricultural land is limited to Ukrainian citizens, citizen-owned Ukrainian companies, the state and communities.

Can a foreigner inherit farmland?

Yes, and it must then be sold within one year (Land Code, Art. 81(4)).

Do I need to be in Ukraine to sign?

A representative can sign for you on a power of attorney. If the power of attorney is certified abroad, a Ukrainian notary accepts it after legalisation, or without it where a law or a treaty of Ukraine provides so (Law No. 3425-XII, Art. 100).

Does buying property give a residence permit?

The Law on Immigration has no property-buyer category. The investor route requires USD 100,000 invested into Ukraine's economy with a bank certificate.