Guide · Market entry
How does a foreign company register a representative office in Ukraine?
A foreign company registers a representative office in Ukraine with a state registrar. The file holds the application, the parent company's decision to open the office, a home-register extract issued within the last month, the ownership structure, a copy of the beneficial owner's ID, the office's regulations and proof of the fee. The registrar has five working days. The fee in 2026 is UAH 3,330.
Figures of USD 2,500 and a 60-day review still circulate online. They do not match the current text of Law No. 755-IV on state registration, which since the amendments of Law No. 3257-IX of 14 July 2023 covers separate subdivisions of foreign legal entities directly. Every figure below comes from that law as published on the Verkhovna Rada portal on 22 October 2026.
legal.ua registers representative offices of foreign companies under a power of attorney, from document preparation abroad to the register entry, with scope, price and deadline fixed in the contract before work starts.
What a representative office is under Ukrainian law
A representative office is a separate subdivision of a legal entity, located outside the entity's seat, that represents and protects the entity's interests (Civil Code of Ukraine, Art. 95). Three consequences follow for a foreign parent:
- The office is not a legal entity. Contracts and liability stay with the parent company.
- It works under regulations (a polozhennia) that the parent approves.
- Its head is appointed by the parent and acts on the parent's power of attorney.
A branch is the other kind of separate subdivision: it performs all or part of the parent's functions (Art. 95). Ukrainian registration law treats both as a "separate subdivision of a legal entity formed under the law of a foreign state", with one procedure, one fee and one deadline.
Documents the registrar requires
Article 22(1) of Law No. 755-IV lists eight items for registering the creation of a foreign company's separate subdivision. Item 3 applies only to foreign banks.
| # | Document | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Application for state registration of the subdivision | Standard registrar form |
| 2 | The parent's decision to create the subdivision | Must state the office's name, address, head (full name and start date of powers) and the approval of its regulations (Art. 15(1)(6)) |
| 3 | National Bank accreditation decision | Foreign banks only |
| 4 | Extract from the parent's home register | Trade, banking or court register; issued no earlier than one month before filing (Art. 15(1)(13-1)) |
| 5 | Ownership structure of the parent | If the Unified State Register holds no current data |
| 6 | Copy of the ultimate beneficial owner's ID | Notarised or signed with a qualified e-signature of the filer, if the register holds no current data |
| 7 | Regulations of the office | Approved by the parent |
| 8 | Proof of payment of the administrative fee | See the fee section below |
Two format rules apply to every foreign document. Documents issued abroad must carry an apostille or consular legalisation unless a treaty says otherwise (Art. 15(1)(13)); Ukraine is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Every foreign-language document needs a Ukrainian translation with a certified translator's signature or certified accuracy (Art. 15(1)(14)).
Where to file, how long it takes and what it costs
Paper documents go to a registrar in the region (oblast or the city of Kyiv) where the office will be located. Documents filed electronically are registered regardless of location (Law No. 755-IV, Art. 4(2)). A representative files on a notarised power of attorney or one issued under foreign law (Art. 14(2)).
- Deadline: five working days from filing (Art. 26(1)(9)).
- Fee: one subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons, set on 1 January of the filing year and rounded to the nearest UAH 10 (Art. 36(1), 36(5)). For 2026 that is UAH 3,330. Electronic filing costs 75% of the fee.
- Foreign NGOs and charities: 0.28 of the subsistence minimum, UAH 930 in 2026.
- Later changes to the office's details: 0.3 of the subsistence minimum, UAH 1,000 in 2026.
On the day of registration the register passes the record to the statistics service, the financial monitoring service and the tax authority (Art. 13(2)), so the tax authority receives the new office's record straight from the register.
Representative office, branch or Ukrainian LLC
The choice depends on what the presence in Ukraine will do: represent the parent, run part of its business, or trade as a Ukrainian company.
| Representative office | Branch | Ukrainian LLC (TOV) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | No | No | Yes |
| Role (Civil Code, Art. 95) | Represents and protects the parent's interests | Performs all or part of the parent's functions | Acts in its own name |
| Registrar's deadline | 5 working days | 5 working days | 24 hours, weekends and holidays excluded (Art. 26(1)(1)) |
| Administrative fee, 2026 | UAH 3,330 | UAH 3,330 | None listed in Art. 36 |
| Foundation document | Regulations approved by the parent | Regulations approved by the parent | Charter or model charter |
| Work permit for foreign staff | Not required (Law No. 5067-VI, Art. 42(6)(8)) | Not required (Art. 42(6)(8)) | Required, save for the other cases listed in Art. 42(6) |
Setting up a TOV is covered step by step in how a foreigner registers a company in Ukraine. After registration, any of the three needs a bank account, explained in the bank account guide, and staff, covered in how to hire Ukrainian specialists legally. All procedures are collected in the guides hub.
After registration
- Accounting and reporting. Key Solutions runs accounting for representative offices of foreign companies.
- A foreign head or staff. Employees of a branch or representative office of a foreign legal entity are employed without a work permit (Law No. 5067-VI on Employment of the Population, Art. 42(6)(8)). The exemption covers employment only, and entry and residence follow their own procedure; legal.ua handles immigration paperwork for foreigners.
- A foreign foundation or charity. legal.ua has a separate service for representative offices of foreign funds.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to register a representative office in Ukraine?
The state registrar has five working days from the date the documents are filed (Law No. 755-IV, Art. 26(1)(9)). Preparing the file abroad takes longer: the parent company's decision, a fresh register extract, apostilles and a certified Ukrainian translation. legal.ua publishes a service timeline from 20 working days, document preparation included.
How much is the state fee for a representative office in Ukraine?
One subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons, UAH 3,330 in 2026 after the statutory rounding to the nearest UAH 10. Filing electronically costs 75% of the fee. A representative office of a foreign NGO or charity pays 0.28 of the subsistence minimum, UAH 930 (Law No. 755-IV, Art. 36(1) and 36(5)).
Is a representative office a legal entity in Ukraine?
No. Under Article 95 of the Civil Code, branches and representative offices are separate subdivisions of the parent company. They act under regulations approved by the parent, and their heads are appointed by the parent and act on its power of attorney.
What is the difference between a representative office and a branch in Ukraine?
A representative office represents and protects the interests of the parent company. A branch performs all or part of the parent's functions (Civil Code, Art. 95). Both are registered as separate subdivisions of a foreign legal entity under the same procedure, fee and five-day deadline.
Can the documents be filed without travelling to Ukraine?
Yes. Documents filed electronically are registered regardless of the office's location, and a representative can file on a notarised power of attorney or one issued under foreign law (Law No. 755-IV, Arts. 4(2) and 14(2)). Foreign documents need an apostille or consular legalisation and a certified Ukrainian translation.
Send legal.ua the parent company's name and country, the city for the office, and who will head it. A lawyer checks the parent's documents, says which of them need an apostille and translation, and fixes price and deadline in the contract.
Why legal.ua: owners abroad sign under a power of attorney; offices in Kyiv, Lviv and Dnipro.
Register a representative office
To ask us first, use the question form on the Ukraine For ALL home page or write to info@ua4all.org.
Primary sources
Facts on this page were checked against the primary sources on 22 October 2026. The service timeline is the one published by legal.ua on the linked service page on the same date.
- Law of Ukraine No. 755-IV on State Registration of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Formations, Arts. 4, 13, 14, 15, 22, 26, 36 (as amended by Law No. 3257-IX of 14 July 2023)
- Civil Code of Ukraine, Art. 95
- Law of Ukraine No. 5067-VI on Employment of the Population, Art. 42(6)(8) (as amended by Law No. 3257-IX of 14 July 2023)
- HCCH status table, Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation
