Ukraine · Guide
The state charges nothing to register a Ukrainian limited liability company. No filing fee, no stamp duty, no minimum capital to deposit. Every price comparison that leads with the government figure therefore leads with a zero, which is accurate and useless.
The cost of a Ukrainian company lives somewhere else: in documents you legalise abroad before you can file, in an accountant you cannot operate without, and, if you want to hold the signature yourself, in a work permit and an interim director. This guide builds the number from published market prices rather than from a range.
Ukraine Company Cost: the Short Answer
- Government cost to register a TOV: UAH 0. There is genuinely no fee.
- Cheapest real entry point: around EUR 110 for a base registration package, resident file.
- Realistic first year for a foreign founder: commonly USD 2,000 to USD 5,000 all in.
- Ongoing annual cost for a small operating company: commonly USD 1,000 to USD 2,500.
- The item paid abroad, before anything starts: apostille and notarisation, EUR 100 to 250 per founder.
In Ukraine the registration is free and the compliance is not. Budget for the accountant and the director arrangement, not for the registrar.
What the state actually charges
| Item | Fee 2026 | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| State registration of a TOV | UAH 0 | State registrar |
| RNOKPP taxpayer number | UAH 0 | State Tax Service |
| Branch or representative office | UAH 3,328 | State registrar |
| Work permit, up to 6 months | UAH 9,984 | State Employment Service |
| Work permit, 6 months to 1 year | UAH 16,640 | State Employment Service |
| Work permit, 1 to 3 years | UAH 26,624 to 33,280 | State Employment Service |
Two things to notice. The branch, routinely sold as the light option, is the only structure with a registration fee. And every non-zero figure here is set in subsistence minimums, reset each January by the budget law, so any quote from last year is wrong by construction.
The market price list nobody publishes in full
Each provider publishes the price of what it sells and stays quiet about the rest. The registration firm quotes registration and address; the accounting firm quotes bookkeeping and payroll; nobody assembles the invoice a foreign founder actually receives. Here it is.
| Line | Observed 2026 price | Recurs? |
|---|---|---|
| Base registration package, resident file | from EUR 110 | No |
| Notarisation, provider side | from EUR 30 | No |
| Notary, per signature certified | from UAH 600 | No |
| Apostille and notarisation, per foreign founder | EUR 100 to 250 | No |
| Certified Ukrainian translation | market rate, per document | No |
| Registered legal address with mail handling | from EUR 120 per year | Yes |
| Qualified electronic signature (QES) | billed separately | Renewal |
| Accounting and compliance, small company | USD 500 to 1,500 per year | Yes |
| Payroll, without HR records | EUR 20 per person | Yes |
| Payroll, with HR records management | EUR 30 per person | Yes |
| Nominee or interim director service | USD 400 to 600 | Yes |
The nominee director figure is published without a period attached. Ask any provider quoting it whether that is monthly or annual before you build a budget on it, because the difference is a factor of twelve.
The line paid abroad
Apostilles are issued by an authority in your own country, on your country's timetable and at your country's price. No Ukrainian provider controls it, which is why almost nobody quotes it.
- EUR 100 to 250 per foreign founder is the observed range for apostille plus notarisation.
- Multiply by the ownership chain. One individual founder sits at the bottom; a three layer corporate structure across two countries sits far above it.
- Where the Hague Convention does not apply, this becomes consular legalisation: slower and more expensive again.
- Certified translation with the translator's signature notarised is a separate cost per document.
Why the advertised EUR 110 is not your price
That figure is real, and it is for a resident file: one Ukrainian founder, one Ukrainian director, model charter, nothing to translate.
A non-resident file is a different product. It adds the power of attorney work, RNOKPP applications, the ownership structure scheme, a drafted charter instead of the model one, and a representative who physically files. Expect several times the advertised entry price.
Three worked profiles
| Line | Solo consultant | IT team of five | Group subsidiary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration, non-resident file | ~EUR 400 | ~EUR 600 | ~EUR 900 |
| Apostille and translations | ~EUR 200 | ~EUR 250 | ~EUR 700 |
| Legal address | ~EUR 120 | ~EUR 150 | ~EUR 300 |
| Accounting, year one | ~USD 600 | ~USD 1,200 | ~USD 2,000 |
| Payroll | none | ~EUR 150 | ~EUR 300 |
| Director arrangement | none | ~USD 600 | ~USD 600 |
The group subsidiary costs most for a reason that has nothing to do with Ukraine: its ownership chain is longer, so the apostille and translation line multiplies.
Year one against every year after
- Accounting and compliance~USD 1,000
- Director arrangement, if used~USD 500
- Registered legal address~USD 150
- Payroll and electronic signatures~USD 150
| Line | Year one | Year two onward |
|---|---|---|
| State registration | USD 0 | USD 0 |
| Apostilles, translations, notary | EUR 200 to 900 | Only on changes |
| Formation service | EUR 400 to 900 | None |
| Legal address | EUR 120 to 300 | Same |
| Accounting | USD 500 to 2,000 | Same |
| Director arrangement, if used | USD 400 to 600 | Same |
| Work permit, if taken | UAH 9,984 upward | Cheaper on renewal |
The shape is the opposite of most jurisdictions. Elsewhere the state takes a fee up front and the running cost is thin. In Ukraine the entry is free and the running cost is the whole story.
What moves the number most
- The shape of your ownership chain. One individual founder is cheap. A holding structure across two countries multiplies apostilles, translations and notarial acts, and it is the single largest variance in this guide.
- Your country's apostille cost and speed. Entirely outside anyone's control.
- VAT registration. Monthly returns plus continuous tax invoice registration, which pushes the accounting retainer up a tier.
- Whether you need the signature. An interim director plus a work permit is a recurring line that a founder who delegates simply does not have.
- Payroll headcount. At EUR 20 to 30 per person per period, this scales linearly and quietly.
What it does not cost
Worth stating, because founders coming from other jurisdictions budget for these and should not.
- No minimum share capital to deposit. You declare an amount and pay it in within six months.
- No mandatory audit for a small company. Statutory audit attaches to public interest entities and to medium and large enterprises.
- No company secretary. The role does not exist in Ukrainian company law.
- No annual return fee. Ukraine has no equivalent of the UK confirmation statement or the Hong Kong annual return.
The full filing calendar is in Ukraine company compliance.
The bottom line
A Ukrainian company is cheap to create and moderately expensive to keep. The realistic first year for a foreign founder runs USD 2,000 to USD 5,000, of which the government takes nothing, and the recurring cost settles around USD 1,000 to USD 2,500 depending almost entirely on the accountant, the director arrangement and whether you registered for VAT.
Budget from the monthly retainer, not from the registration. If you want that quoted as one line rather than assembled from five providers, compare the Ukraine formation package.
Not sure Ukraine is the right base yet? Start with why incorporate in Ukraine.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to register a company in Ukraine?
The state charges nothing to register a TOV. Ukrainian firms advertise base packages from around EUR 110 for a resident file. A foreign founder's realistic first year, including apostilles, translations, a non-resident formation service, a legal address and accounting, commonly lands between USD 2,000 and USD 5,000.
Is company registration really free in Ukraine?
The registration itself is, and so is the RNOKPP taxpayer number. Branches and representative offices are the exception at UAH 3,328 in 2026. Everything else goes to notaries, translators, apostille authorities and service providers.
What does a legal address cost in Ukraine?
From around EUR 120 per year for a registered address with mail handling. A real leased office is a different order of cost entirely, and the cheap option only works if the provider genuinely receives and forwards correspondence.
What does accounting cost in Ukraine?
Around USD 500 to 1,500 per year for a small company. VAT registration pushes it higher because of monthly returns and continuous tax invoice registration. Payroll is billed separately, commonly EUR 20 per person without HR records and EUR 30 with them.
How much is a nominee or interim director?
Commonly quoted around USD 400 to 600, though published figures do not always state whether that is monthly or annual. Confirm the period before budgeting, because the difference is a factor of twelve.
How much is a Ukrainian work permit?
UAH 9,984 for up to six months in 2026, UAH 16,640 for six months to a year, and UAH 26,624 to 33,280 for one to three years. Renewals cost one subsistence minimum less. The amounts reset each January.
What is the minimum share capital?
There is none for a TOV. You declare an amount in the charter and pay it in within six months of registration unless the charter sets a different period, so it is not an up front cash requirement.
Why is the advertised price EUR 110 when you say USD 2,000?
Because EUR 110 is a resident file: Ukrainian founder, Ukrainian director, model charter, nothing to translate. A non-resident file adds legalisation, translations, tax numbers, an ownership structure scheme, a drafted charter and a representative to lodge it.
What recurs every year?
The legal address, the accounting retainer, payroll if you have staff, and the director arrangement if you use one. State fees do not recur, because there are none for a TOV.
Can I reduce the cost?
Not by registering yourself, because Diia is closed to foreign founders and the file has to be lodged in person in Ukraine. The real lever is simplifying the ownership chain, which cuts apostilles and translations more than any negotiation will.
Sources
- Law of Ukraine on state registration of legal entities No 755-IV, article 36: administrative fees
- Law of Ukraine on employment of the population, article 42: work permit fees
- State Tax Service of Ukraine: taxpayer registration and reporting obligations
The zero administrative fee for registering a TOV, the fee of one subsistence minimum for a branch or representative office and the work permit fee ladder follow Ukrainian law as of September 2026. Every figure set in subsistence minimums moves each January with the budget law; the 2026 subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons is UAH 3,328 and the UAH figures here derive from it. All service prices are 2026 market observations gathered from published price lists of Ukrainian providers in September 2026, not official rates, and they vary widely by provider, by region and by the complexity of the ownership chain. The nominee director figure is quoted by its source without specifying whether it is monthly or annual, so confirm the period before budgeting. Nothing here is tax or legal advice.