Insolvency & Debt · Ukraine
Bankruptcy lawyer in Ukraine: clarity before you commit
Insolvency questions in Ukraine sit inside a civil-law system with a specialised commercial court branch, compulsory bar membership for courtroom advocates and court fees fixed by statute. We explain that framework in plain English, then introduce you to an advocate who handles debt and insolvency files.
- Advocates recorded in the Single Register of Advocates of Ukraine
- Statutory court fees and time limits explained before you decide
- Free, no-obligation matching, usually within 24–48 hours
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Why this page
How insolvency work is organised in Ukraine
Financial distress rarely arrives with a warning, and in Ukraine the legal route out of it depends on facts that are easy to misread: who your creditor is, what security exists, which court has jurisdiction and how much time has already run. A bankruptcy lawyer in Ukraine works through those questions with you before anything is filed, so that the strategy you choose matches your assets, your income and your obligations. On this page we explain how the Ukrainian court system and the regulated legal profession fit together, what the court-fee rules look like in law, and where limitation periods stand after the changes of 2025. We do not give legal advice — we match you, free of charge, with an advocate who handles insolvency and debt matters and who can assess your own file.
Ukraine in detail
The Ukrainian framework a debt file sits inside
Ukraine is a continental civil-law jurisdiction built on the Constitution of 1996 and on codified legislation, including the Civil Code (2003) and the Commercial Code. Courts apply the law rather than precedent, while the Supreme Court ensures that judicial practice stays uniform. These structural features shape how any insolvency or debt matter is prepared.
A three-tier judiciary with specialised branches
The ordinary system runs from local general courts through appellate courts to the Supreme Court, which sits as the court of cassation in a Grand Chamber and in civil, criminal, commercial and administrative chambers. Alongside it, specialised commercial (economic) courts and administrative courts operate. Your advocate confirms at the outset which branch and which instance your file belongs to.
Who is entitled to represent you
Membership of the Bar is compulsory to practise as an advocate in Ukraine. Candidates need a complete higher legal education, command of the state language and at least two years of legal experience, then a qualification exam, a six-month traineeship, the oath and a certificate. All advocates appear in the Single Register of Advocates of Ukraine.
Representation rules before the higher courts
In civil, commercial and administrative proceedings you may act in person or through a representative, and advocate representation is not mandatory at first instance or on appeal for natural persons. The position changes higher up: under Article 131-2 of the Constitution, representation before the Supreme Court in cassation is exercised exclusively by advocates, and legal entities must also be represented by advocates in higher instances.
What the court fee actually costs
Court fees are governed by the Law ‘On Court Fee’ (No. 3674-VI). For a property claim before a general court the fee is 1% of the claim value for natural persons and individual entrepreneurs, within statutory floor and ceiling amounts, and 1.5% for legal entities within a wider range. A non-property claim costs 0.4 of the subsistence minimum for a natural person, a figure reset each year by the State Budget Law.
Lawyers’ fees are contractual, not tariffed
Ukraine sets no official statutory tariffs for lawyers’ fees. Remuneration is agreed freely between advocate and client in the contract on legal services, with no binding minimum or maximum, so the written scope and basis of charging matter more than any published rate. Court fees, and within limits the prevailing party’s advocate fees, may be recovered from the losing party under the procedural codes.
Justice continues under martial law
Martial law has been in force since 24 February 2022 under Presidential Decree No. 64/2022 and has been repeatedly extended. Justice is still administered, but only by courts established under the Constitution; extraordinary or special courts are prohibited and proceedings may not be shortened or accelerated. Where courts cannot operate, territorial jurisdiction may be transferred to courts in government-controlled territory.
Every country-specific statement on this page is drawn from official Ukrainian and European sources — the e-Justice Portal, the Verkhovna Rada legislation database, the Supreme Court and the Coordination Centre for Legal Aid Provision — consulted in 2025.
- European e-Justice Portal — National justice systems: Ukraine
- Law of Ukraine ‘On the Bar and Practice of Law’ No. 5076-VI
- Civil Code of Ukraine No. 435-IV (limitation periods)
- Law of Ukraine ‘On Court Fee’ No. 3674-VI
- Law of Ukraine No. 4434-IX on renewal of limitation periods
- Law of Ukraine ‘On the Legal Regime of Martial Law’ No. 389-VIII
- Supreme Court of Ukraine — The Operation of Justice Under Martial Law
- Coordination Centre for Legal Aid Provision — free legal aid
Common concerns
What people get wrong before they instruct anyone
Three misunderstandings that regularly appear in Ukrainian debt and insolvency files.
You cannot tell which court has your case
Insolvency, enforcement and debt disputes do not all travel the same road. Without knowing whether your matter belongs before a general or a commercial court, you risk filing in the wrong place and losing months before the point is even argued.
The costs feel unpredictable
Court fees are set by statute and calculated from the value of the claim or from the subsistence minimum, which changes annually. Advocates’ fees are not tariffed at all, so the only reliable figure is the one written into your contract.
Time may already be running
A three-year general limitation period applies to most civil claims, and it was suspended during martial law before being restored on 4 September 2025. What that means for your file needs a dated analysis, not an assumption.
How we help
A shortlist built around your file, not a directory
We read your situation first, then identify advocates whose day-to-day practice covers what you are facing.
Advocates, not case handlers
Everyone we introduce is an advocate admitted to the Ukrainian Bar and recorded in the Single Register of Advocates of Ukraine — the title the law reserves for court representation and professional legal assistance.
Fee transparency before you sign
Because no statutory tariffs exist for lawyers’ fees in Ukraine, the contract governs everything. We help you see what to ask: scope of work, hourly or fixed basis, and what happens if the matter settles early.
Language handled properly
Ukrainian is the state language of the court system and case documents are drawn up in it. Your advocate can take you through the file in English while the court work itself follows Ukrainian procedure and language.
One introduction, no cost
Matching is free and carries no obligation. You describe what happened, we identify advocates whose practice covers insolvency and debt, and you decide whether to instruct anyone at all.
Cross-border
Related jurisdictions
Debt and property questions rarely stay inside one country. Ukrainian files frequently connect to these jurisdictions, whether through a creditor, a contract, an asset or a family link.
Questions
Frequently asked about insolvency and debt in Ukraine
Do I need a bankruptcy lawyer in Ukraine, or can I represent myself?
In civil, commercial and administrative proceedings a party may act in person or through a representative, and advocate representation is not mandatory at first instance or on appeal for natural persons. That changes higher up: before the Supreme Court in cassation, representation is exclusively by advocates, and legal entities must also use advocates in higher instances. Complex insolvency work is usually best handled by counsel from the start.
How are lawyers’ fees set in Ukraine?
There are no official statutory tariffs for lawyers’ fees. Remuneration is agreed freely between advocate and client in the contract on legal services, with no binding minimum or maximum, so you should compare scope as carefully as price. Court fees are separate and are paid to the State Budget, and under the procedural codes the prevailing party may recover its own court fees and, within limits, advocate fees.
Which courts handle insolvency and debt disputes in Ukraine?
Ukraine’s ordinary judiciary runs from local general courts through appellate courts to the Supreme Court, which acts as the court of cassation through its civil, criminal, commercial and administrative chambers. Specialised commercial (economic) courts and administrative courts sit alongside that structure. Because the system is civil-law based, courts apply the codes rather than precedent, and your advocate confirms the correct branch and instance for your file.
Did martial law change the deadlines for bringing a claim?
Martial law was introduced on 24 February 2022 by Presidential Decree No. 64/2022 and has been repeatedly extended. Limitation periods were suspended during that period and were restored from 4 September 2025 by Law No. 4434-IX. Justice itself continues, but only before courts established under the Constitution, and proceedings may not be shortened or accelerated.
Can court documents be filed electronically?
Yes. Ukraine operates the Unified Judicial Information and Telecommunication System, established by Article 15-1 of the Law ‘On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges’, with Electronic Cabinet, Electronic Court and videoconferencing subsystems. The Unified State Register of Court Decisions has published anonymised decisions since 2006, and electronic filing became widespread during martial law.
Is free legal aid available for debt problems?
Ukraine guarantees free legal aid under Law No. 3460-VI. Free primary legal aid — legal information, advice and consultations, including by telephone and online — is available to everyone under Ukrainian jurisdiction. Free secondary legal aid, meaning representation in court and defence, is provided to defined vulnerable categories through the Coordination Centre for Legal Aid Provision and its regional bureaus.
Next step
Speak to a bankruptcy lawyer in Ukraine
Describe your situation in a few lines: who you owe, which assets are involved, and whether any court action has already started. We will match you with an advocate whose practice covers insolvency and debt in Ukraine, free of charge and with no obligation to instruct.