Foreigners can buy apartments in Ukraine, and in most cases you can do it without getting on a plane: the legwork in Ukraine is done by someone holding your power of attorney. Here’s how it plays out, step by step.
First, get clear on what you’re buying
An apartment to rent out and an apartment to live in are two different purchases. Before you look at a single project, pin down three things:
- Your all-in budget, including closing costs and fit-out
- Your goal: rental income, your own use, or both
- How long you plan to hold it
Step 1: Picking a project
When we look at a project, we check the developer’s legal standing, its financial strength and its track record of handing over on time. Checking title, liens and the seller’s documents is a separate job, done by the local lawyer.
When judging how rentable a unit is, we look at things like transport links and size. How much each matters varies from property to property, and nobody can promise you a tenant, a move-in date or a return.
Step 2: Power of attorney
Where it fits your situation, the purchase can be completed through an attorney-in-fact. Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice recognises several routes, such as signing at a Ukrainian consulate or before a notary in the country where you live, each with its own certification, translation and registration requirements. The local lawyer drafts it, and the route, certification and scope are tailored to you and to what the notary, bank and authorities require. Read it before you sign and ask exactly what it covers.
It comes before the next step because it may already be needed to open your account and get your tax number.
Step 3: Tax number and a bank account in your name
You can’t buy property in Ukraine without a tax ID. After that, a Ukrainian bank account is opened in your name and under your control. Opening and running the account depend on the bank’s approval and its ID checks.
Step 4: Payment and registration in your name
There’s no single way to move the money, and banks may ask for different paperwork. Transfers into and out of Ukraine are subject to bank requirements and the currency rules in force at the time. So before you buy, look not only at getting money in, but at how rental income and future sale proceeds could be sent abroad.
For a finished apartment, completion involves the notarial and registration steps Ukrainian law requires. In a project still under construction, the type of right you acquire, how it’s registered and when title to the unit is registered depend on how the deal is structured and the law that applies to the project.
Step 5: Fit-out, furnishing and handover
New-builds usually need finishing works and furniture before they can be let. If you’re abroad, someone has to be there to sign off plans, inspect the work and take delivery. The warranty on the works is set by your contract with the contractor and by Ukrainian law, and no contract can take away the rights the law gives you.
Step 6: Letting
A local management company finds tenants, collects rent and handles repairs. With us, the fee is 10% of the rent. If you live outside Ukraine, the place has to be let through a local business that also pays the tax on the rent for you, so make sure your management company handles that too, not just the upkeep.
Tax back home
Owning property abroad may create tax and reporting obligations in your own country. That depends on your situation, so talk to an accountant who knows international tax before you buy, not after.
The risks, plainly
Ukrainian property carries real risks: war and damage to the property, construction delays, periods without a tenant, currency swings and limits on moving money. Know them before you decide.
The bottom line
Buying in Kyiv from abroad is very doable, but there are a lot of moving parts: a lawyer, a bank, a contractor and a management company. What makes the difference is who’s coordinating them for you. Service & fees · How it works
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice.