Ukraine Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Ukrainian Business

TL;DR. Ukraine’s official business registry is the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USR, also called the EDR), operated by the Ministry of Justice at usr.minjust.gov.ua. Basic company lookups are free and require no account. The interface is in Ukrainian with no full English translation. War conditions and a large-scale December 2024 cyberattack have periodically disrupted access; as of early 2026 the registry has been restored. Foreign buyers should treat any output as current but should verify critical data through a local agent or commercial aggregator.

What is the official Ukraine business registry?

The Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Organizations (Ukrainian: Єдиний державний реєстр, abbreviated EDR or USR) is Ukraine’s central company registry. It is maintained by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine under the Law of Ukraine “On State Registration of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Organizations” (Law No. 755-IV, 2003, as amended).

The registry covers all legal entity types: private and public companies (товариства з обмеженою відповідальністю / TOV and акціонерні товариства / PAT), sole proprietors (FOP), non-profit organizations, public institutions, and branches of foreign companies registered in Ukraine. Every entity is assigned a unique EDRPOU code at registration, which serves as the primary identifier across Ukrainian government databases including the tax service, customs, and court systems.

The EDR holds records going back to initial computerization in the late 1990s, with digitized legacy entries from the Soviet-era registration system incorporated progressively. Historical depth varies by region and entity type.

In December 2024, a large-scale cyberattack attributed by Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU) to Russian military intelligence (GRU) temporarily disabled access to the USR and several other state registries. The Ministry of Justice announced priority restoration within two weeks. By January 2025, public access to the EDR had been restored. Compliance buyers accessing the registry in 2026 should note that records from the December 2024 disruption period may have gaps or delayed entries.

What can you search?

The public search portal at usr.minjust.gov.ua/content/free-search supports:

• EDRPOU code (the primary anchor identifier)
• Company name (full or partial match, in Ukrainian Cyrillic)
• Individual entrepreneur’s tax identification number (RNOCPP/TIN)
• Legal entity type filter

Data returned per entity record includes: full registered name, EDRPOU code, legal form, registered address, date of state registration, status (active, being terminated, liquidated, suspended), list of founders and their ownership shares, director (signatory) name, primary activity code (KVED, Ukraine’s NACE-equivalent), and charter capital.

Beneficial ownership data is also held in the USR. Ukraine adopted beneficial owner disclosure requirements aligned with FATF Recommendation 24. Entities are required to disclose their ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs) with over 25% ownership or effective control. This data is part of the public record since 2015 amendments.

Data freshness operates on a filing-event basis: registrations, director changes, and address updates are processed by state registrars (notaries and local government officials empowered to submit changes). Processing timelines vary; in wartime conditions with displaced registrars and reduced capacity in conflict-affected oblasts, updates in eastern and southern regions may be delayed.

How much does it cost?

Ukraine moved toward zero-cost public extracts in several legislative updates from 2019 onward, making the basic certified extract from the USR available at no charge through the government e-services portal (Diia platform and related services). Pricing for any paid supplementary services should be verified at usr.minjust.gov.ua at the time of access. Exchange rate used for reference: UAH/USD approximately 41:1 (May 2026, approximate; verify at the National Bank of Ukraine before purchase).

Do you need a local account or ID?

No Ukrainian identity document is required for basic free searches. The public search is openly accessible to any user worldwide. For downloading an official certified extract with a QR verification code, users may need to create an account on the government’s integrated e-services systems. Foreign buyers without a Ukrainian identifier can use the search for due-diligence lookup; obtaining a certified extract may require assistance from a local agent or notary depending on the service channel used.

Is the website in English?

The USR portal operates in Ukrainian. There is no built-in English-language interface. All company names, director names, and addresses appear in Ukrainian Cyrillic. Entity types and status labels are in Ukrainian only.

For foreign compliance buyers, Google Translate or a Ukrainian-language specialist is the practical workaround. Key terms to know: “активний” means active, “припинено” means terminated/liquidated, “в стані припинення” means in the process of termination. The EDRPOU code itself is numeric and language-neutral.

A partial English presence exists in the form of third-party commercial aggregators (such as YouControl and Opendatabot) that index EDR data and present it with English-language interfaces, at additional cost.

What’s the turnaround time?

Free public lookups return results instantly. The USR portal displays real-time data as processed. Official extracts with QR codes, where required, are generated on-demand through the e-services platform (Diia) and are typically available within minutes once the system processes the request. In periods of infrastructure disruption (cyberattacks, power grid instability under wartime conditions), response times may be much longer or the portal may be temporarily unavailable.

Is there an API?

No public API for the USR is documented for external developer access as of May 2026. The State Enterprise Information Resource Centre (IRC, irc.gov.ua) provides institutional data services and may offer data access arrangements for government or institutional users. For commercial API access, third-party Ukrainian data aggregators such as YouControl and Opendatabot provide structured API access to EDR data with English documentation, at subscription rates.

What you legally cannot do

Ukraine’s data protection framework is governed by the Law of Ukraine “On Personal Data Protection” (No. 2297-VI, 2010). The USR Terms of Use prohibit:

• Bulk automated scraping of the public portal for commercial redistribution
• Using personal data obtained from the registry for unsolicited marketing or profiling
• Republishing official registry extracts commercially without attribution and without compliance with the original data access terms

For compliance and due-diligence purposes, fetching individual company records is within permitted use. Operators building automated monitoring systems are advised to use the commercial data aggregators that hold proper data redistribution agreements with the Ministry of Justice rather than scraping the public portal directly.

OFAC, EU, and UK sanctions regimes include designations against Ukrainian and Russian entities. Any USR lookup for entities in conflict-affected regions should be cross-referenced against current sanctions lists. The global due-diligence framework for war-context jurisdictions is covered in our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• EDRPOU is your anchor. The 8-digit EDRPOU code is stable across name changes and corporate restructurings. Always request the EDRPOU from counterparties and use it as the primary search key. Company names in Ukraine can be transliterated inconsistently into Latin script.
• War-zone caveats. Entities with registered addresses in Russian-occupied territories (parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson oblasts, and Crimea) may have outdated or inaccessible registry entries. State registrars in those areas have been displaced. Treat address data for these regions with heightened caution.
• Cyberattack gap. The December 2024 attack affected data continuity. Any director or ownership change filed between approximately December 19, 2024 and January 2025 should be independently verified through a local attorney or commercial aggregator to confirm successful re-posting.
• FOP vs. legal entity. Ukraine has a large population of individual entrepreneurs (FOP, Fizychna Osoba Pidpryiemets). These are registered in the same USR database but are not legal entities. Compliance workflows treating an FOP as equivalent to a company will find no corporate charter, no authorized capital, and no board directors.
• UBO disclosure. Ukraine requires UBO disclosure to the USR for all legal entities as part of the FATF alignment measures. UBO data is public and can be accessed through the same portal. However, completeness of UBO filings in the eastern oblasts and conflict zones is uncertain.
• Sanctions cross-reference. OFAC’s SDN list and the EU Consolidated Sanctions list both contain Ukrainian and Russia-linked entities. A USR lookup alone is not a sanctions screen. Run both checks.

Alternatives if you cannot access USR directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes Ukrainian company filings but lags official data. Useful for a quick name check; not for compliance-grade verification.
• YouControl (youcontrol.com.ua/en): Ukrainian commercial data aggregator with an English interface, API access, and monitoring features. Indexes EDR data plus court decisions, license databases, and sanctions lists. Paid subscription.
• Opendatabot (opendatabot.ua/en): Another commercial aggregator with English support, offering EDRPOU-based lookup and monitoring alerts. Paid tiers.

Local data suppliers

• YouControl (youcontrol.com.ua). Ukrainian-owned data analytics platform covering EDR, court records, license registers, and sanctions data. Primary audience: Ukrainian banks, due-diligence professionals, and international compliance teams. English interface and API available.
• Opendatabot (opendatabot.ua). Open data-focused aggregator with Ukrainian government data repackaged for businesses. Monitoring and alerting features for entity changes. Partial English support.

Use the official USR for primary source verification. Use a commercial aggregator when you need English output, monitoring workflows, or consolidated data across multiple Ukrainian government databases.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Ukraine registry directly?

Yes. The public search at usr.minjust.gov.ua is openly accessible to any internet user globally. No Ukrainian identity document or account is required for a basic search. Obtaining a certified extract with QR verification may require account registration on the Ukrainian e-services platform (Diia), which in practice is easier for users with a Ukrainian identifier. Foreign buyers often use local agents or commercial aggregators for certified extracts.

What is the EDRPOU code in Ukraine?

The EDRPOU (Єдиний державний реєстр підприємств і організацій України, ЄДРПОУ) is an 8-digit numeric code assigned to every legal entity registered in Ukraine. It is the universal identifier across tax, customs, banking, and judicial systems. For sole proprietors (FOPs), the equivalent identifier is the RNOCPP (individual tax number), also 10 digits. Always request the EDRPOU from a Ukrainian counterparty before onboarding them.

What entity types are registered with the USR?

The USR covers private limited companies (TOV), joint-stock companies (AO/PAT), sole proprietors (FOP), cooperatives, non-governmental organizations, public unions, foundations, religious organizations, and branches and representative offices of foreign companies operating in Ukraine.

Does Ukraine have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Yes. Ukraine introduced mandatory UBO disclosure for all legal entities as part of Law No. 361-IX (on financial monitoring, 2019), aligned with FATF Recommendation 24 and the EU’s Fourth and Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directives. UBO data is filed to the USR and is publicly searchable. Entities must disclose natural persons holding more than 25% ownership or effective control. Accuracy of filings in conflict-affected regions is uncertain.

How current is the data in the USR?

Under normal conditions, data is updated on a filing-event basis, typically within 1-5 business days of the state registrar processing the submission. Under wartime conditions, particularly in conflict-affected oblasts and in the aftermath of the December 2024 cyberattack, delays are longer and some records may have been lost or restored from backups. Cross-checking with commercial aggregators is advisable for high-stakes transactions.

Is Ukraine on the FATF grey list?

No. Ukraine is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. Russia (the aggressor state) has been suspended from FATF membership. FATF has condemned Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine is not subject to FATF increased monitoring, though international compliance officers applying enhanced due diligence to Ukrainian counterparties will commonly do so given the general country-risk context of active armed conflict rather than any FATF designation. See fatf-gafi.org for the current grey and black lists.

What’s the difference between the USR and Ukraine’s tax registry?

The USR (Ministry of Justice) covers legal existence: registration, directors, shareholders, UBOs, charter, and registered address. The State Tax Service of Ukraine (DPS) maintains a separate tax payer register tracking VAT registration, tax arrears, and tax-payer status. A full counterparty check on a Ukrainian entity typically requires both: the USR for corporate standing and the DPS database for tax compliance and outstanding liabilities.

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: Ministry of Justice of Ukraine USR portal (usr.minjust.gov.ua); Infosecurity Magazine on the December 2024 cyberattack restoration; YouControl data sources overview (youcontrol.com.ua/en/sources). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.