How do you acquire land ownership in Ukraine? New rules

Registering a plot of land as your own property or privatising it means gaining the right to use it as you see fit. The landowner may sell, gift, exchange or officially lease the land. Furthermore, depending on the plot’s designated use, it is possible to legally carry out construction or agricultural work.

Existing methods of acquiring land ownership

In Ukraine, there are various ways to register ownership; each individual case has its own registration procedure and required list of documents. Let us list them:

• Take advantage of the opportunity to privatise land free of charge. Every Ukrainian citizen has a constitutional right to receive six plots of land for various purposes free of charge. It should be noted that whilst the land itself is free, a fee will be required to complete the registration process.
• Inherit it. The paperwork is completed by submitting an application within six months and opening the succession. Once this period has elapsed, a certificate of inheritance is issued and the ownership rights are registered in the State Register of Rights to Immovable Property.
• Acquire it under a contract of sale, exchange, gift or other civil law agreement. This method involves the transfer of ownership rights from one person to another through the payment of a certain sum.
• Privatise a plot of land that is already in use. In this case, there is no need to pay the cost of the land, but a certain sum will have to be paid to register it as property.

The essence of the 2020 land reform

On the last day of March this year, a new land law concerning agricultural land was adopted in Ukraine. According to this law, the ban on the sale of land will be lifted from July 2021 (currently, such plots cannot yet be purchased). Any individual wishing to acquire a plot of land as their own property may purchase up to 10,000 hectares. After 2024, legal entities, i.e. large agricultural holdings, will also be able to purchase land. It is planned to open up the possibility of purchasing state-owned land in the near future.

If you wish to privatise your share of land but do not know where to start, please contact the specialists at Svarog. Your issue will be resolved as quickly as possible!