Hiring in Ukraine

The terms set out role, salary in UAH, working time, leave, notice and confidentiality, but post-employment non-competes are generally unenforceable. The EOR is the counterparty to the employee, which is what removes the need for your own entity.

Contracts are usually bilingual, with Ukrainian as the state language for HR records.

Fixed-term contracts are restricted, though martial law allows them for its duration or to cover an absent employee. Most EORs default to indefinite terms.

Set probation in the hiring terms from day one, as it cannot be added later. Days lost to sickness do not count, so probation runs longer if the employee is absent.

Some EORs shorten probation as policy because they, not you, carry the dismissal risk. Ask before you agree a start date.

Overtime is capped at 4 hours over two consecutive days and 120 hours a year.

Managers and senior specialists can be placed on an irregular hours regime, where extra hours are not treated as overtime but earn up to 7 days of additional annual leave. Put the position in writing either way.

Plenty of employers top up the statutory minimum or still give the official holidays as company days off, so quote what the EOR actually applies when you budget.

Sick pay splits between employer and state: the employer covers the first 5 days and social insurance pays from day 6. Maternity leave of 126 calendar days is funded by social insurance, so confirm which side the EOR carries.

Redundancy means 2 months' written notice, an offer of any vacant role and at least one month's average salary as severance. Martial law has removed trade union consent for most dismissals and allows termination during sick leave or holiday.

The EOR runs the process as the legal employer and will want the paperwork in order, including final pay, unused leave and any agreed severance. Mutual agreement is the usual exit route in practice, and an unlawful dismissal can lead to reinstatement with back pay, so keep a documented reason.

Private medical cover is standard for professional roles even though it is not mandatory, and EORs often bundle it through a group scheme. Ask what is included in the fee and what is billed on top.

Mobilisation can take staff out of the business. Men aged 25 to 60 can be called up, and reserving an employee needs critical enterprise status and a salary of at least 3 times the minimum wage. Ask whether the EOR's entity can reserve staff at all.

Employer contributions add 22% on top of gross salary, capped at 20 times the minimum wage (UAH 172,940 a month in 2026). That is before the EOR fee.

The take-home gap is the trap. Many Ukrainian tech workers are used to contracting as private entrepreneurs (FOP) on a far lighter simplified tax, so moving onto employed payroll cuts net pay sharply. Agree the gross figure with that in mind.

Ask whether the EOR sponsors directly or refers to a partner. A partner-model EOR often cannot sponsor at all, and the permit is tied to the sponsoring entity and the role, not to you.

Set start dates after approval, not before. Working without a permit carries a fine of 20 times the minimum wage per person.

Get the data processing terms in the service agreement, not just the privacy notice. Cross-border transfers need a lawful basis, and a GDPR-aligned replacement law is still awaiting its second reading.

Ask where payroll data is hosted and who in the partner chain can see it.

Incorporation here is quick, but the running cost is the point: accounting, payroll and military record-keeping set an annual floor, and wartime currency controls cap dividend repatriation at EUR 1 million a month.

Permanent establishment risk is about what people do, not where payroll sits. Revenue-generating activity can create exposure regardless of the employment route.