Many Ukrainians abroad own an apartment back home: inherited from parents, bought before leaving or kept as an investment. Sooner or later the question comes up of selling it. The good news is that you can sell property in Ukraine without travelling there. The sale still has to follow Ukrainian rules, and the details matter.

How a sale works in Ukraine

An apartment sale contract in Ukraine must be certified by a notary. The notary checks the seller's ownership, the absence of arrests and encumbrances, the tax documents and the identity of the parties. After certification, the notary registers the buyer's ownership in the State Register of Real Property Rights. Payment is usually made through bank accounts, and the transaction is checked under financial monitoring rules.

Selling through a representative

If you cannot attend the notary in person, you authorise a representative to sign the contract for you. For a sale this requires a power of attorney certified by a notary. There are three ways to do it from abroad:

• At a Ukrainian consulate. A consular officer certifies the document, and it is valid in Ukraine without an apostille.
• Before a local notary. The document is then apostilled in your country of residence and translated into Ukrainian, with the translation certified in Ukraine.
• A combination with a legal agreement. We act as your lawyers under a legal agreement for everything except the signing itself: checks, negotiations, documents and communication with the buyer and the notary.

Before you sign anything, we send you a draft so the wording covers exactly what the representative may do: the property, the minimum price, the right to receive documents and, if you choose, the right to receive the money.

Documents the notary will ask for

• Your passport and Ukrainian tax number.
• The title document: a sale contract, gift contract, certificate of inheritance or certificate of ownership.
• A valuation report from a licensed appraiser, used to calculate taxes and duties.
• The consent of your spouse, certified by a notary, if the apartment is joint marital property.
• In some cases, the consent of the guardianship authority, if children are registered in the apartment or own a share.

Older title documents sometimes contain errors or reflect property that was never registered in the electronic register. We check this before you look for a buyer, not on the day of the sale.

Taxes and fees

The seller's tax depends on residency status and on how long the property was owned:

• A Ukrainian tax resident who sells one apartment or house in a calendar year, owned for more than three years, does not pay personal income tax on that sale.
• In other cases, the seller pays personal income tax and military levy on the sale price, which cannot be lower than the appraised value.
• Non-residents are taxed under different rules and usually at a higher rate.
• The seller normally pays a state duty of 1% of the contract value. The buyer usually pays a 1% contribution to the Pension Fund.

Whether you are still a Ukrainian tax resident after moving abroad is not always obvious. It depends on where your permanent home and centre of vital interests are. This affects the tax bill, so we assess it before the sale.

Receiving the money

• The safest option is a transfer from the buyer's bank account to your account in a Ukrainian bank, made at the time of the notarial certification.
• Transfers of the proceeds abroad are subject to the National Bank of Ukraine's currency rules, which are tighter under martial law. Check the current limits with your bank before the sale.
• Avoid cash and avoid letting the buyer pay "later". Use documents that make the transfer of ownership and the payment happen at the same time.

Selling an inherited apartment

Many apartments sold from abroad were inherited. Before a sale, the inheritance must be completed: the notary issues a certificate of the right to inheritance, and your ownership is registered in the State Register of Real Property Rights. Until then you cannot sell. If you missed the six-month deadline to accept the inheritance, that problem has to be solved first, either with the consent of other heirs or through court.

When there are several heirs, each one owns a share. All co-owners must agree to sell the whole apartment, or one heir may sell only their share, respecting the other co-owners' right of first refusal.

How long it takes

If the documents are in order, a sale can be completed within two to four weeks after the buyer is found. Most of that time goes to the power of attorney, the valuation and the bank. Inheritance issues, old documents or missing registrations can add several months, which is why we start with a document check.

Common mistakes

• Signing a power of attorney with overly broad powers, such as the right to sell "any property at any price".
• Forgetting the spouse's consent, which can make the contract challengeable.
• Selling an inherited apartment before the inheritance is formalised and the ownership registered.
• Underestimating the price in the contract to reduce taxes, which can backfire if the sale is challenged.

How we help

We check the title and registers, prepare the power of attorney text for your consulate or notary, negotiate with the buyer, attend the notary and control the payment. You receive updates in English at every step and the final documents with a translation if you need them for authorities in your country.

You do not have to fly to Ukraine to sell your apartment. You need a clear authorisation, clean documents and a lawyer who checks every step.