Registration of a Representative Office of a Foreign Company in Ukraine by the Law Firm “Olson Lviv”

The development of international business increasingly requires the opening of a representative office of a foreign company in Ukraine.
This allows companies to legally conduct activities, conclude contracts, hire staff, and expand sales markets without creating a full-fledged legal entity.
The procedure has clearly defined stages and legal requirements; therefore, it is important to involve experienced lawyers.
The law firm “Olson Lviv” specializes in the registration of foreign representative offices and provides full support for the process — from consultations to obtaining a registration certificate.

Registration of a foreign representative office in Lviv is a good way for non-resident companies to conduct business in Ukraine without establishing an independent legal entity.

What is a representative office of a foreign company?

A representative office is a separate subdivision of a foreign legal entity that performs representative and other functions in the territory of Ukraine.
It is not a separate legal entity, but it may conduct business activities on behalf of the parent company.
The main purposes of establishing a representative office are:

• business expansion and entry into the Ukrainian market;

• marketing and market research;

• concluding contracts and working with partners;

• hiring personnel to perform operational tasks.

What is a branch of a foreign company in Ukraine?

In the modern globalized world, foreign companies actively enter the Ukrainian market by opening their branches or representative offices.
Such structures allow enterprises to expand their operations, promote goods or services, and create jobs in Ukraine.
However, there are significant differences between a branch and a representative office of a foreign company that affect their legal status, tax obligations, and scope of responsibility.

A branch of a foreign company is a separate subdivision of a legal entity created outside the country of its registration, which has the right to carry out commercial activity in the territory of Ukraine.
In other words, a branch can conduct economic activity, conclude contracts, receive profit, and pay taxes in Ukraine.
It operates based on the regulations on the branch, approved by the parent company, and must be registered with the relevant state authorities.

The establishment of a branch of a foreign company is an effective way of business expansion in Ukraine, providing the foreign investor with an opportunity to operate fully on the Ukrainian market without creating a separate legal entity.

Difference between a foreign representative office and a branch of a foreign company in Ukraine

Although both structures — the branch and the representative office — are separate subdivisions of foreign companies, their legal status differs significantly.

A representative office of a foreign company in Ukraine, although it has certain rights to conduct business activities, mainly performs representative functions:
marketing, negotiations, consultations, coordination of activities, but not profit-making.
This form is suitable for companies that are only exploring the Ukrainian market or conducting preparatory activities.

A branch, on the contrary, can carry out commercial activities, conclude agreements, issue invoices, pay taxes, and maintain accounting records.
At the same time, all profits and obligations of the branch belong to the parent company.

Advantages of opening a branch in Ukraine

A branch of a foreign company allows full commercial activity, expansion of the sales market, and cooperation with Ukrainian partners and clients.
The main advantages include:

• the ability to generate profit without creating a separate legal entity;

• a simplified management and reporting mechanism to the head office;

• participation in public tenders and procurements;

• reputational support from the parent company.

The law firm OLSON provides full legal support for the process of creating a branch of a foreign company in Ukraine — from document preparation to registration, bank account opening, and tax consulting.
We help foreign investors start operations in Ukraine without risks and unnecessary bureaucratic procedures.

Advantages of registering a representative office of a foreign company

• Official presence in Ukraine without the need to establish an LLC or JSC;

• The ability to hire employees and open bank accounts;

• Easy market entry without complex liquidation procedures;

• Tax optimization due to non-resident status;

• Expansion of business geography with minimal time costs.

Opening a representative office with Olson Company means using proven tools for establishing business in Ukraine.

Companies from abroad aim to expand their business and enter the Ukrainian market.

For the legalization of economic activity in Ukraine, there are two main options:

1. Registration of a representative office of a foreign company;

2. Registration of a subsidiary (legal entity) in Ukraine — such as a Private Enterprise (PE), Limited Liability Company (LLC), or Joint-Stock Company (JSC).

It is important to note that establishing a subsidiary in the form of an LLC is a less costly and faster registration method.

The main advantages of this method include:

• Registration of an LLC (Limited Liability Company) in Lviv within one day;

• No minimum restrictions on the size of the authorized capital;

• Founders’ liability to creditors is proportional to their contribution to the authorized capital;

• Financing of the LLC through an increase in the authorized capital.

A representative office of a foreign company is not a legal entity, but its economic activity is carried out on behalf of the foreign company in accordance with the Regulation on the Representative Office.
This document defines the scope of authority. The head of the representative office acts on the basis of a power of attorney.

Our specialists will develop the Internal Regulation of your representative office in accordance with the legal requirements and your business interests.

Step-by-Step Procedure for Registration of a Representative Office

Step 1: Preparation

The parent company provides documents: statutory, extract from the register of the country of registration, decision on creating the representative office, regulations on the representative office.
Translation of documents into Ukrainian, notarial certification, legalization or apostille in accordance with international requirements.
Determination of the head of the representative office (specified in the power of attorney).
Determination of the local address in Ukraine.

Step 2: Submitting the Application

The applicant (foreign company or its authorised person) submits an application to the state registrar/CNAP at the place of location of the representative office.
All required documents are attached, including proof of payment of the state fee.

Step 3: State Registration

The registrar within 5 working days reviews the documents and enters the data regarding the representative office into the USR.
After entering the information the representative office receives an identification code (if necessary) and can begin its activity.

Step 4: Post-Registration Actions

• Registration with the tax authorities as a taxpayer/employer.

• Opening a bank account in Ukraine.

• In case of hiring foreign employees — obtaining a work permit or service card.

• If the representative office carries out commercial activity — possible recognition as a permanent establishment (PE) and payment of taxes in Ukraine.

Advantages and Risks of Creating a Representative Office

Advantages:

• Minimum procedural complexity compared to forming a separate Ukrainian legal entity.

• Quick access to the Ukrainian market.

• Control by the parent company and no need for additional capital for a separate legal entity.

Risks:

• The representative office cannot conclude all contracts in its own name or perform any economic activity without risk of being recognized as a PE.

• Violation of the procedure or incomplete submission of documents may lead to refusal or fines.

• Legislative changes require timely updates: registration in USR, change of head/address etc.

How We Can Help

The law firm OLSON provides full support during the registration of a representative office of a foreign company in Ukraine:

• analysis of the parent company and its ownership structure;

• preparation, translation, legalization/apostille of documents;

• selection of address in Ukraine, preparation of powers of attorney;

• submission to the state registrar and support until data entry into USR;

• assistance with tax registration, account opening, hiring employees;

• support during the ongoing activities of the representative office.

Main Changes in Registration of Foreign Company Representative Offices (from 3 September 2024)

Since 3 September 2024, new registration rules have come into force — specifically through Law No. 3257-IX and Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 1004.

Key Changes:

• Registration of a representative office (and other separate divisions of foreign companies) has been transferred from the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine to state registrars and/or Administrative Service Centers (CNAPs), with the information entered into the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs, and Public Formations (USR).

• A requirement has appeared to provide information about the ultimate beneficial owners (UBO) of the parent company and its ownership structure.

• Registration timeframes have been shortened — to 5 working days after submission of the document package.

• The state registration fee equals one subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons on the date of submission.

• Already registered representative offices must transfer their data to the USR or submit updated information.

• The application and documents for registration of a representative office / branch may be submitted only by a person among the specially designated subjects of primary financial monitoring carrying out their activity independently.

Advantages and Risks of Creating a Representative Office

Advantages:

• Minimal procedural complexity compared with establishing a separate Ukrainian legal entity.

• Faster access to the Ukrainian market.

• Full control by the parent company and no requirement for additional share capital.

Risks:

• A representative office cannot conclude all contracts in its own name or perform any economic activity without risk of being recognized as a permanent establishment (PE).

• Violation of procedure or incomplete submission of documents may result in refusal or fines.

• Legislative changes require timely updating of data — registration in the USR, change of director / address and so on.

How We Can Help

The law firm OLSON provides comprehensive support in registering a foreign company’s representative office in Ukraine, including:

• analysis of the parent company and its ownership structure;

• preparation, translation, legalization / apostille of documents;

• selection of address in Ukraine and preparation of powers of attorney;

• submission to the state registrar and assistance until data are entered into the USR;

• help with tax registration, opening a bank account, and hiring employees;

• support during further operation of the representative office.

Required Documents

Registration of foreign representative offices in Ukraine is carried out on the basis of:

• An application, made on the company’s official letterhead.
  The document must contain:

  • name of the foreign company and the country of its registration;

  • city where the representative office will be opened, address, phone number;

  • information about the number of citizens to be employed by the representative office;

  • name of the bank and the account opened in the name of the foreign representative office.

• An extract from the trade or banking register where the company’s head office is registered;

• The company’s ownership structure;

• A bank certificate confirming that the applicant has opened an account.
  The signature of the bank employee who issued the certificate must be notarized;

• A power of attorney issued to the director of the representative office.
  It must be drawn up according to the law of the country where the main office is registered and contain clearly defined powers;

• A power of attorney for the persons responsible for registration of the foreign representative office.

All documents must be certified in the country where they were issued, with the possibility of subsequent legalization (unless Ukraine and that country have a treaty on simplified procedures).
Documents must be translated into Ukrainian. After careful preparation, our corporate lawyers submit the package for registration.

It is important to know that this process requires significant time and financial resources.

Contact Olson Law Firm, and we will help to expedite the process of registering a foreign representative office in Lviv as much as possible.

If the representative office intends to conduct business activity, after registration it must register with the tax authorities to obtain permanent establishment (PE) status.

Why Choose Olson Lviv for Foreign Representative Office Registration

The law firm Olson Lviv has many years of experience in supporting foreign businesses in Ukraine.
We provide:

• Comprehensive document preparation and legalization;

• Official translations and notarization;

• Assistance during submission to the Ministry of Economy;

• Registration with tax authorities and banks;

• Consultations on taxation and employment matters.

We work with companies from the EU, the USA, Canada, Asia, and other countries — ensuring security and speed of the process.

Advantages of Cooperation with Olson Lviv

• Profound knowledge of Ukrainian corporate and international law;

• Strict adherence to registration deadlines;

• Transparent pricing with no hidden fees;

• Personal support for each client from start to finish;

• Additional services: accounting, consulting, and legal support for contract execution.

Registration of a foreign company’s representative office in Ukraine is the first step toward legal and successful entry into the Ukrainian market.
By contacting Olson Lviv, you receive full process support, avoid bureaucratic obstacles, and can start operating as quickly as possible.
We help foreign companies work confidently in Ukraine, ensuring legal safety and professional assistance at every stage.

Our company is ready to register a foreign representative office in Ukraine “turnkey”, or open an LLC, saving your time and money.

Thanks to our experience and strong connections with government authorities, we have become one of the leaders in Western Ukraine in the registration and servicing of foreign representative offices.