How to Apply for Ukraine's Own Business Start-Up or Expansion Grant
Ukraine's redesigned Own Business programme funds new businesses and expansion projects through an online Diia application, business plan, bank review and interview.
UA Ukraine
Business ~ 9 min read
10 FAQ
Updated 2026-09-16
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Under Ukraine's redesigned Own Business programme, Ukrainian citizens aged 18 or older can apply to start a business, while eligible existing businesses can apply to scale. The base grant is UAH 100,000-300,000 for a start-up and UAH 500,000-1.5 million for expansion, with increases that can raise the maximum to UAH 500,000 or UAH 2.5 million respectively. Applications are submitted online through Diia with a PDF business plan and a chosen authorised bank. The State Employment Center decides within 20 calendar days after the application period closes. The current application stage runs from 16 to 27 September 2026.
What you need
- Be an eligible applicant for the start-up or expansion route under the current programme rules.
- For an individual applicant, be a Ukrainian citizen aged 18 or older.
- Prepare the online grant application in Diia and a business plan in the prescribed form as a PDF.
- Choose an authorised bank when completing the Diia application.
- Authenticate through BankID or an electronic signature and electronically sign the application. An FOP or legal entity must use the appropriate FOP key or the legal entity head's key linked to the company's EDRPOU.
- The proposed activity must not fall within an excluded activity category under the official assessment criteria.
- For expansion, the applicant must already be an eligible business entity and undertake to create at least one new job.
- Be prepared for the authorised bank's business-reputation and application checks and a personal interview organised through the regional employment centre.
Eligibility
The start-up route is available to Ukrainian citizens aged 18 or older, including individuals who will register an FOP or create a private legal entity after approval, as well as eligible existing applicants covered by the programme. The expansion route is for eligible existing business entities and requires the creation of at least one new job. The programme applies assessment and exclusion rules covering matters such as the applicant's business reputation, tax debt, sanctions, asset seizure, fraud indicators, the project's location and excluded economic activities. Applications that do not satisfy the statutory requirements or the required assessment threshold can be refused.
How to do it
- Choose the correct route: start-up for opening a new business or expansion for scaling an eligible existing business.
- Prepare the business plan using the programme's prescribed form and save it as a PDF.
- Open the Own Business start-up and expansion service on the Diia portal and authenticate through BankID or an electronic signature.
- Complete the online application, attach the PDF business plan and choose the authorised bank that will handle the banking stage of your application.
- Electronically sign and submit the application during an open application period. The current stage begins on 16 September 2026 and closes on 27 September 2026.
- The authorised bank checks business reputation and application information. Applications meeting the required bank-stage threshold proceed to the State Employment Center, and the regional employment centre conducts a personal interview.
- The State Employment Center makes the grant decision within 20 calendar days after the application period closes. The result is sent to your Diia account.
- If approved as an individual, within 20 calendar days of receiving the decision register as an FOP or create a legal entity, conclude the grant agreement and submit the account-opening documents to the chosen bank. An approved existing business entity has 10 working days to conclude the grant agreement and submit the account-opening documents.
- Use the grant only for permitted project expenses and comply with the grant agreement, including applicable job-creation, project-duration, tax and social-contribution obligations.
How much can you receive?
The programme introduced from September 2026 separates funding for people starting a business from funding for existing businesses that want to scale.
For starting a business, the base grant is UAH 100,000 to UAH 300,000. Approved increases can raise the total to a maximum of UAH 500,000. There is no general job-creation requirement for the base start-up grant.
For business expansion, the base grant is UAH 500,000 to UAH 1.5 million, with a commitment to create at least one new job. Applicable increases can raise the total to a maximum of UAH 2.5 million.
Who can apply for the Own Business grant?
Diia states that grant applications can be submitted by Ukrainian citizens aged 18 or older, including individuals and existing FOPs and legal entities where they meet the relevant programme requirements. The two funding routes have different purposes: the start-up route supports the creation of a business, while expansion is intended for an existing eligible business entity.
If you are starting from scratch and your grant is approved, you do not have to register the business before submitting the grant application. An approved individual must register as an FOP or create a legal entity within the post-approval deadline. Helpydo separately explains how to register an FOP online through Diia.
Applicants are subject to formal eligibility and assessment checks. The authorised bank checks business reputation and application information, including criteria relating to tax debt, sanctions, asset seizure and fraud. The official assessment rules also exclude specified economic activities and projects in prohibited territories.
What do you need before applying?
The key applicant-prepared document is the business plan in the prescribed programme form. Diia requires it to be attached to the online application as a PDF.
The business plan is substantive rather than a formality: it is part of the assessment, and the interview also evaluates the applicant and project. If the regional employment centre determines that the business plan needs revision, the current procedure allows it to be returned once for revision. The revised plan must be submitted within 10 working days after the notification is received in the applicant's Diia account. Failure to submit it within that period results in refusal.
How do you apply through Diia?
The redesigned programme uses an online application through the Diia portal. Diia estimates that completing and submitting the application itself can take up to 20 minutes once your information and business plan are ready.
- Sign in through BankID or an electronic signature.
- Complete the online application.
- Attach the business plan in PDF format.
- Choose the authorised bank where the grant account will be opened.
- Electronically sign and submit the application.
An FOP or legal entity must authenticate with the appropriate business credentials: Diia instructs an FOP to use the FOP key and a legal entity to use the head's key containing the company's EDRPOU information.
The current application stage starts on 16 September 2026. The official 2026 schedule sets the September second-stage closing date at 27 September 2026. Later scheduled windows are 1-12 and 16-27 October, 1-12 and 16-27 November, and 1-15 December 2026.
What happens after you submit the application?
The chosen authorised bank checks the applicant's business reputation and the information in the application. Under the official assessment procedure, applications scoring at least 99 points at the bank stage can proceed for further consideration. The regional employment centre then conducts a personal interview.
The final assessment threshold established by the Ministry of Economy and Environment is 130 points or more. Reaching the threshold does not override the available programme budget: if qualifying applications exceed available expenditure for the relevant period, grants are awarded to the qualifying applicants with the highest scores, while other qualifying applications can move automatically to the next period within the established final deadline.
The State Employment Center makes the grant decision within 20 calendar days from the closing date of the application period. The decision is communicated through the applicant's Diia account.
When can the grant amount be increased?
The redesigned programme provides percentage increases to the base grant. Applicable increases are cumulative, but the final grant cannot exceed UAH 500,000 for a start-up or UAH 2.5 million for expansion.
- 5% for recipients aged 18-25 inclusive.
- 20% for qualifying categories including veteran entrepreneurship entities, applicants registered for VAT on the application date, owners of a valid Ukrainian invention or utility-model patent directly connected with the project, qualifying IDPs or relocated businesses, and applicants committing to create two new jobs.
- 30% in specified cases including qualifying businesses operating or planning activity in designated frontline territories and projects replacing production fixed assets destroyed or damaged by Russian aggression.
- 50% for projects in priority economic sectors, with qualification determined during the official assessment.
The programme's priority sectors include areas such as industry, energy, transport and logistics, agro-industry and processing, defence industry and cybersecurity, certain high-tech production, construction and reconstruction, IT and digital products and services, circular economy, care services, specified creative industries, education and other sectors listed by the programme.
What can you spend the grant on?
Grant money must be used for the project and within the permitted expense categories and limits. Current official guidance includes equipment and production assets; rent of premises, land and equipment; software, websites, automation and other digitalisation costs; workplace setup; advertising, branding, packaging and content; and specified intellectual-property registration costs.
Some expense categories have percentage limits. The Ministry's current programme guidance states, for example, that equipment, production assets and transport can account for up to 100%; premises and land rent up to 25%; equipment rent up to 10%; software up to 25%; websites and automation up to 10%; advertising up to 10%; and intellectual-property protection up to 20%. Build the requested budget around the official eligible-cost rules rather than assuming every business expense can be funded.
What must you do after approval?
If you applied as an individual, you have 20 calendar days from the grant decision to register as an FOP or create a private legal entity, sign the grant agreement and submit the documents required by the authorised bank to open the grant account.
If you are already an eligible business entity, you have 10 working days from the decision to sign the grant agreement and submit the account-opening package. The authorised bank then has two working days to open the account or notify the applicant of a refusal to open it.
If you register as an FOP and later need to adjust registered business information or activities, see the guide to changing FOP details or KVED codes online.
What obligations come with the grant?
The grant is not an ordinary loan, but receiving it creates enforceable programme obligations. Diia states that grant funds may have to be returned if the recipient fails to meet the required commitments, including applicable job creation, operating for the required project period and paying required taxes.
Current programme guidance requires taxes and unified social contributions paid during the project for the recipient and applicable employees to reach at least the amount of the grant. Where jobs must be created, employees must be hired within three months after the grant funds are credited, with employment maintained for the period required by the project and grant agreement.
For the expansion route, at least one new job is mandatory. A second new job can also be relevant to the 20% grant increase where the programme conditions are satisfied.
What should you check before submitting?
Do not submit a generic business plan without checking the official assessment criteria. The programme evaluates both the applicant and the project, including business reputation, the business plan and the interview.
Check that your activity is eligible, the project location is permitted, your application information matches official registers and there are no unresolved issues that trigger the programme's refusal criteria. The assessment rules specifically address matters including tax debt, sanctions, asset seizure, fraud indicators and excluded activities.
You also cannot receive this grant while another Own Business or veteran-family grant application is pending. Diia states that you may apply after a previous application was refused or after you have fully completed the conditions of a previous grant.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Ukraine's Own Business grant from September 2026?
The base amount is UAH 100,000-300,000 for starting a business and UAH 500,000-1.5 million for expansion. Applicable increases can raise the maximum to UAH 500,000 for a start-up or UAH 2.5 million for expansion.
Do I need to create a job to get the start-up grant?
There is no general requirement to create a new job for the base start-up grant under the redesigned programme. Expansion requires at least one new job, and creating two jobs is one of the conditions that can qualify for a 20% increase.
Can I apply before registering an FOP?
Yes. An eligible individual can apply for the start-up route first. If approved, the individual must register as an FOP or create a private legal entity, sign the grant agreement and submit the bank documents within 20 calendar days of receiving the decision.
Can an existing business apply for expansion funding?
Yes. The expansion route is designed for eligible existing business entities. The base grant is UAH 500,000-1.5 million and requires at least one new job.
Where do I submit the application?
The application is submitted online through the Diia portal. You complete the form, attach the prescribed business plan as a PDF, choose an authorised bank, electronically sign and submit it.
When is the current September 2026 application deadline?
The current application period runs from 16 September through 27 September 2026. The official schedule also provides further application windows during October, November and December 2026.
How long does the grant decision take?
The State Employment Center makes the decision within 20 calendar days after the relevant application period closes. A permitted business-plan revision or exceptional wartime circumstances can move consideration to a later period under the official rules.
Can I revise my business plan if the employment centre finds a problem?
The procedure permits the regional employment centre to return the business plan once for revision. The revised plan must be submitted within 10 working days after the notification in the Diia account.
Which bank can I choose for the grant?
The programme defines authorised banks as Oschadbank, PrivatBank, Sense Bank and other banks that enter into the required cooperation agreement with the State Employment Center. The available choice is made during the Diia application.
Do I have to repay the grant?
The grant is not repaid like an ordinary loan when the programme and grant-agreement obligations are fulfilled. Failure to meet required commitments, including applicable job creation, project duration and tax obligations, can trigger repayment.
Official sources
Diia — Starting and scaling your own business grant serviceMinistry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine — Own Business 2.0 updated rulesMinistry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine — Entrepreneurship reform and Own Business 2.0Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine — Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 616 of 15 May 2026Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine — Ministry Order No. 2 of 22 July 2026 on assessment criteria and application deadlinesRelated procedures
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