How to Apply Online for a Veteran Business Grant in Ukraine

Can you apply for a veteran business grant right now?

Not under the previous application stage as of 29 August 2026. The official Diia service states that the grant services are being updated and will soon be combined into one service. It also shows that the previous intake was suspended on 31 July 2026.

The State Employment Service has announced that applications under the updated format are expected to begin on 1 September 2026. This matters because the rules presented on the existing Diia veteran grant page describe the previous stage. Anyone preparing an application now should use those rules only as preparation and confirm the final conditions after the new service opens.

You can monitor the official Diia veteran business grant page for the updated application route.

Who could apply under the previous veteran grant rules?

The dedicated programme was designed for:

• combatants;
• persons with disabilities resulting from war;
• their wives or husbands;
• eligible family members of fallen Defenders of Ukraine.

The official service states that the recipient could be an existing individual entrepreneur, commonly known as an FOP, or an individual planning to open a business.

The government also expanded veteran-related support in 2026. Before relying on the previous eligibility categories for a new application, confirm the categories displayed when the 1 September intake opens.

Who could not receive the grant?

Under the conditions shown by Diia for the previous stage, participation was unavailable to applicants who fell within specified exclusion categories. These included people who were located and conducting business in occupied territory, Russia or Belarus, sanctioned persons, applicants with open bankruptcy proceedings, and certain financial-sector entities.

The service also excluded specified activities involving currency exchange, weapons, alcohol or tobacco production, applicants held criminally liable for corruption and applicants with public debt.

These restrictions should be checked again when the updated service opens because the application conditions are being revised.

How much could you receive before the programme update?

The existing Diia service lists three grant levels under the previous stage:

• up to UAH 250,000 with a requirement to create one job;
• up to UAH 500,000 with a requirement to create two jobs;
• up to UAH 1 million, requiring the recipient to have been registered as an FOP for at least one year and to create four jobs.

For the UAH 1 million level, the existing service states that the programme financed 70 percent of the project cost.

Because Ukraine is moving to an updated grant format from 1 September 2026, do not assume these thresholds will remain unchanged for a new application. Use the amounts shown in the reopened Diia service.

What do you need before applying?

The previous application process required an online application, an official-format business plan and an electronic signature. Preparing the business plan before the new stage opens is therefore useful, but verify that the template has not changed.

If you apply as an FOP or legal entity, Diia instructed applicants to use the electronic signature associated with the entrepreneur or the head of the legal entity and the enterprise's EDRPOU information.

Where a wife or husband submitted the previous version of the grant application, the veteran had to approve it electronically as well.

How does the online application work?

Under the previous process, applicants used the Diia portal. The basic flow was straightforward:

1. sign in with BankID or an electronic signature;
2. complete the online form;
3. attach the official business plan;
4. sign the application electronically;
5. submit it for assessment.

The official service estimated that completing the online application took up to 20 minutes, not including the time required to prepare the business plan.

When the updated programme opens, use the application workflow presented in Diia rather than relying on a previously saved form.

What could the grant money be used for?

Under the previous stage, Diia allowed grant funds to cover several categories directly connected with the approved business plan, including:

• furniture, equipment and vehicles intended for commercial use;
• licensed software, subject to the programme limit;
• raw materials, materials, goods and services needed to implement the business plan;
• animals or seedlings for establishing farms;
• marketing and advertising services;
• commercial or production premises and land rent;
• equipment rental;
• equipment leasing subject to the applicable restrictions;
• purchase of a franchise.

The existing service imposed percentage limits on several categories, including up to 50 percent for licensed software, up to 70 percent for eligible raw materials and related items, up to 10 percent for marketing and advertising, up to 25 percent for qualifying premises or land rent, up to 30 percent for equipment rental and up to 50 percent for equipment leasing.

These spending limits belong to the pre-update conditions. Confirm the permitted expense categories and caps in the September application before committing to purchases.

What obligations come with the grant?

The grant is not simply unrestricted business funding. Under the previous rules, recipients had to create the number of jobs corresponding to the grant amount, operate the business for the period selected in the business plan and pay applicable taxes.

The required jobs had to be created within six months after receiving the funds. For a three-year business-plan period, employees had to be employed for at least two years; for a five-year period, at least four years; and for a seven-year period, at least six years.

Diia states that grant money must be returned if the recipient fails to meet the obligations owed to the state under the grant programme.

How long does approval take?

Under the previous stage, the State Employment Center reviewed applications within 10 working days after the final application deadline for the relevant stage. Diia then notified the applicant of the result.

Applications submitted before the 31 July 2026 closure were expected to be processed by the end of August according to the State Employment Service. A new applicant applying from September should check the processing period published for the updated programme rather than assuming the previous 10-working-day rule will remain unchanged.

What happens if your application is approved?

Under the previous service, an approved applicant had to contact Oschadbank within 20 working days to open the required account and conclude the grant agreement.

The updated programme may change participating banks or post-approval procedures. Follow the instructions issued with your decision and the current Diia service rather than acting from an older checklist.

What should you do while applications are paused?

You can use the transition period to prepare without submitting an obsolete application. A practical approach is to:

• develop a clear business plan with realistic costs and revenue assumptions;
• check that your FOP or business registration information is current;
• make sure your electronic signature works;
• check whether you have public debt or another eligibility issue that could block an application;
• decide how many jobs the project can genuinely support;
• avoid committing to expenses until you have checked the expense rules of the new programme.

The official Diia notice about the 31 July transition confirms that the existing grant formats are being combined and modernised.

Why is the 2026 transition important?

The previous grant scheme formally closed for new applications at the end of July. Official State Employment Service information says an updated format begins on 1 September 2026. Diia simultaneously warns that its grant services are being updated and will be combined.

That means some information still visible on the current veteran grant page describes the programme that has just ended rather than the conditions that will govern the next application. The safest approach is to prepare now, then verify the eligibility rules, grant amount, business-plan template, job requirements, participating bank and processing time on the reopened official service before signing the application.