Paying for apartment rent in the EU with a hryvnia card is becoming increasingly difficult due to outdated NBU limits

As of mid-2026, more than 4.3 million Ukrainians reside in EU countries. A significant portion of them consciously refuse social assistance, preferring to work remotely for Ukrainian employers and pay taxes at home. However, for over four years, the Ukrainian financial system has continued to operate in a "special period" mode, regulated by Resolution No. 18.

For millions of Ukrainians working remotely for the Ukrainian economy and paying taxes as sole proprietors (FOP), the current currency limits have turned paying for essential living needs into a real quest. Today we will discuss how to legally manage your own funds when your monthly limit is "eaten up" by just one housing transaction.

While the NBU prioritizes reserve stability, citizens are forced to seek ways to diversify accounts and accumulate currency. Legal analysis shows that current limits increasingly contradict economic realities: over the past four years, due to inflationary processes in eurozone countries, the cost of housing rent and services has increased by an average of 20–40%.

How the main currency restriction works

For many Ukrainians living abroad, the primary payment instrument remains personal hryvnia bank cards. These cards receive salaries, sole proprietor incomes, and other payments from Ukraine.

However, the use of these funds is limited by the currency rules of the National Bank of Ukraine. According to NBU Resolution No. 18, the total amount of cashless payments (P2B) abroad from hryvnia accounts cannot exceed 100,000 hryvnias per calendar month in one bank.

In practice, this rule increasingly creates problems for Ukrainians living in EU countries. The cost of living has risen significantly in recent years: renting an apartment in major EU cities in 2026 often costs 800–1500 euros per month, and even more in some European capitals. At the current exchange rate, a single rent payment can fully or almost fully exhaust the limit set by the National Bank.

As a result, after transferring funds for housing, a person effectively loses the ability to use the Ukrainian card for other daily expenses — paying for food, medicine, transport, utilities, or other necessary purchases. This problem is especially acute for Ukrainians who continue to work for Ukrainian employers or conduct business as sole proprietors, paying taxes in Ukraine but actually living and incurring expenses in EU countries.

"Cash shortage": why Ukrainians cannot withdraw the needed amount

If the cashless limit of 100,000 hryvnias creates difficulties for daily expenses, the rules regarding cash withdrawals often become an even more serious problem. This primarily concerns Ukrainians renting housing abroad who must pay a deposit in cash or landlords who do not accept card payments.

NBU Resolution No. 18 sets a separate restriction: from all hryvnia accounts, a client can withdraw cash abroad only within 12,500 hryvnias equivalent every seven calendar days.

Effectively, this amounts to about 50,000 hryvnias per month, or approximately 1100–1200 euros depending on the exchange rate. In practice, this amount is often insufficient even for a one-time deposit when signing a rental agreement in many EU countries, where landlords traditionally require payment for the first month and a deposit equal to one or two months' rent.

As a result, even with sufficient funds in the bank account, citizens cannot promptly access their own cash due to established currency restrictions.

Housing rent: the special limit of 500,000 hryvnias is not available to everyone

At first glance, it may seem that the National Bank has already solved the housing rent problem. In response to a request from the "Judicial and Legal Newspaper", the regulator emphasizes the existence of a special increased limit for real estate rental payments.

This concerns operations with the merchant code MCC 6513 ("Real estate agents and managers"). For such payments, cashless transactions up to 500,000 hryvnias per month are allowed, which significantly exceeds the general limit of 100,000 hryvnias.

However, here lies the main peculiarity of currency regulation. The increased limit applies only to operations made from accounts opened in foreign currency.

For a significant portion of Ukrainians, this opportunity is effectively unavailable. Remote workers, freelancers, and sole proprietors who receive income in hryvnias to accounts in Ukrainian banks cannot use the special limit without prior currency conversion or using foreign currency accounts.

Accordingly, the general restriction of 100,000 hryvnias per month for cashless payments abroad continues to apply to them, even when paying for housing. This difference between the rules for hryvnia and foreign currency accounts is currently one of the most debated aspects of the existing currency regulation.

For remote workers receiving income in hryvnias, this creates a discriminatory condition. To get foreign currency on such a card, they are limited by a purchase limit of 50,000 hryvnias per month. Thus, the "extended" limit is effectively unavailable to them without freezing funds in deposits for three months.

How to bypass restrictions: currency purchase and account diversification

Despite strict currency restrictions, the National Bank has provided several mechanisms that allow Ukrainians to manage their funds more flexibly. These tools do not cancel existing limits but only partially minimize their impact.

One such mechanism is remote purchase of foreign currency. Individuals can buy non-cash foreign currency up to 50,000 hryvnias per month in one bank without submitting supporting documents. The purchased currency is credited to a personal foreign currency account, after which it can be used according to currency legislation rules.

A separate mechanism concerns foreign currency deposits. Citizens have the right to buy foreign currency up to 200,000 hryvnias per month if these funds are placed in a term deposit for at least three months without the right to early termination. This instrument is more suitable for savings accumulation than for financing current expenses.

Note another feature of currency regulation. Limits on payments abroad and cash withdrawals apply separately in each bank, not cumulatively across all banking institutions. Therefore, one of the legal ways to optimize fund usage is to diversify accounts among several banks. This approach does not violate legal requirements but allows more efficient use of NBU-established limits.

"Green corridor" for payment of education and medical treatment

At the same time, there are categories of payments for which the National Bank effectively does not apply standard currency restrictions. Primarily, these are expenses for treatment and education abroad.

Unlimited SWIFT transfers are allowed to foreign medical institutions to pay for doctor consultations, laboratory tests, surgeries, prosthetics, rehabilitation, and other medical services. Under certain conditions, accommodation and meals for the patient may also be paid if included in the medical institution’s invoice or directly related to treatment.

A similar approach applies to education. Ukrainians can pay for studies at foreign universities, colleges, and other educational institutions, as well as related expenses, including accommodation in student dormitories or other services, without applying general currency limits.

However, these exceptions can only be used with documentary proof of payment. Usually, the bank will require an invoice, contract, or other documents confirming the purpose of the transfer. After document verification, the payment is made outside the standard restrictions established by NBU Resolution No. 18.

Analysis shows that currency restrictions, necessary to save gold and currency reserves in 2022, in the long term begin to work against the economy: consumption restraint forces people to seek income on foreign cards, bypassing Ukrainian jurisdiction, threatening the loss of the tax base.

Side effect of currency restrictions: outflow of taxpayers and foreign currency earnings

The situation shows a dangerous trend: remote workers and sole proprietors become the most vulnerable category. They independently pay for living in the EU, support Ukraine with taxes, but receive the least support from the banking system.

The mismatch of the 100,000 hryvnia limit with real prices in the EU forces Ukrainians to transfer their income to foreign banks (Revolut, Wise, etc.), leading to the loss of tax residency status in Ukraine for millions of self-employed persons.

Another indirect consequence of currency restrictions is the stimulation of unofficial ways of exchanging funds. Such operations occur outside the official banking system, which complicates capital movement control and reduces financial flow transparency.

Similar to the "medical SWIFT," the regulator should introduce an increased rent limit for those who can confirm official employment in Ukraine or tax payment as sole proprietors.

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