3 Years to File a Lawsuit – What You Need to Know About the Statute of Limitations in Ukraine
The statute of limitations is the period within which a person has the right to go to court to protect their civil right or interest. This is reported by the Kyiv Interregional Department of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.
General statute of limitations period
In Ukraine, the general statute of limitations is 3 years.
At the same time, the legislation provides special shortened periods for certain categories of cases.
Special statute of limitations periods
A 1-year statute of limitations applies, in particular, to claims:
- for the recovery of fines or penalties;
- for refutation of false information in the media;
- related to defects of sold goods;
- for the termination of a gift agreement;
- for appealing decisions of general meetings of a company and other cases defined by law.
When the limitation period begins
As a rule, the statute of limitations begins from the day the person learned or could have learned about the violation of their right.
Suspension, interruption, and non-application
The Civil Code of Ukraine provides that the statute of limitations may:
- be suspended;
- be interrupted;
- or not be applied in certain cases.
Grounds for suspension
Among the grounds that may suspend the statute of limitations are:
- force majeure;
- imposition of a moratorium;
- the person's service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine or other military formations transferred to martial law.
Statute of limitations during martial law
It is separately noted that during martial law in Ukraine, the statute of limitations was suspended by the relevant provisions of the Civil Code of Ukraine.
In 2025, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Law of Ukraine No. 4434-IX dated 14.05.2025 "On Amendments to the Section 'Final and Transitional Provisions' of the Civil Code of Ukraine Regarding the Renewal of the Statute of Limitations."
This law provides for the renewal of the statute of limitations periods.
Cases when the statute of limitations does not apply
The statute of limitations does not apply, in particular, to:
- protection of personal non-property rights;
- claims of depositors against banks;
- compensation for damage to life and health;
- certain insurance payments and other cases provided by law.
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