Amid the ongoing war, thousands of Ukrainians have faced the loss or damage of their property documents. Fire, shelling, and evacuation often leave people without paper confirmation of their property rights. However, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has clarified: the absence of physical documents does not mean the loss of ownership rights — especially if the property was registered before 2013.

Archives instead of paper copies

According to information published by RBC-Ukraine citing the Ministry of Justice, data on real estate registered before 2013 may be stored in the archival part of the State Register of Property Rights or in the archives of the Bureau of Technical Inventory (BTI). This means that even with the complete loss of paper documents, ownership rights can be officially restored.

To do this, the owner must contact a state registrar at a PCNAP (Public Service Center) or a notary. The application for state registration of rights is prepared on the spot. Important: you must apply within the region where the property is located. An exception is made for residents of temporarily occupied territories.

Special rules for occupied regions

If the property is located in Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, or Dnipropetrovsk regions, the owner can contact any state registrar or notary on Ukrainian-controlled territory. This simplifies the procedure for those who were forced to leave their homes.

After submitting the application, the registrar will independently check the information in electronic archives or send a request to the relevant BTI. Based on the data found, ownership rights will be confirmed and entered into the State Register of Property Rights to Immovable Property.

What to do if archives are destroyed?

In the event that information about ownership rights was stored only on paper media, and the BTI archive was destroyed or remains on occupied territory, the only option is to appeal to the court. It is the court decision that will serve as the basis for entering property data into the State Register of Rights.

Why is it important to do this now?

The Ministry of Justice strongly recommends that owners of property registered before 2013 not delay the registration of data in the State Register of Property Rights. There are two reasons:

  • This will protect information about the property from loss due to the possible destruction of paper archives as a result of the war.
  • The presence of data in the register is a mandatory condition for receiving compensation under the «єВідновлення» (eRestoration) program in case of damage or destruction of housing.

Furthermore, for property where ownership rights arose before 2013, the entry of information into the State Register of Property Rights is free of charge.

How to register property online?

Previously, RBC-Ukraine reported that Ukrainians can register ownership rights to property registered before 2013 if it is not in the State Register of Property Rights. Experts emphasize: without such an entry, owners may lose the opportunity to receive compensation for damaged or destroyed housing.

Registration is possible both online via the «Diiya» app and offline — through PCNAP or a notary. The procedure is simple but critically important for protecting property rights in times of instability.

We have also previously discussed the rules for buying real estate in 2026 — they will take into account new realities and requirements for the registration of rights.