Ukraine has changed the rules for automated seizure of debtors’ funds: what does the new order of the Ministry of Justice provide for?

In Ukraine, the Order of the Ministry of Justice of July 9, 2026 No. 1837/5 came into force, which significantly updates the mechanism of automated seizure of debtors’ funds. From now on, bailiffs will be able not only to block accounts, but also to automatically carry out forced write-offs of funds and electronic money to execute court decisions.

The document improves the procedure for interaction between enforcement authorities, banks, non-bank payment service providers and issuers of electronic money. All communication will take place electronically through specialized software interfaces using qualified electronic signatures.

Banks must respond within an hour

One of the key innovations is the introduction of hourly monitoring of electronic requests. After receiving a request from the bailiff, the financial institution will have only one hour to provide information about the availability of the debtor’s accounts and the balance of funds on them.

This mechanism is designed to make the execution of court decisions much faster and minimize the possibility of hiding assets.

Automatic write-off of funds and electronic money

The updated procedure also provides for the possibility of automated generation of payment instructions for the forced write-off of debtors’ funds, in particular in different currencies.

In addition to traditional bank accounts, the new rules also apply to electronic money, which will allow for more efficient debt collection regardless of the form of storage of funds.

What will change

The introduced changes should accelerate the execution of court decisions, reduce bureaucratic procedures and make it impossible to withdraw or hide funds after the opening of enforcement proceedings.

At the same time, the new rules mean that financial institutions will operate within much stricter time frames, and enforcement proceedings will become more automated and digitalized.