Online registration of CSOs: New service in Diia reduces process to 30 minutes
Starting 21 April, a new service from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine is available on the Diia portal: registration of a civil society organisation based on a model charter.
This is a fully automated service that requires no involvement from registrars or personal visits to justice authorities. Consequently, the time required to create an organisation is reduced to 30 minutes, compared to 18 days previously.
"Today, we presented the full automation of CSO registration on the Diia portal. This allows civic activists to focus on their activities rather than paperwork. Filling out the application takes about 30 minutes, and the entry appears in the Unified State Register within a few minutes — this is what we should strive for in providing services to citizens," noted Liudmyla Suhak, Acting Minister of Justice of Ukraine.
The simplification of such procedures fosters the development of civil society and the emergence of new initiatives.
"Every year, thousands of civil society organisations appear in Ukraine, and each begins with a single step: registration. We see how digitalisation accelerates and simplifies processes and influences real changes. East Europe Foundation has worked with CSOs for many years and sees how small ideas grow into solutions for thousands of people — from helping vulnerable groups to launching practical solutions in communities. Therefore, it is important for us that there are no unnecessary barriers between an idea and action," stated Victor Liakh, President of East Europe Foundation.
Key advantages and functionality:
- Automation: An entry regarding the new organisation appears in the Unified State Register in a matter of minutes.
- Removal of barriers: The service eliminates subjective errors during the preparation of charters and minimises the number of rejections.
- Integration with the State Tax Service: The ability to simultaneously apply for non-profit status.
- Conditions: The service can be used by at least two founders who are citizens of Ukraine and possess a Taxpayer Identification Number and a Unique Record Number in the Unified State Demographic Register. If there are foreigners or persons without these identification numbers among the founders, the procedure can currently only be carried out offline through territorial bodies of the Ministry of Justice.
The application can be completed in 8–13 steps, depending on whether the user chooses the unified standard of the model charter or personalises its parameters.
A model charter is a unified document approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine that can be used as a basis for the activities of a civil society organisation. Using a model charter helps minimise errors, simplify the creation of a CSO, and ensure compliance with legislative standards.
How the service works
Registration takes place entirely online and involves:
- Authorisation on the Diia portal;
- Completion and signing of the application by the initiator;
- Automatic generation of the application, charter, minutes of the constituent assembly, and ownership structure;
- Verification and signing of the electronic application by all co-founders (a link for signing will be sent to their email addresses and to their Diia portal accounts).
Furthermore, a service for existing civil society organisations to transition to operating under a model charter will become available in the near future. Applications can be submitted via the Diia portal, with processing taking up to three working days. The decision is sent to the user’s account on the Diia portal and to the applicant’s email.
You can use the new electronic service now on the Diia portal at this link.
The service was developed by the Ministry of Justice together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation with the support of the Swiss-Ukrainian EGAP Program, implemented by East Europe Foundation.