Before you start

A residence permit (посвідка) — a tourist stamp will get you very little
A РНОКПП tax number, or acceptance that nine zeros go in its place and your options narrow
A Ukrainian mobile number, because everything is confirmed by SMS and app push
A registered place of residence, which several banks ask to see

Step-by-step

1
Get the tax number first
Do not attempt this in the other order. The РНОКПП turns you from an awkward non-resident file into an ordinary customer. The Dnipropetrovsk oblast tax office publishes the addresses of its taxpayer service centres — remember the oblast keeps the long name.
In personWho: You, at ДПС in Dnipropetrovsk oblastDays
2
Pick the bank for what you actually need
monobank is the fastest for day-to-day spending, is card-only and lives entirely in an app. PrivatBank has the largest branch and ATM network in the country and is the pragmatic choice if you need cash, counter currency exchange or a foreign-currency account. Raiffeisen Bank Ukraine and the other international-group banks are slower to onboard but easier if you need documentation an international employer, project or donor will accept — which in Dnipro's NGO-heavy foreign population is common.
Mobile appWho: YouAn hour of comparison
3
Open the account
Bring the passport, the residence permit, the РНОКПП and a Ukrainian phone number. The NBU has permitted opening with a digital passport through Diia, which some banks support and others still want physical documents for. Expect AML questions about the source of your funds and answer them with documents rather than explanations.
In personWho: You, at a branch or in-appSame day at a branch; minutes in-app where the bank supports remote onboardingCurrent accounts and basic cards are typically free or a small monthly fee
4
Learn the FX limits before you need them
Under the NBU's wartime regime, non-cash purchases of foreign currency without a supporting obligation are capped at the equivalent of ₴50,000 a month; cash withdrawals from an account at the equivalent of ₴100,000 a day; abroad, ATM withdrawals from a hryvnia card at the equivalent of ₴12,500 per seven calendar days and cashless spending at the equivalent of ₴100,000 a month; and card-based P2P transfers from Ukraine abroad on a hryvnia card were reduced to the equivalent of ₴30,000 a month. Treat every one as a moving number and check the NBU's liberalization page.
OnlineWho: YouTwenty minutes that saves a bad surprise
5
If you are paid a Ukrainian salary as a non-resident, use the May 2026 channel
The NBU's April 2026 easing lets non-resident individuals buy foreign currency and transfer it abroad in the amount of payments received into their Ukrainian hryvnia accounts on or after 1 May 2026 — salary, other payments under the Law on Remuneration of Labour, and payments under civil-law contracts. It is the clean, documented route out.
In personWho: You, with your bank's FX deskPer transfer; the bank will want the payment documentation

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Residence permit (посвідка на тимчасове or постійне проживання)
РНОКПП tax number card or extract
Ukrainian mobile number
Proof of registered place of residence, and for larger balances, source-of-funds documentation

Things most newcomers don’t know

From 1 May 2026 a non-resident can legitimately convert and send abroad the Ukrainian salary they were paid.

Before that easing a foreign employee paid in hryvnia had no clean route out and was pushed towards the ₴30,000 monthly card-transfer cap. It is the most consequential banking change for foreign workers since the invasion.

Source: НБУ, April 2026

If your income is grant- or project-funded, do not improvise the banking.

Dnipro's foreign workforce skews humanitarian and medical, and grant funds, per diems and reimbursements have documentation expectations that a personal account is a bad place to discover. Ask your project's finance officer before you open anything.

Source: community-reported

Nine zeros is what a bank writes where your tax number should be.

It is the tell that you are being onboarded as a non-resident individual, and it narrows what the bank will let you do. Get the РНОКПП and go back.

Source: НБУ / bank identification rules

Keep cash for blackouts.

When the grid goes down the terminals and ATMs go with it — including the metro's contactless turnstiles, which is a small daily reminder of the same problem.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Trying to open an account before the residence permit and tax number are in hand.
Assuming the FX caps are stable. The NBU has both eased and tightened them repeatedly since 2022.
Routing project or grant money through a personal account without asking your finance officer first.
Letting the residence permit lapse and being surprised when outgoing payments stop.
Moving large sums without source-of-funds documentation.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.