Before you start

A residence permit (посвідка) — a tourist stamp gets you very little
A РНОКПП tax number, or acceptance that nine zeros go in its place
A Ukrainian mobile number, because everything confirms 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
Not the other way round. The РНОКПП turns you from an awkward non-resident file into an ordinary customer, and it is quick once the residence permit exists.
In personWho: You, at ДПСDays
2
Pick the bank for what you actually need
monobank for day-to-day spending and speed; PrivatBank if you need branches, ATMs, counter currency exchange or a foreign-currency account; Raiffeisen Bank Ukraine and the other international-group banks if you need documentation an international employer or a Polish landlord will accept. In Lviv the last point matters more than in Kyiv, because a lot of people here keep one foot in the EU banking system.
Mobile appWho: YouAn hour of comparison
3
Open the account
Bring the passport, residence permit, РНОКПП and a Ukrainian number. The NBU has permitted opening with a digital passport through Diia, which some banks support and others do not — check before travelling to a branch. Expect AML questions about the source of your funds and answer them with documents.
In personWho: You, at a branch or in-appSame day at a branch; minutes in-app where remote onboarding is supportedCurrent accounts and basic cards are typically free or a small monthly fee
4
Learn the FX limits before you need them
Under the NBU wartime regime, non-cash foreign-currency purchases 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. Every one of these is a moving number — check the NBU's liberalization page.
OnlineWho: YouTwenty minutes that prevents a bad surprise
5
If you are paid a Ukrainian salary as a non-resident, use the May 2026 channel
The April 2026 easing allows non-resident individuals to 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 civil-law contract payments. This is the documented route out, and it is far better than squeezing money through the general P2P cap.
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 2022 and it is barely reported outside NBU releases.

Source: НБУ, April 2026

In Lviv, keeping a Polish account alongside a Ukrainian one is normal rather than exotic.

The border is 70 km away, a lot of work and family life straddles it, and a EUR/PLN account on the other side removes a whole class of FX-cap friction. It is the single most common piece of practical financial advice you will hear here and almost never in Kyiv.

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 you can do. If you see it, get the РНОКПП and go back.

Source: НБУ / bank identification rules

Keep cash for blackouts.

When the grid goes down, terminals and ATMs go with it. Europe's most card-native country still has days when only paper works.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Trying to open an account before the residence permit and tax number exist. The classic wasted week.
Assuming the FX caps are stable. The NBU has both eased and tightened them repeatedly since 2022.
Letting the residence permit lapse and being surprised when outgoing payments stop.
Moving large sums without source-of-funds documentation. Wartime scrutiny of outbound flows is strict.

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