A question we hear often from foreign brands and their counsel: is it even worth registering a trademark in Ukraine right now, with the war on? The short answer is yes — and there are solid reasons not to wait. Here is what actually works.

The office never stopped

The Ukrainian IP office (UANIPIO) has operated throughout. Applications are filed electronically, examined and registered; the register is live and searchable. For a foreign applicant, the process in practice looks the same as it did before.

Deadlines run normally again

Honest context: at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, statutory IP deadlines were suspended under martial law. Those suspensions were later lifted by law, and today deadlines run on their normal schedule — the two-month term to answer a provisional refusal, renewals, and the rest all apply as usual. The practical takeaway is simple: treat Ukrainian time limits as live and diarise them, because they are.

Your priority is fixed from the filing date

As in peacetime, protection in Ukraine runs from the filing date. File today and your priority is secured against anyone who files later — the war does not change that. This is the core reason not to postpone.

Madrid designations work

If you protect your marks internationally, you can designate Ukraine through the Madrid System exactly as before. The Ukrainian office examines the designation and issues any refusal within its window; if it does, you answer it through a local representative.

Rights can still be enforced

A registration is not just a certificate on a shelf. The courts function, and trademark rights can be defended — owners continue to act against infringement and against bad-faith filings.

Why not to wait

This is the part that matters strategically:

• First to file. Ukraine is a first-to-file country — the priority goes to whoever files first, not to whoever used the mark first.
• Squatters target recovery brands. Bad-faith applicants watch for foreign brands that plan to enter, or re-enter, the Ukrainian market as it rebuilds. Filing early closes that door.
• Reconstruction readiness. Recovery and re-opening will bring demand and competition. A brand already registered is ready to license, franchise and enforce from day one, without a scramble later.

The practical side

Nothing unusual here for a foreign client. Official fees are paid in hryvnia at the National Bank rate, you act through a Ukrainian representative, and we report in English. If you would like the numbers first, see what it costs.