Main points
- From February 1, 2026, the rules for reserving workers from mobilization will change in Ukraine.
- The updated rules include the ability to resubmit an application without waiting, and additional conditions for booking have also appeared.
New booking rules / GettyImages
In 2026, the state is changing the rules for reserving workers from mobilization. This is not only about changes for workers or employers, an important aspect is improving the work of the system.
What changes can we expect from the updated employee reservation rules?
Lawyer Olena Khomenko talks about what will change for employers and employees from February 1, 2026, on Ukrainian Radio.
Updated rules for reserving workers from mobilization will come into effect in Ukraine on February 1. The changes will affect both employees and employers.
First of all, we are talking about increasing the minimum salary level that allows for booking. Previously, this figure was 20,000 hryvnias, but from February 1, it will be 21,617 hryvnias.
Important! The new salary level is a mandatory condition for booking employees from critical infrastructure or the defense sector.
In other words, entrepreneurs and employers were faced with a choice: lose the ability to book employees and, as a result, be left without part of the team, or review and increase salaries.
At the same time, the lawyer noted that they plan to significantly reduce the time for considering applications. Decisions will be made within 24 hours.
Please note! Previously, consideration of applications and decision-making took up to 3 days.
Under the updated rules, you will also not have to wait 5 days after a rejection to resubmit your application. Now, as soon as you receive an unsatisfactory decision, you have the opportunity to submit a similar re-application at the same time.
What other updates will be available from February 1st?
2 more booking conditions have been added, which are mandatory:
- no tax and Unified Social Contribution (USC) debts;
- compliance with local or regional criteria, which are determined individually for each region.
They also want to launch new features to improve the booking mechanism. Currently, the service is provided through Diya, and the reservation confirmation is credited to Oberig. However, there are some difficulties with the data of employees of critical enterprises and the defense industry.
Therefore, it is planned to improve the system so that the relevant employees are not on the so-called wanted list. After all, the defense industry automatically has the status of a critical support sector and here 100% of workers have the right to reservation.
How quickly are employees booked at work?
According to the legislation, the period within which an employee can be booked is not specified. That is, if desired, this can be done both on the first day of employment and after a few months of the employee's work. This is what Mykhailo Lubonko, a military lawyer at the law firm “Prykhodko and Partners”, tells RBC-Ukraine.
The lawyer notes that first the employee himself must sort out his situation and documents. He must have a valid military registration document, updated information about his place of residence and his own contacts, and no “wanted” TCC.
This will make it possible to make a reservation without any problems for the employee and the employer.
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What else is known about employee reservations in 2026?
Ukraine plans to exempt all energy and utility workers from mobilization. The decision is related to Russia's massive attacks on the energy sector and the importance of a quick recovery in this area.
It was previously reported that from 2026, reservations will be available only to those enterprises that will receive the status of being critical to the country's economic and defense sectors. Thus, 18 more businesses were added to the list of transport companies that have the right to reserve employees this year.