On 6 December 2017, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine announced the launch of an e-service on the registration of the right to agricultural land leases.

For this purpose, the applicant (owner/tenant of the land plot or its representative) can submit an application and a scanned copy of the concluded lease agreement through the personal cabinet on the "Justice Online" website in electronic form with the imposition of its own electronic digital signature. The registration with the inclusion of relevant information into the State Register of Property Rights to Real Estate should be completed within five business days after the submission of an electronic application.

Registration of the lease rights to other categories of land plots (lands for residential and public buildings, recreational lands, etc) as well as any other property rights to land plots of any category (including ownership rights) will remain possible only by means of personal application to the office of the state registrar. The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine’s plans to launch electronic registration for these property rights have not been announced yet.

Anticipated effect

The launch of electronic registration of the agricultural land leases is aimed at improving the business environment and strengthening the protection of the rights of landowners and land users. The innovation will greatly optimize the work of state registrars, given that the area of agricultural land in Ukraine amounts to about 70% of the entire territory of the state.
 

Additional notes

This LEGAL ALERT is issued to inform Baker McKenzie clients and other interested parties of legal developments that may affect or otherwise be of interest to them. The comments above do not constitute legal or other advice and should not be regarded as a substitute for specific advice in individual cases.