Administrative disputes

Our administrative practice covers disputes between individuals or businesses and the organs of state power and local self-government: from challenging fines through to complex cases about licences, land and immigration.

An administrative lawyer in Kyiv helps you challenge a decision, act or omission of a public authority, a decision imposing a fine, a refusal to grant a licence or a residence permit, the actions of an enforcement officer and decisions on land. We advise citizens, foreign nationals, entrepreneurs and companies – at our office in Kyiv or online.

Our services

• Disputes with state authorities – challenging decisions, acts and omissions; orders requiring the authority to act
• Challenging administrative rulings and fines – a complaint against the decision, checking the time limit for imposing the penalty, a claim in court
• Immigration matters and citizenship – residence permits, citizenship, entry bans and removal
• Licences and permits – obtaining a licence, challenging a refusal or revocation, inspections of licensing conditions
• Challenging actions of the enforcement service – decisions, acts and omissions of state and private enforcement officers, unfounded seizures
• Land disputes with public authorities – refusal to allocate a plot, revocation of decisions by local councils

When you need an administrative lawyer

• a public authority has taken a decision that infringes your rights, or has refused you without proper grounds
• the authority is failing to take action it is obliged to take
• an offence record has been drawn up against you or a decision imposing a fine has been issued that you disagree with
• a residence permit has been refused or not renewed, or an entry ban or removal decision has been made
• a licence or permit has been refused, or revocation of a licence has begun
• a state or private enforcement officer has seized property or accounts without proper grounds, or is not enforcing a judgment
• a local council has refused to allocate a land plot or has revoked its earlier decision

How we handle these matters

• we check the filing deadlines at the first consultation – in administrative cases they are short
• we use the key advantage: it is for the authority itself to prove that its decision was lawful
• where possible we resolve matters before they reach court
• the scope of work and the payment terms are agreed in writing before we start

How the work proceeds

1. First conversation: we establish which decision, act or omission needs to be challenged, when you learned of it and which deadlines are running.
2. Documents: we analyse the authority’s decision, offence records and rulings, correspondence and the enforcement file.
3. Position and action: a pre-action complaint, an administrative claim, an application for interim measures – depending on the situation.
4. Court and enforcement: representation before the courts at every level and monitoring of the authority’s compliance with the judgment.

Legislation and case law are updated over time; this page reflects the position as of October 2026. Before acting on it, take advice on the wording currently in force.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to go to the administrative court?

The general period for an individual to apply to the administrative court is six months; unless otherwise provided, it runs from the day the person learned or should have learned of the violation of their rights, freedoms or interests (part 2 of Article 122 of the Code of Administrative Procedure of Ukraine). If the person used a pre-action dispute procedure provided for by law, the period is three months from the day they were served with the decision on their complaint, or, if no such decision was taken or served within the statutory time, six months from the day the complaint was filed (part 4 of Article 122). In disputes about admission to, service in and dismissal from the public service, the period is one month (part 5 of Article 122). Some cases have even shorter periods – in particular ten days for challenging decisions on administrative offences and the actions of enforcement officers (Articles 286 and 287 of the Code of Administrative Procedure). Time limits, the court fee and the procedure are explained in more detail in our article “Administrative Proceedings in Ukraine”.

What happens if the deadline for going to court has been missed?

If the claim is filed after the deadline without an application to restore it, or the court finds the reasons given not to be valid, the claim is left without action. Within ten days of being served with the ruling, the claimant may apply for the deadline to be restored or give other grounds for restoring it. If this is not done, or the grounds are again found not to be valid, the court returns the claim (parts 1 and 2 of Article 123 of the Code of Administrative Procedure).

Who has to prove that the authority’s decision was lawful?

The authority itself. In administrative cases about the unlawfulness of decisions, acts or omissions of a public authority, the burden of proving that its decision, act or omission was lawful rests on the respondent, which must submit to the court all the documents and materials it holds that may be used as evidence (part 2 of Article 77 of the Code of Administrative Procedure). In such cases the court may not require the claimant to produce evidence, except evidence of the circumstances in which, in the claimant’s view, their rights, freedoms or interests were violated (part 5 of Article 77).

What can I ask the court for in a dispute with a public authority?

In particular: a declaration that the authority’s decision (an individual act) is unlawful and an order setting it aside; a declaration that its actions are unlawful and an order to refrain from certain actions; a declaration that its failure to act is unlawful and an order to take certain actions; and, together with such claims, recovery of funds as compensation for damage caused by the authority’s unlawful decisions, actions or omissions (part 1 of Article 5 of the Code of Administrative Procedure). The court may also protect rights in another way that does not contradict the law and ensures effective protection (part 2 of Article 5).

How can a decision imposing a fine be challenged in court?

A decision of an authority (official) imposing an administrative penalty can be challenged before a higher authority (higher-ranking official) or in a district (city) court (item 3 of part 1 of Article 288 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences). A court claim may be filed within ten days of the day the decision was made, and for road safety decisions, including those recorded automatically, within ten days of the day the decision is served. Such cases are heard by local general courts acting as administrative courts within ten days of the opening of proceedings (parts 1 and 2 of Article 286 of the Code of Administrative Procedure). The court may uphold the decision, set it aside and send the case back for fresh consideration, set it aside and close the case, or change the penalty – but without making it more severe (part 3 of Article 286).

How can the actions of a state or private enforcement officer be challenged?

Parties to enforcement proceedings may apply to the administrative court if they believe that a decision, action or omission of a state or private enforcement officer has violated their rights and the law does not provide for another procedure for challenging it in court. The claim is filed within ten days of the day the person learned or should have learned of the violation, or within three days when challenging a decision to postpone enforcement actions. The respondent is the relevant state enforcement service body or the private enforcement officer. The court decides the case within twenty days of opening proceedings; in exceptional cases this period may be extended by no more than twenty days (parts 1 to 4 of Article 287 of the Code of Administrative Procedure).

Does filing a claim suspend the decision being challenged?

No. Filing a claim or opening proceedings does not suspend the decision of the public authority being challenged unless the court has applied interim measures (part 4 of Article 150 of the Code of Administrative Procedure). Interim measures are available both before the claim is filed and at any stage of the proceedings if, without them, enforcement of the judgment or effective protection of the claimant’s rights could be substantially hindered or made impossible, or if there are obvious signs that the authority’s decision, action or omission is unlawful and has violated the person’s rights (part 2 of Article 150).

Need legal assistance in a dispute with a public authority? Call us or leave a request – a lawyer will contact you and explain what to do next.