Law of Ukraine "On Access to Public Information"

Response Timeline

5 working days from receipt. Extension up to 20 working days for large volume or extensive searches, with written justification within 5 days. Urgent requests (life, safety, environment, disasters) must be answered within 48 hours.

How to Submit a Request

Accepted Methods

• In person — Oral request during personal reception
• Mail — Written request via postal mail
• Email — Electronic request to agency email
• Fax — Faxed written request
• Telephone — Oral request by phone

Requests may be submitted in arbitrary form. No explanation of reason required. Can be made by individuals, legal entities, or civic associations without legal status.

Required Elements

• Requester surname, name, and patronymic (or corporate name for legal entities)
• Postal or email address
• General description of information or document details

Optional Elements

• Phone number
• Specific document reference numbers or dates

Fees

Information is provided free of charge. Fees only apply when photocopies exceed 10 pages. Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 740 sets maximum rates. If administrator has not established payment amounts, information is free.

Fee Waivers

• Information about the requester themselves
• Information deemed to be in the public interest
• Any request requiring 10 or fewer photocopied pages

Article 21 provides automatic waivers for personal information, public interest information, and all requests under 10 pages.

Exemptions

• State Secrets
  Information classified as state secret in defense, economy, science, foreign relations, security. Cannot include environmental, food safety, accident, health, or human rights violation information.
• Commercial/Trade Secrets
  Confidential business information disseminated only by consent (Art. 7)
• Banking Secrecy
  Information on bank accounts, transactions, financial status of customers (Art. 60 Banking Law)
• Professional Secrets
  Attorney-client privilege, medical confidentiality, other professional protections
• Pre-trial Investigation Secrets
  Information related to ongoing criminal investigations and confidential sources
• Official Use Information
  Internal correspondence, memoranda, investigative materials marked "For Official Use"
• National Security
  Information where disclosure would harm national security, territorial integrity, or defense
• Crime Prevention/Investigation
  Information necessary for maintaining public order or conducting criminal investigations
• Protection of Personal Rights
  Information that would harm personal reputation, privacy, or individual rights
• Impartiality of Justice
  Information that could compromise the prestige or impartiality of the judiciary

Mandatory three-part harm test (Art. 6): (1) serves legitimate interests, (2) disclosure causes significant harm, (3) harm outweighs public interest. All three must be met. Budget fund usage and state property disposal cannot be restricted. Environmental, food safety, accident, health statistics, human rights violations, and illegal state actions cannot be classified as secret. Scores 27/30 on RTI Rating Exceptions category.

Appeal Process

Three appeal paths: (1) superior official, (2) Ombudsman with binding order power, (3) administrative court. May be filed for refusals, delays, false/incomplete info, or failure to respond. CEDEM provides free Claims Designer tool for filing lawsuits.

Request Templates

Sources & References

• Full text of law →
• Primary source →
• Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law - Law Overview →
• Ukrainian Ombudsman Information Rights Report 2022 →
• ARTICLE 19 English Translation →