In Ukraine an account is most often blocked for one of two reasons: the bank is checking your transactions as part of financial monitoring, or an enforcement officer has arrested the funds over an unpaid debt. In the first case unblocking depends on documents that explain where the money came from and what the transfers were for; in the second, on paying the debt or challenging the arrest. Even from an arrested account, under martial law you can spend up to UAH 17,294 a month if you apply to the enforcement officer.
Andrii Kolisnyk
16 min read
"Blocked" can mean six different situations, and each is lifted differently. So the first step is not to write to the bank "please unblock", but to find out who imposed the restriction and on what grounds.
| What happened | Who initiates | What it looks like | What lifts the block |
|---|---|---|---|
| Only the card is blocked | The bank or you | The card does not work, but a transfer from the app goes through | Unblocking in the app or reissuing the card |
| A transaction is suspended or the account restricted under financial monitoring | The bank | A message asking for documents, a transfer "under review" | Documents and an explanation, the bank's decision |
| The transaction was suspended by the financial intelligence unit | State Financial Monitoring Service | Money does not arrive or leave for days, the bank refers to legal requirements | The period expires or the service decides; a court may follow |
| The bank refused to serve you | The bank | A letter terminating the business relationship, the account is closed | As a rule, not reversed; the balance is returned |
| Funds arrested over a debt | A state or private enforcement officer | "Arrest" or "encumbrance" in the app, the money is visible but cannot be spent | Paying the debt, a claim for protected funds, an appeal |
| Arrest in criminal proceedings | An investigating judge at the request of investigators | The bank refers to a court ruling | Only through the court, with a lawyer |
Details are usually visible in the banking app: in the account section or in a notification. If it only says "transactions restricted", call the number on your card or in the app and ask for the grounds and a list of what is needed from you. Never call back numbers from text messages or messengers.
The simplest case. A card is only a way to access the account, so the money is still there unless the account is restricted. Typical reasons:
If the card was blocked because of charges you did not make, act quickly and follow a different scenario: how to get the money back and when the bank must refund it is explained in our article on money stolen from a card.
Ukraine's anti-money laundering law (No. 361-IX) requires a bank to know its clients and to watch whether their transactions match their usual behaviour and official income. A bank that lets fraudsters' or illegal casino money pass through it risks heavy NBU fines, so in borderline cases it plays safe.
The most common triggers are:
More on the signs banks use to assess transfers, and on the NBU's draft resolution with 16 signs of atypical behaviour, which had not been adopted as of early November 2026, is in our article on card-to-card transfer limits.
After the bank's report, the State Financial Monitoring Service may extend the suspension by up to 7 more working days, up to 9 working days in total, and with a reasoned suspicion up to 30 working days. During this time law enforcement decides whether there are signs of a crime. If the suspicion is not confirmed, the suspension is cancelled. If it is, the money is arrested by a court.
The bank often does not explain why exactly you are being checked. This is not always unwillingness to help: the law prohibits telling a client that information about their transactions has been passed to the financial intelligence unit. So expect a general wording and prepare documents for every transaction that might look unusual.
Choose documents for the specific situation. Extra paperwork does not help, while a missing key document drags the review out.
| Situation | What proves the source of funds |
|---|---|
| Salary, bonus, holiday pay | An income certificate from your employer or data from the Pension Fund register of insured persons |
| Sale of your own things, a car, property | A sale contract, the listing, correspondence with buyers, vehicle registration |
| A gift or help from relatives | A deed of gift for large sums, proof of family ties, the sender's explanation |
| Fundraising for the army or medical treatment | Posts about the fundraiser, a spending report, proof of handing over aid, volunteer status at the bank |
| Freelancing, services, regular sales | Contracts, invoices, acts of completed work; best of all, a sole proprietor account for such payments |
| A friend repaying a loan | A receipt or loan agreement, correspondence about the loan |
| Selling currency, crypto or securities | Exchange or broker statements, purchase history, tax return |
During the check do not try to get around the restriction: do not rush to open accounts at other banks or ask friends to receive money for you. For the bank these are further risk signals, and your friends risk being checked themselves.
Ending a business relationship under the financial monitoring law is the bank's decision, not a penalty, and forcing a bank to keep serving you is almost impossible. What matters is that the money in the account remains yours. As a general rule the balance is returned in cash or by transfer to an account at another bank, unless a court or enforcement officer has arrested it. Check the procedure and deadlines in the bank's letter and your contract.
Refusal by one bank does not put you on a "blacklist" of all banks. But if the reason was a real suspicion of money laundering, other banks will also ask questions when you open an account. The best way to answer them is to have documents on your sources of income ready in advance.
A separate and increasingly common case: a fraud victim reports to their bank, which passes the information to the recipient's bank. If the recipient is you, the account is blocked and you may be treated as a money mule, someone through whom stolen money is moved.
If you have an unpaid debt on which a court has ruled or a notary has issued an enforcement order, the case goes to a state or private enforcement officer. Most often these are overdue loans, utility bills, fines, child support and tax debts. The officer opens enforcement proceedings and may arrest the money in the debtor's accounts.
Accounts have long been arrested without the officer visiting the bank: the enforcement system exchanges data with banks and imposes arrests automatically. Law No. 4833-IX on digitalising enforcement proceedings, whose main provisions apply from 23 October 2026, gave officers electronic access to funds in accounts and e-wallets and introduced automatic lifting of the arrest once the debt is paid.
The arrest covers the amount you owe plus the enforcement fee and costs, not all the money in the account. According to the Ministry of Justice, the account holder can freely use the rest. In practice, if you have several accounts the arrest may temporarily catch more than necessary: in that case contact the officer with a statement of balances.
Find out the essentials: which document the debt is being collected under, the amount, and whether time limits have expired. Sometimes an arrest is imposed over a debt that was paid long ago, and a receipt is enough.
Under martial law an individual debtor may choose one current account at one bank and spend from it up to two minimum wages a month, as set on 1 January of the current year. In 2026 that is up to UAH 17,294 a month. Within this amount no collection is applied to the account, and taxes and fees can be paid from it regardless of the arrest.
Article 73 of the enforcement proceedings law lists payments that are exempt from collection. Among them:
If such payments go to a separate account with a special usage regime, it may not be arrested. If it was arrested anyway, the bank or you submit documents on the special regime to the officer, and the arrest must be lifted no later than the next working day. So it is better to receive social payments on a separate account opened specifically for them, rather than your main card.
Fraudsters actively exploit the topic of blocked accounts. Typical scenarios:
A real bank never asks you to transfer money or to give your CVV or an SMS code, and the NBU does not service individuals' accounts. How to recognise such a call and what to do if you have already shared your details is covered in our article on the bank security call scam.
Keep everything: screenshots of messages, appeal numbers, replies. Without them no complaint will work.
After a block, people often decide to leave the bank and simply stop using the card. A year later it turns out the account is still open and has a debt for maintenance fees, SMS notifications or interest on a credit limit. Close it properly:
An account under arrest cannot be closed until the arrest is lifted. An account restricted over an unfinished financial monitoring check, however, may be closed by the bank itself if it refuses to serve you.
Checked against official sources on October 29, 2026. If a figure changes, we update the article and the «Updated» date changes automatically.
This material is for information only and is not legal advice. If funds have been arrested in criminal proceedings or the amount is significant, consult a lawyer.
Spotted a mistake or an outdated figure? Let us know and we will check it against the primary source and fix it.
Write to redaktsiia@wm2.com.ua: what is wrong and, if possible, a source with the correct information. In Gmail or your mail app the page address will already be in the message.
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