The simplest legal way to buy US company shares from Ukraine in 2026 is to open a securities account at a bank or investment firm licensed by the National Securities and Stock Market Commission and buy within the NBU limit of UAH 200,000 a month. Profit on sale is taxed at 18% income tax plus 5% military levy, and since profit is calculated in hryvnias, a rise in the dollar is taxed too. US dividends usually have 15% withheld, and Ukraine adds 9% income tax and 5% military levy, part of which can be credited.
Andrii Kolisnyk
13 min read
A private individual cannot buy a share directly on a US exchange: you need an intermediary with exchange access that records your securities. For a Ukrainian there are two types of intermediary, and the difference between them is fundamental.
| Criterion | Ukrainian bank or investment firm | Foreign broker |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator | Ukraine's Securities Commission; the licence can be checked in the register | The broker's home regulator; the Ukrainian Commission does not supervise it |
| How to fund | In hryvnias from a card or account within the NBU limit | By transfer abroad, which during martial law is allowed only in cases set by the NBU |
| Where shares are recorded | In Ukraine's depository system | In the broker's home depository system |
| Tax on profit | As a rule, withheld by the intermediary as a tax agent | You declare and pay it yourself |
| Choice of shares and fees | A limited list, fees are usually higher | A wide choice, fees are often lower |
| Main risk | You cannot move securities to another intermediary during martial law | Funding is difficult; fraudsters pose as brokers |
For most people in Ukraine in 2026 the realistic route is a Ukrainian intermediary. A foreign broker suits those who already have an account and money abroad; funding from Ukraine is mostly closed. Fraudsters operate widely in Ukraine posing as "international brokers", so check any firm using the guide in our article on how to check a broker.
Since 11 August 2026, individuals can buy foreign securities recorded in Ukraine's depository system within a shared limit of UAH 200,000 a month. The same limit covers buying non-cash currency and bank metals at the same bank. So if you have already bought UAH 150,000 of currency this month, UAH 50,000 remains for shares.
For regular investing the limit rarely gets in the way: UAH 200,000 a month adds up to UAH 2,400,000 a year. But if you plan to invest a large sum at once, spread the purchase over several months or between institutions, in line with your bank's rules.
Another restriction concerns selling. From 1 January 2025, for the duration of martial law, the Securities Commission banned moving foreign securities out of Ukraine's depository system, except in certain technical cases. You will not be able to transfer the shares you bought to a foreign broker or another institution, so you will have to sell where you bought. Choose your intermediary carefully: you are with it for the long haul.
The main trading session on US exchanges runs from 9:30 to 16:00 New York time, which is 16:30 to 23:00 Kyiv time for most of the year. For a few weeks in spring and autumn, when the US and Europe change clocks on different days, the session shifts by an hour. Orders placed at night are executed after the exchange opens, and some institutions accept orders only during working hours.
Formally, the price of one share is enough: for large US companies it ranges from a few tens to a few hundred dollars, and for some it exceeds a thousand. Fractional shares, popular in US apps, are rarely on Ukrainian intermediaries' lists, so plan on buying whole shares.
The practical minimum is set by fees. If the minimum fee per trade is UAH 100, a purchase under UAH 10,000 costs more than 1% just on entry. So it makes more sense to build up the amount on a top-up deposit or in government bonds and buy shares every few months.
Another condition is that money put into shares should not be needed for the next 5-7 years. A one-third fall in a year is an ordinary event for the stock market, and selling at such a moment locks in the loss.
On small amounts, fees are the main enemy of returns. Many intermediaries set a minimum fee per trade, and on a small purchase it takes a large share. Here is an example with an illustrative minimum fee of UAH 100 or 0.25% of the amount, whichever is higher:
| Purchase amount | Purchase fee | Share of amount | Buy and sell together |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAH 2,000 | UAH 100 | 5% | 10% |
| UAH 10,000 | UAH 100 | 1% | 2% |
| UAH 50,000 | UAH 125 | 0.25% | 0.5% |
Buying a UAH 2,000 share, you start 5% down, and just to break even after selling the share has to rise by 10%. So it is better to buy less often but in larger amounts: for example, once a quarter instead of every week.
Besides the trade fee, find out:
Investment profit is the difference between the sale price and the cost of purchase. Both amounts are converted into hryvnias at the NBU official rate on the date of each transaction. The tax is 18% income tax and 5% military levy, 23% in total.
The lesson of the second example matters: hryvnia devaluation increases the tax even if the share earned nothing in dollars. On the other hand, losses can be offset: profits and losses on all securities transactions in a year are counted together, and tax is paid only on the net result.
A Ukrainian intermediary, as a rule, withholds tax on profit when you withdraw money, as a tax agent. If the profit came through a foreign broker or the agent did not withhold tax, it is declared by 1 May of the following year and paid by 1 August. A step-by-step calculation with several trades and filling in the return is covered in our article on taxes on share trading.
Many large US companies pay dividends every quarter. For a Ukrainian investor they pass through two tax borders:
Getting a foreign tax authority certificate for small amounts is hard, so in practice most small investors pay the full amount. This is one reason why long-term investors often choose companies that reinvest more in growth than they pay out, or funds that reinvest dividends.
To receive a dividend, you must own the share before the ex-dividend date, which the company announces in advance. If you buy on the ex-dividend date or later, the previous owner gets that dividend. And on the ex-dividend date the share price usually drops by roughly the dividend amount, so buying a share just for the next payout makes no sense: you get a dividend on which you also pay tax, and the price falls by the same amount.
Before picking specific companies, it helps to know two figures from research on the US market.
You can buy individual shares, but it is unwise to bet money your goals depend on on one or two companies. A sensible approach for most people: a broad index fund as the core, with individual shares a small share, say up to 10-20% of investments, that you are ready to risk out of interest or conviction. How such funds work and how to buy them is explained in our article on ETFs and index funds.
A share is a stake in a real business, so it is the business you should assess: the price chart says little about it. US listed companies must publish filings in the EDGAR system of the US Securities and Exchange Commission: an annual report (Form 10-K) and quarterly reports (10-Q). A minimum set of questions:
Buying "hyped" shares after news or bloggers' tips is the most common cause of beginners' losses. The company may be excellent, but if you bought after it doubled in a month, the price already reflects all the good news.
If you still decide to pick companies yourself, a few rules reduce the risk:
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 investment advice. Shares can lose value, including entirely; past returns do not guarantee future returns. Company names and figures in the examples are illustrative.
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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