A debt collector may only remind you of a debt and negotiate repayment: call and write on working days from 9:00 to 20:00 no more than twice a day, and meet only with your consent between 9:00 and 19:00. Threats, telling relatives or your employer about the debt, turning up unannounced and «listing your property» are prohibited: only an enforcement officer acting on a court decision can collect a debt by force. If the rules are broken, collect evidence and complain to the National Bank: collectors are fined and removed from the register for this.
Oleksandr Suhak
15 min read
In everyday speech a «collector» is anyone demanding repayment of an overdue debt. The law «On Consumer Lending» allows three parties to settle overdue debt: the lender itself (the bank or finance company that issued the loan), a new creditor who bought the debt, and a collection company hired by the lender. The last one may work only if it is entered in the National Bank's register of collection companies.
The register has existed since 2021. According to Opendatabot, by October 2025 a total of 82 companies had been added to it, 74 of which remained, while the rest lost the right to operate, some because of violations. A company outside the register has no right to contact you about a debt at all.
| Who is calling | What it means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Lender | The bank or finance company you signed the contract with | Name and contract number, overdue amount |
| Collection company | Works under a contract with the lender; the debt still belongs to the lender | The company's name and whether it is in the NBU register, which lender they call for |
| New creditor | Bought your debt (assignment of claim); you now pay them | The assignment document, date, amount, payment details |
| Unknown person | Does not name a company, demands a transfer to a card, makes threats | Most likely fraudsters or an illegal collector: do not pay and do not confirm any data |
A lender may sell an overdue debt. The terms of the contract stay the same: the amount, interest and deadlines do not change, and the new creditor cannot «recalculate» the debt in its favour. If you were not told about the change of creditor and paid the old one, under Article 516 of the Civil Code this counts as proper performance. So before paying a new creditor, ask for written confirmation of the assignment and a calculation of the amount.
The law and NBU rules set the channels, the hours and the frequency. Here are all the limits in one table.
| Channel | Limits |
|---|---|
| Calls and video calls | Only on working days from 9:00 to 20:00, no more than twice a day when the collector initiates contact |
| Messages (SMS, messengers, voice) | Within the same hours and the same frequency limit |
| Auto-dialling | No more than 30 minutes a day |
| Personal meeting | Only from 9:00 to 19:00, only with your prior consent, at an agreed time and place |
| Letters | By post marked «Deliver in person» to your home, place of stay or work |
If you call them yourself, the time and frequency limits do not apply. A contact counts when you are told the overdue amount, how to repay and the charges accrued. Unsuccessful attempts are recorded too: NBU rules require lenders and collectors to log contact attempts and auto-dial duration, and to record conversations.
At the first contact a collector must give their name, the company they represent, contact details, the legal basis for contacting you and the amount of the debt including penalties. At your request they must provide information and documents confirming the overdue debt.
The collection company is responsible for the actions of anyone it engaged under contract, even if that person broke instructions. «It wasn't our employee» does not relieve it of liability.
The most common complaint is about calls to people you know. The reason is usually the loan application: finance companies ask for the phone numbers of «contact persons», and borrowers write down the numbers of their mother, a friend or a colleague without asking them. These people are not guarantors and owe nothing.
The law allows a collector to contact a consumer's close persons only if they themselves have consented to it. Without such consent, processing their phone numbers and addresses breaches both NBU rules and the personal data law. A debt may never be discussed with your colleagues or employer.
A separate case is when you are called about a loan you never took and treated as the borrower. Do not confirm the debt, do not pay, and check your credit history: fraudsters may have taken out a loan in your name. A step-by-step plan is in the article on a loan taken in your name.
Since 2022 additional rules apply to the military. During martial law and for three months after it, lenders and collectors may not contact on their own initiative servicemen of the Armed Forces and other formations, those disabled by an illness linked to service, family members of servicemen who died or went missing, and people in captivity or missing, or their close persons.
For the rule to apply, tell the lender or collector about your status and provide documents. Lenders must publish a separate address, email and hotline for such requests on their website's home page. Separately, servicemen are not charged interest or penalties on consumer loans for the special period, except mortgages and car loans.
A collector may only inform you about the debt and negotiate. Only state or private enforcement officers may collect money or property by force, and only on the basis of a court decision or another enforcement document, following the procedure of the law «On Enforcement Proceedings». So most collectors' «scare stories» are plainly misleading.
| The collector says | In reality |
|---|---|
| «We'll come and list your property» | Only an enforcement officer can list and seize property after a court decision. A collector has no such powers and cannot enter your home. |
| «We'll open a criminal case» | Not repaying a loan is a civil dispute; you cannot be prosecuted for it. Criminal liability is possible only for fraud, for example a loan taken out with forged documents. |
| «We'll tell your employer» | Disclosing the debt to your employer or colleagues is prohibited. Deductions from salary are possible only under an enforcement document. |
| «We'll freeze all your accounts» | Accounts are frozen by an enforcement officer in enforcement proceedings. During martial law a debtor may spend up to two minimum wages a month (UAH 17,294) from one account. |
| «The debt will pass to your children» | Heirs are liable for debts only up to the value of the property inherited. If the inheritance is refused, there is no debt. |
| «Pay today or the amount doubles» | Penalties are capped by law, and during martial law they are not charged on consumer loans at all. Interest is charged only under the contract. |
| «You'll be put on a wanted list and banned from going abroad» | A travel ban can be imposed only by a court at an enforcement officer's request in open enforcement proceedings. A collector cannot do this. |
This does not mean the debt can be ignored. The lender has the right to sue, and after a decision an enforcement officer really can freeze accounts, deduct part of your salary or seize property. How to reach an agreement with the lender before it comes to that is explained in detail in the article if you can't pay your loan.
A personal visit without your prior consent is prohibited. You do not have to open the door, let anyone into your home or come out to talk. A collector has no right to enter your home, inspect or «list» belongings, or demand documents.
Collectors often quote an amount well above the real debt: with interest charged after the loan term ended, penalties and «collection fees». Here is what to check.
A collector gains more from getting the money in instalments than from calling for years without result. So a realistic offer from you often works better than silence. Work out how much you can really pay each month after essential spending, and make your offer from that figure.
The agreement must be set out in a document from the lender or new creditor: a call centre operator's verbal promise guarantees nothing. Pay into the lender's account with the contract number in the payment reference and keep the receipts. After full repayment, ask for a certificate confirming there is no debt.
A court summons or ruling must not be ignored. The case will be heard without you, and a decision in the lender's favour will open the way to enforcement proceedings. The court sets a deadline for a written response to the claim, and that response is where you should raise everything in your favour: a wrong calculation, interest after the loan term, unlawful penalties and, if more than 3 years have passed, the limitation period. The court applies it only if a party asks.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, turn to the free legal aid system: consultations and help drafting documents are free, and for some categories of people the state also pays for representation in court.
Complaints about collectors are among the most frequent topics people raise with the NBU. According to Opendatabot, the number of complaints about collectors grew every year: 227 in 2021, 383 in 2022, 595 in 2023, 938 in 2024 and 958 in just the first nine months of 2025. Complaints work: for example, in May 2026 the NBU fined two collection companies UAH 51,000 each for pressuring debtors. For systematic violations a company can also be removed from the register and lose the right to work with debts.
Fraudsters actively exploit fear of collectors: they call on behalf of a «collection service», «recovery department» or even the «enforcement service» and demand urgent payment. Signs that give them away:
A genuine collector accepts payment only into the account of the lender or new creditor, and the details can be checked in the contract or on the lender's official website.
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. The rules are as of November 2026. If a lawsuit has been filed against you or enforcement proceedings have been opened, consult a lawyer or the free legal aid system.
Spotted a mistake or an outdated figure? Let us know and we will check it against the primary source and fix it.
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A plan for the first days, what happens without payments, how to approach the lender, martial law relief, what collectors may not do, limits on penalties and the limitation period.
Fraud schemes, free checks in the NBU Credit Register and credit bureaus, five steps if a loan has already been taken out, and the status of the self-ban.
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