Rules on checking sick notes have changed in Ukraine: what you need to know
This is set out in Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 657, which came into force on 2 June 2026.
Ukraine has changed the procedure for verifying sick notes and the documents on which they are based. The new rules apply to both patients and doctors.
This refers to Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 657, which introduced changes to the procedure for verifying the validity of the issuance and extension of sick leave certificates.
The main change is that not only the sick notes themselves will be checked, but also the documents on which they are based. In particular, medical certificates of temporary incapacity for work.
Who will check sick notes
The verification of medical certificates of temporary incapacity for work will be carried out by authorised doctors.
The Pension Fund of Ukraine will be able to initiate such checks, but it is doctors with the relevant professional training, rather than Pension Fund officials, who will assess the doctor’s decision.
The Ministry of Health explains that this will allow the clinical context and the specifics of the doctor’s work to be taken into account when making a medical decision.
The list of authorised doctors will be drawn up by the Pension Fund of Ukraine in consultation with the National Health Service of Ukraine.
What are the requirements for authorised doctors?
Specialists who meet the mandatory requirements may be included in the list of authorised doctors.
The doctor must work in a healthcare facility or in a private practice with a licence to practise medicine, or operate independently as a private practitioner with the relevant licence.
Information about the medical facility and the doctor themselves must be entered into the ESOS registers. The specialist must also have at least two years’ medical practice.
Furthermore, the doctor must undergo specialised training in the preparation of medical reports on temporary incapacity for work and sick notes, and obtain the relevant certificate.
How the verification process will work
The new procedure is based on the principle of extraterritoriality. This means that the medical certificate will be checked by a doctor from a different region, rather than from the region where the patient received medical care.
Verifications are to be carried out using depersonalised data in the electronic health system – once the relevant technical capability has been implemented.
Authorised doctors will only have access to the information necessary for the verification. Patients’ personal data will not be disclosed to them.
What will change for doctors
The healthcare facility will be obliged to provide the doctor who issued the sick note with a report on the results of the review.
Doctors will also be able to appeal against the results of the checks.
In particular, provision is made for a pre-trial appeal against the Pension Fund’s claim for compensation through an administrative appeal in accordance with the Law “On Administrative Procedure”.
What this means for patients
For patients, the changes mean tighter controls on the validity of sick notes.
At the same time, the review must take place without disclosing the patient’s personal data to the external doctor conducting the assessment.
The new procedure is intended to standardise oversight in the area of state insurance payments and reduce the risks of unjustified sick leave certificates being issued.
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