Reforming Administrative Services: What Bill No. 4380 Means for Citizens
What Is Bill No. 4380 and Why Was It Introduced?
In June 2024, the Ukrainian Parliament approved Bill No. 4380, titled “On Administrative Fee,” in its first reading. The initiative came from the Cabinet of Ministers and aims to systematize the payment process for over 150 administrative services provided daily through local CNAP centers (Administrative Service Centers), civil registry offices, municipal bodies, or online via the Diia platform.
The goal goes beyond pricing. The reform introduces a new philosophy: service fees should no longer be arbitrary. Instead, they will be based on a clear, unified methodology one that reflects actual costs and balances accessibility for citizens.
Why Was This Reform Necessary?
Today, the pricing of administrative services is governed by a patchwork of outdated and often opaque regulations. For example, registering a marriage may cost just 85 kopiykas, while registering a business might be entirely free. Yet the CNAPs providing these services must cover staff salaries, office rent, equipment, and electronic platforms all of which cost significantly more.
According to the bill’s authors, current payments cover less than 30% of actual operating costs.
As a result:
- Some services are funded from local budgets often at the expense of other sectors;
- Others suffer in quality due to lack of investment;
- And citizens are left confused about why some services are free, while others are suddenly expensive.
This leads to chaos, mistrust, and attempts to circumvent the system especially with high-demand services like residency registration, notary documents, and official certificates.
What Changes Does Bill No. 4380 Propose?
The bill aims to establish a unified, publicly accessible registry of paid administrative services with clearly defined fees (in UAH) that are consistent nationwide. Examples include:
- Marriage registration — up to ₴200 (instead of the current ₴0.85);
- Adding a photo to a passport — up to ₴100;
- Registering a sole proprietorship (FOP) — up to ₴200;
- Declaring place of residence — up to ₴150.
The minimum fee is set at ₴20 — this is the threshold for any service to be officially classified as “paid.”
The bill also includes:
- A 25% discount for users who apply online;
- A limit on tariff revisions — no more than once every three years;
- Special provisions for social services: approximately half of all services will remain free (e.g. pensions, social aid, basic registration documents).
Is This Just Commercialization of Public Services?
No — this is not about “selling” certificates or licenses. It’s about restoring fairness between what the state spends and what citizens actually pay. Importantly, the revenue is not profit — it’s an administrative fee, which will go directly to local or national budgets to fund service provision.
This would allow CNAPs to:
- Buy new equipment;
- Maintain adequate staffing;
- Upgrade their digital infrastructure.
Is It Fair?
This is not just a legal question — it’s an ethical one. In the next part, we’ll explore:
- Which services will remain free;
- Who will be eligible for priority access or fee exemptions;
- And what risks of abuse may arise — and how they can be prevented.
Revelant
Who Will Pay — and Who Will Be Exempt: What Bill No. 4380 Means for Everyday Citizens
Will Ordinary Citizens Have to Pay More?
Yes. If Bill No. 4380 is adopted, most common administrative services will be subject to standardized fees, replacing the symbolic charges (often a few pennies) that never covered even basic costs. For example:
- Registration or change of residence — up to ₴150
- Registry extracts — up to ₴100
- Passport photo update — up to ₴100
- Marriage registration — up to ₴200
- FOP (sole proprietorship) registration — up to ₴200
These are not exorbitant amounts, but for vulnerable groups, this could become a question of access — not just convenience.
Who Will Be Exempt from Payment?
Roughly half of all socially significant services will remain free of charge. These include:
- Pension-related services
- ID and documentation for internally displaced persons (IDPs)
- Certificates for persons with disabilities
- Services for orphans, large families
- Certain documents related to social protection
There will also be exemptions for individuals unable to pay for objective reasons — subject to a formal decision by authorities or specific criteria (still to be defined in detail).
What Guarantees Exist for Vulnerable Groups?
This is currently a weak point. The draft law provides only general declarations but lacks a robust system of automatic benefits or compensation. For example:
- No integration with social registries (e.g. from the Ministry of Social Policy), which would allow the system to automatically identify beneficiaries
- No clarity on whether pensioners or low-income individuals will get reduced fees
- No clear mechanism for how persons with disabilities or IDPs can claim their exemption — and whether this could create new bureaucratic hurdles
This represents one of the bill’s biggest risks. While it correctly addresses financial sustainability, failing to build in transparent, automated support for those in need could deepen inequality — especially in rural areas with limited digital access or legal support.
Will the System Be Transparent?
The bill includes several transparency-focused provisions:
- A unified, public registry of administrative services and their fees
- All charges listed in national currency — not tied to minimum wage benchmarks
- A 25% discount for those who apply online
These are positive steps toward a clear, digitized, and predictable system. However, there are concerns:
- Discretionary decisions: without detailed, standardized criteria, local authorities may set rates unevenly
- Uneven implementation: differences in how CNAPs handle exemptions, waiting lines, or service quality may arise
If transparency is not backed by a centralized, digital infrastructure, the system could be perceived as “more expensive — with no guarantees.”
Why Are Digital Services Cheaper?
This is one of the reform’s core goals: to encourage the use of electronic government services. Citizens who apply via the Diia app or the Ministry of Justice’s website will receive a 25% discount.
This could:
- Reduce the workload on CNAPs
- Shorten queues
- Lower costs for the state
But again — this only works if:
- All services are genuinely available online (not just downloadable forms)
- Interfaces are user-friendly, even for those with limited digital skills
- Rural and small-town communities have access to free digital support centers where staff can assist with applications
New Rules — Same Old State? What the Reform Will Reveal in Practice
Why Does This Matter for Local Communities?
Administrative services are not some abstract domain of public governance. They are everyday actions that happen in cities, towns, and villages across the country. Every certificate, registration, and application is a direct interaction between a person and the state. The speed, clarity, and ease of this interaction directly impact the level of public trust.
In 2025, with hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians displaced or resettled in new communities due to the war — and with increasing numbers of IDPs, veterans, and people facing hardship — these services must serve as a support system, not an additional burden.
This reform offers the chance to:
- Stabilize funding for Administrative Service Centers (CNAPs)
- Eliminate over-reliance on local budgets
- Establish consistent service standards nationwide — free from ad hoc decisions
But the real test will come in implementation: whether this becomes true reform or remains just another well-written legislative summary.
Are Local Communities Ready?
One major challenge is the disparity in local capacity. Large cities often already have:
- Experience with digitalization
- Sustainable funding
- Skilled teams focused on service quality
Small towns and rural communities often don’t. For them, even hiring one additional administrator or acquiring a few tablets is a significant investment. Without centralized support, there’s a real risk that services in these areas will deteriorate or disappear altogether.
This is not just about hardware — it’s about governance philosophy: the state must guarantee a minimum level of public service for every citizen, regardless of where they live.
What Will the State Gain — and What Could It Lose?
Potential Benefits:
- Transparent and predictable fee system
- Clear accounting of service volumes and users
- Reduction of outdated paperwork and manual processing
- A new revenue stream for modernizing CNAPs, upgrading e-systems, and training staff
Risks:
- If fees are changed arbitrarily, trust will erode
- If revenue goes to general budgets instead of service improvements, motivation will drop
- If benefits for vulnerable groups aren’t automated, the reform could become another barrier to access
Bill No. 4380 is not about making people pay more. It’s an attempt to finally bring order to a sector long governed by symbolic pricing and administrative inconsistency.
Will this be a breakthrough? That depends not on the fee amounts — but on how transparently, accessibly, and humanely the reform is implemented.
Because every administrative service is more than a transaction — it’s a point of contact between a citizen and the state. And that meeting should never begin with confusion or frustration.
If this reform is implemented with respect for people’s needs and real access, it could become one of the most successful overhauls of public service delivery in Ukraine’s modern history.
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