Kyiv, 5 March 2024 – The Diia state services portal now has a simplified process for applying for a subsidy for utilities, gas, and fuel, making it easier than ever for citizens who rely on state support to obtain assistance. Before the update, the application process took half an hour, but it can now be done in 10 minutes, as most of the required documents are obtained automatically thanks to the data exchange system between the state registers.

“Social services are among the most frequently accessed by Ukrainians. For example, in Diia, users receive pension services, register children through eMaliatko, issue aid for IDPs, etc.,” Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov said. “So our task is to make these services as convenient and accessible as possible for everyone. In addition to launching new services, we’re continuing to improve the existing ones. In particular, now Ukrainians will be able to apply for a subsidy three times faster. We continue to transform the social sphere so that every Ukrainian feels protected and receives help in a timely manner.”

In the summer of 2023, the Ukrainian government made it easier for citizens to apply for a housing subsidy. Until recently, it was possible to submit a simplified application in electronic form through the web portal of electronic services of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, the mobile application of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, or in paper form. This involved contacting the selected service centre of the fund or the authorized officials of the executive body of the village, settlement, city council, or by sending an application to the fund body by mail. Now a simplified mechanism is also available on the Diia portal.

“The digital transformation of the social sphere is based on data exchanges. Thanks to these exchanges between different systems and registers, the allocation of housing subsidies is carried out on an extraterritorial basis,” Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitization Kostiantyn Koshelenko said. “That is, every person who needs support from the state can apply for a subsidy in any part of the country, regardless of where they are registered as living. Now such help can be issued remotely, quickly and without leaving home, on the Diia portal.”

The simplified subsidy application process was developed by the Ministry of Digital Transformation together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, within the framework of the DIA Support project with funding from the Government of Japan. The Ministry of Social Policy and the Pension Fund of Ukraine also participated in the service’s development.

“Over three years, UNDP, together with partners, has supported the development of 40 state electronic services and tools, which have been used by more than 21 million Ukrainians. By supporting digitalisation, we aim to help the government create convenient electronic tools for Ukrainians, primarily from the most vulnerable groups, to obtain state assistance,” UNDP Ukraine Resident Representative Jaco Cilliers said. “The launch of the updated service for applying for a housing subsidy is an important continuation of our joint efforts with the government in this direction, which will help to protect precisely those Ukrainians who need such support.”

The housing subsidies programme for helping vulnerable categories of people is one of the main mechanisms of social protection of Ukrainians under conditions of rising prices and tariffs for housing and utilities. The service is aimed at those who are applying for a subsidy for the first time, or at those who are planning to re-apply because a previous application has expired.

The service for applying for housing subsidies was launched on the Diia portal at the end of 2021. It was also possible to apply for pensions or pension recalculations, obtaining ОK-5 and ОK-7 certificates of registered persons, a pensioner’s income certificate, or an excerpt from the Register of Registered Persons of the State Register of Mandatory State Social Insurance. All of the services were developed by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Social Policy, with support from UNDP in Ukraine and with funding from the Government of Sweden.

Also among the partners’ joint initiatives is the launch of pension certificates in the Diia app, and a set of services for internally displaced persons – such as registering IDP status and submitting an application to receive financial assistance from the state, or cancelling IDP status and giving notification of a change of residence. 

Media inquiries

Yuliia Samus, UNDP Ukraine Communications Team Leader, yuliia.samus@undp.org