Situation · CORPORATE & BUSINESS

“I run a Ukrainian company while living in Canada?”

The short answer: A Ukrainian LLC can be managed from Canada on an ongoing basis. Filings, bookkeeping, and routine contracts are usually handled by a local accountant and staff, while ownership-level decisions travel by power of attorney or couriered originals. The main caveat: some banking, tax-office, and registrar steps still assume a physically present person in Ukraine, so the delegation structure has to be built before it is urgently needed.

You own an LLC in Kyiv and live in TorontoYour team files reports locallyYou sign key contracts from CanadaYour bank wants a reachable person in Ukraine

Describe your exact situation →

What this situation usually means

In practice this means the company runs on two layers. Day-to-day operations happen in Ukraine under people you trust, and your role as owner becomes a scheduled flow of decisions, signatures, and document exchanges. The smoother the powers of attorney and internal approvals are drafted, the fewer emergencies reach you across the time zones.

Questions that determine the route

Are you the director, a shareholder, or both — and does the charter separate those powers?
Who is your local accountant, and are they authorized to file on the company's behalf?
Which acts do you keep for yourself: hiring a director, changing the charter, selling assets?
Do your bank's rules require the director's personal presence for any operations?
Is your existing power of attorney specific enough for the acts your representative actually performs?

Likely route

I run a Ukrainian company while living in Canada

Week 1

Governance audit

We review the charter, current director's powers, banking signatories, and existing powers of attorney to see what already works remotely and what assumes your presence.

Week 1–2

Delegation design

Together we decide which acts go to a local director or authorized person, which stay with you, and which need a standing power of attorney with defined limits.

Week 2–3

Documents in Canada

Powers of attorney and corporate resolutions are drafted, notarized in Canada, apostilled, and translated into Ukrainian by a certified translator.

Week 3–4

Registration in Ukraine

The local side files any registrar changes, updates bank signatory cards, and activates the accountant's filing access.

Ongoing

Operating rhythm

A calendar is set for quarterly and annual events — reporting, charter updates, director renewals — so signatures are requested from you with lead time, not at the deadline.

What usually has to happen

The charter and corporate register extract are pulled to confirm who holds which powers right now.

A power of attorney naming specific acts, limits, and validity is signed before a Canadian notary.

The document receives an apostille — in Ontario through Official Documents Services, or federally through Global Affairs Canada.

A certified Ukrainian translation is attached so notaries and banks in Ukraine accept it.

The local director or accountant is registered with the registrar and the bank where needed.

A reporting and signature calendar is agreed for the coming year.

What can complicate the matter

A charter that gives the director powers your bank or partners expect from the shareholder personally.
A 'universal' power of attorney text that Ukrainian notaries refuse because it lists no concrete acts.
A bank that requires the director's in-person visit for card changes or new accounts.
Registry filings submitted on outdated forms, which bounce back and burn weeks.

What LexRoota coordinates here

Review of the charter and current delegation structure with a Ukrainian corporate lawyer.

Drafting and apostilling of powers of attorney and resolutions on the Canadian side.

Certified translation into Ukrainian and delivery to the local representative.

Registrar filings, bank signatory updates, and accountant access setup through licensed professionals in Ukraine.

An annual calendar of corporate events with reminders routed to you in Canada.

Common questions

Can I stay the director of a Ukrainian company while living abroad?

Yes, residency rules for directors of Ukrainian LLCs do not require you to live in Ukraine. Practical friction comes from banks and the tax office, which still expect someone reachable and able to appear for certain procedures.

Do the tax office or registrar accept electronic signatures?

Ukraine's qualified electronic signature covers many filings, and some corporate acts can be signed through Diia-linked services. Getting a qualified signature issued to a non-resident still involves an identification step that is often easier to solve once with a power of attorney.

What happens if my power of attorney expires while I am abroad?

Acts performed after expiry can be challenged, and banks will simply decline them. We track validity dates and start the renewal — drafting, notarization, apostille, translation — about two months before a document lapses.