Cabinet approves procedure for transferring churches to religious groups
Resolution No. 854 outlines the process for the free transfer of state- and municipally-owned religious property for worship purposes.
On July 7, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 854, “On Approval of the Procedure for Transferring State or Municipal Property That Is Religious Property for Gratuitous Use (Loan) to Religious Organizations.”
According to the new procedure, a religious organization must submit a request to the relevant managing authority to obtain religious property for free use. The managing authority then coordinates the transfer with the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) and the property lender, if the lender and the managing authority are not the same entity.
A key feature of the regulation is that the transfer of religious buildings for free use will be considered automatically approved if DESS, the state enterprise, or the local authority does not issue an approval within 20 days.
For cultural heritage sites designated as monuments, transfer to religious organizations is allowed only after obtaining the required approvals:
– From the Ministry of Culture for nationally significant monuments;
– From regional or Kyiv City heritage protection agencies for locally significant monuments.
If the property is part of the state portion of the Museum Fund of Ukraine – such as museum exhibits or collections – temporary transfer requires the consent of the museums in which the items are stored.
The authorized managing bodies, depending on the property in question, are as follows:
– The central executive body responsible for state property policy – for state-owned assets;
– Regional administrations, the Kyiv City Administration, or other authorized bodies acting on behalf of the state as property owner;
– Local self-government bodies – for assets owned by local communities.
As previously reported by the UOJ, the Kyiv Metropolia of the UOC has filed a lawsuit against the Cabinet of Ministers.
