Uman Launches New Tourist Fee Payment System for Pilgrims

The State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine, in partnership with the NGO Historical and Cultural Center of Uman, Sense Bank, Uman City Council, and researchers from the National University “Lviv Polytechnic”, announces the launch of an experimental fast and transparent system for paying the tourist fee for pilgrim visitors to Uman. The experimental project starts today, September 15, 2025.

Every year, approximately 40,000 Hasidic pilgrims from various countries visit Uman to celebrate the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. A significant portion of them stay in private houses or apartments. For many years, there has been a problem with paying the tourist fee, which complicated oversight and led to losses for the local budget.

In addition, there were concerns about so-called “collection points” on site, where payments did not always reach the budget as intended. This created distrust, encouraged informal practices, and prevented the community from receiving the full financial benefit from tourism.

The new system is designed to solve this issue and ensure transparency of budget revenues. Pilgrims can now pay the tourist fee in advance through a banking platform via a link on the official website of the Uman City Council. Funds will go directly to the account of KP “Komunalnik”, designated as the tax agent.

After payment, each pilgrim will receive a receipt with a QR code, allowing employees of KP “Communal Guard” to quickly verify the payment. For convenience, on-site payment is also available through self-service terminals.

This project simplifies the procedure for tourists, ensures transparency of budget revenues, and increases the comfort of visiting Uman for pilgrims.

Reminder: The Uman City Council, by Resolution No. 4-16/8 dated June 26, 2021, “On Local Taxes and Fees,” established the rates of the tourist fee for all visitors who use temporary accommodation services in the city. The fee must be paid by Ukrainian citizens, foreign nationals, and stateless persons who arrive in Uman and use temporary lodging services.

According to the resolution, foreign tourists and pilgrims must pay a tourist fee equal to 5% of the minimum wage as of January 1 of the reporting year. In 2025, this amounts to UAH 400 per day per person, if they stay in hotels, residential buildings, annexes, garden houses, apartments, cottages, rooms, or any other temporary accommodation facilities.