The legal provisions were verified as of August 4, 2026.
When a team works from different cities, signing contracts and getting documents signed on time requires a clear process. At the same time, remote work doesn't by itself determine which contract is needed: an employment contract or a civil-law contract.
Using an online store as an example, we look at how to organize the document workflow and what to consider when formalizing working relationships in Ukraine.
The client's task
The online store's team consisted of 10 people: the head of the business, a finance manager and eight sales managers. All of them worked remotely from different cities in Ukraine.
Because sales contractors changed frequently, there were delays in signing and returning documents, especially after cooperation ended. The client needed to put its contracts in order, control deadlines and set up electronic signing.
Choosing between an employment contract and a civil-law contract
If a person performs job duties, works under the employer's direction and follows an established work routine, the relationship has the characteristics of employment. Working from home doesn't change this.
A civil-law contract (a service or work contract with an independent contractor) can be used for the independent provision of agreed services or performance of work. What's decisive is the actual relationship, not the title of the contract or the existence of monthly service acceptance certificates (documents confirming the services provided). Guidance of the State Labor Service of Ukraine (in Ukrainian).
The model must be assessed separately for each role. The same remote format doesn't mean that the head of the business, the finance manager and the sales contractors can be engaged on the same terms.
Terms of cooperation under a civil-law contract
In this case, the following was defined for the chosen civil-law cooperation model:
- a specific list of services and performance indicators;
- the contractor organizes the work independently, with no fixed working hours;
- no subordination to internal labor rules;
- services confirmed by reports and service acceptance certificates;
- the procedure for payment, extension and termination of the contract.
These terms must be followed in practice. If a service contract in fact conceals hired labor, the wording of the document doesn't remove the risk of the relationship being reclassified as employment. This approach is confirmed by the case law cited by the State Labor Service. Example of a court case (in Ukrainian).
Setting up the electronic document workflow
For the civil-law contracts, a consistent cycle was introduced:
- Register of current contracts. Monthly contracts and an up-to-date list of contractors, with control over cooperation periods.
- Advance notice. Notice 10 days in advance of extension or termination of cooperation, in line with the agreed contract terms. This is a term of this specific case, not a general statutory period.
- Confirmation of services. Monthly reports and service acceptance certificates as the basis for the agreed payments.
- Electronic signing. Document exchange through an electronic document workflow platform and signing with a qualified electronic signature (QES, Ukraine's legally recognized digital signature).
A QES has the legal force of a handwritten signature. To organize the process, it's also important to agree on the exchange channel, control signing and store the signed electronic originals. Central Certification Authority of Ukraine — legal status of the QES (in Ukrainian).
Results for the client
The client received an orderly process for working with contracts, reports and service acceptance certificates: standard templates, defined deadlines and signing checkpoints. Electronic exchange reduced the dependence on sending paper documents between cities.
At the same time, the document workflow and the lawfulness of the cooperation model are separate matters. If the actual organization of work changes, it's necessary to reassess whether the chosen contract still fits.
