Employee Reservation in 2026: What Employers Need to Know and How to Stay in Control

For an employer, the employee reservation process does not end once a positive result appears in the Diia portal. From that point onward, the company must monitor the validity period of the deferment, the enterprise’s status, HR changes, and the accuracy of military registration records.

A mistake in any of these areas may affect the validity of the reservation or create problems when renewing it. Employee reservation should therefore be viewed not as a one-time application, but as an ongoing process that requires management throughout the entire deferment period.

In this article, we explain who can reserve employees in 2026, which employees are eligible, what should be verified before submitting an application through Diia, and which information and deadlines employers should monitor after the reservation has been granted.

What Is Employee Reservation and How Does It Differ from Other Types of Deferment?

Employee reservation is a mechanism under which a military-liable employee is granted a deferment from military service during mobilization. Employers reserve critically important employees to ensure uninterrupted business operations. Unlike other types of deferment, employee reservation cannot be obtained through the employee’s personal application.

This is why employee reservation is often confused with deferments granted due to health conditions, family circumstances, or education. However, these mechanisms differ significantly.

Another key difference is that employee reservation is tied to a specific employer. If an employee resigns, the reservation automatically ceases to be valid. A deferment, by contrast, is independent of the employer and remains valid after a change of employment, provided the legal grounds for the deferment still exist.

Therefore, employee reservation is not a personal entitlement of the employee but rather a mechanism that allows a company to maintain business continuity during martial law.

Which Companies Can Reserve Employees?

Not every employer is entitled to submit employees for reservation. This right is established by the Procedure for Reserving Persons Liable for Military Service, approved by Resolution No. 76 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The reservation of military-liable persons employed by state authorities and defense enterprises is regulated by Resolution No. 45 of the Cabinet of Ministers.

The reservation procedure defines the following main categories of enterprises:

For most private companies, there is effectively only one way to reserve employees: obtaining the status of a critically important enterprise.

This status is granted by the relevant ministry or the regional military administration. To obtain it, a company must meet the criteria established by the government. Depending on its business sector, it must satisfy at least two or three criteria approved by Resolution No. 76 of the Cabinet of Ministers, including:

• average salary level;
• absence of outstanding Unified Social Contribution (USC) liabilities;
• amount of taxes paid;
• other indicators established by law.

📌 Practical tip: What to verify before applying for employee reservation

If your company plans to reserve employees, you should already:

• verify the validity period of your critically important enterprise status;
• ensure the company still meets the required eligibility criteria;
• avoid relying solely on the date specified in the previous decision, as the rules for confirming critical enterprise status changed in 2026.

What Changed in Employee Reservation Starting in June 2026?

In the summer of 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers updated Procedure No. 76. The changes affect not only new applications but also companies that have already obtained critically important enterprise status.

For HR professionals, this means one thing: the process does not end after a reservation is granted. Employers must continuously monitor new deadlines and compliance with the updated requirements.

All these changes point to one conclusion: employee reservation has become a process that requires continuous administration.

📌 Practical tip: Which deadlines should be monitored?

Add at least these three key dates to your calendar:

• the deadline for reconfirming critically important enterprise status;
• the expiration date of each employee’s reservation;
• the date for verifying compliance with the salary threshold.

In 2026, these three factors are among the most common reasons companies lose the right to reserve employees.

Which Employees Can Be Reserved?

Not every employee is eligible for reservation. Even if a company has the status of a critically important enterprise, the system verifies whether each employee meets the established requirements. If even one requirement is not satisfied, the employer will receive a rejection.

Before preparing the employee list, make sure that each employee meets all eligibility criteria.

1. The Employee Must Be Employed Under an Employment Contract

Only employees hired under an employment contract are eligible for reservation.

Individuals working under civil law contracts cannot be reserved. The same applies to gig specialists employed by Diia.City resident companies. If such a specialist needs to be reserved, they must first be hired as a regular employee.

2. Military Registration Records Must Be Up to Date

Before submitting an application, verify that:

• the employee’s information is up to date in the Oberih Register;
• the military registration document is valid (either paper-based or electronic with a QR code);
• the military occupational specialty is recorded correctly;
• the employee has undergone the Military Medical Commission (MMC) examination, where required.

Any discrepancies between government registers may result in a rejected application.

📌 Practical tip: How to reduce the risk of rejection

Conduct an internal review of employees before submitting the reservation list. This takes significantly less time than correcting errors and resubmitting an application after it has been rejected.

What to Check Before Submitting an Employee Reservation Application

Most rejections occur not because a company is ineligible for employee reservation, but because of documentation errors or failure to meet specific requirements.

Before submitting an application, verify:

• whether the company’s critically important enterprise status is valid and when it expires;
• whether the reservation quota has been calculated correctly;
• whether the employee is hired under an employment contract;
• whether the employee hiring notification has been submitted to the tax authorities;
• whether the employee’s full name, date of birth, and Tax Identification Number are identical across all documents;
• whether the employee has a valid electronic military registration document (e-MRD) in the Reserve+ app;
• whether there are any notices indicating that the employee is wanted or that their military registration records are outdated;
• whether the employee’s salary meets the established threshold;
  whether the employee has already been granted a deferment on other legal grounds.

Even a minor error in personal data or an outdated record in a government register may result in a rejected application. Verifying this information in advance is much easier than correcting it after receiving a negative decision.

📌 Practical tip: How to streamline the process

Implement a single internal checklist for all employee reservation applications. This will help eliminate common mistakes and reduce the number of repeat submissions.

How to Submit an Employee Reservation Application Through Diia service

Applications can be submitted online through the Diia portal. If both the company’s and the employee’s information meet the requirements, a decision is usually issued within one to three days.

The Diia portal interface and verification algorithms are updated periodically. Before submitting an application, make sure you are following the latest instructions.

How Long Does an Employee Reservation Remain Valid?

The reservation period depends on the legal basis under which it is granted.

It is important to note that Ukrainian legislation does not provide for automatic renewal of employee reservations. Once the reservation expires, the company must complete the procedure again and submit a new application.

📌 Practical tip: When should you start preparing renewal documents?

Do not wait until the last day. Every company should establish its own internal deadline that allows HR specialists to verify employee information, confirm the legal grounds for reservation, and prepare the next application cycle. The necessary lead time depends on the number of employees and the complexity of the verification process.

What Employers Must Monitor After an Employee Reservation Is Granted

Receiving a positive decision does not complete the process. After a reservation is granted, employers must continuously monitor deadlines, HR changes, and compliance with legal requirements.

This is the stage where companies most often risk losing the deferment.

1️⃣ Validity of Critically Important Enterprise Status

Without valid critically important enterprise status, the legal basis for employee reservation no longer exists.

In 2026, employers must separately monitor the deadlines for reconfirming this status. Failure to complete the procedure on time may affect the validity of existing employee reservations.

2️⃣ Reservation Quota

The number of employees that may be reserved changes whenever the number of military-liable employees changes.
For example, after an employee resigns or a new employee is hired, the reservation quota may change. If the company exceeds the permitted quota, it must submit an application through Diia to cancel reservations exceeding the limit within 10 business days.

Failure to do so may result in the company losing its critically important enterprise status.

3️⃣ HR Changes

Not every HR event affects employee reservation in the same way. Particular attention should be paid to:

• transferring an employee to another position;
• changing the employee’s structural unit;
• modifying the terms of the employment contract;
• suspension of the employment relationship;
• termination of employment.

In each of these cases, employers should determine whether there are grounds to review or cancel the employee’s reservation.

4️⃣ Termination of Employment of a Reserved Employee

Once a reserved employee leaves the company, the reservation is no longer valid.

The employer must notify the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center (TRSSC) of the change in the employee’s military registration information within seven calendar days of issuing the termination order.

📌 Practical tip: How to digitize military registration records

The most efficient approach is to manage this information through a single digital solution (for example, Vchasno.Kadry) rather than using calendars or Excel spreadsheets . The system allows HR professionals to quickly view:

• the military-liable status of each employee, including whether they have a reservation or another type of deferment;
• the legal grounds and supporting documents for each deferment;
• the expiration date of each reservation or deferment.

When Can an Employee Reservation Be Cancelled?

Employee reservations are not indefinite. They may be cancelled on the following grounds:

• cancellation of the company’s critically important enterprise status;
• failure to complete the reconfirmation of critical status;
• exceeding the reservation quota and failing to correct the excess within the prescribed period;
• liquidation or reorganization of the company;
• termination of the employee’s employment;
• suspension of the employment contract;
• the employee obtaining another type of deferment;
• the employer submitting a request to cancel the reservation.

Employers can independently control some of these factors. That is why monitoring reservation periods and HR changes is just as important as properly submitting the initial application.

Common Employer Mistakes

Most problems arise not because the procedure itself is complex, but because companies lack internal controls.

The most common mistakes HR teams make include:

• submitting employees whose military registration records are outdated;
• failing to verify the existence of a valid electronic military registration document (e-MRD);
• exceeding the reservation quota;
• forgetting to cancel excess reservations in a timely manner;
• attempting to reserve secondary employees or gig specialists;
• missing the deadline for reconfirming critically important enterprise status;
• maintaining records in several Excel files and consequently losing track of key deadlines.

📌 Practical tip: How to maintain a register of military-liable employees

If several employees are responsible for reservation procedures, establish unified record-keeping rules. One centralized register with control dates is far more reliable than multiple separate spreadsheets.

How Military Registration Is Connected to Employee Reservation

Employee reservation relies on military registration data. Therefore, an error made during an HR change, an update of personal information, or the entry of data into military registration records can affect not only military registration itself but also the employee’s future reservation status.

For this reason, these processes should not be managed separately. HR data must remain up to date, military registration information must be consistent, and reservation and deferment statuses should always be readily available for verification.

How Vchasno.Kadry Helps Monitor Employee Reservations

Vchasno.Kadry service does not submit reservation applications instead of Diia. The service helps companies collect and store the information needed for the day-to-day management of military registration, reservations, and deferments.

1. All information about military-liable employees in one place.
2. Employee data, statuses, and related documents are stored in a single section. There is no need to search through separate Excel files, paper folders, or notes every time information is required.
3. Reservation and deferment statuses are displayed separately and clearly.
4. HR specialists can quickly see which employees have an active reservation, who has a deferment, and the legal grounds on which it was granted.
5. The workspace can be customized.
6. Military registration specialists can configure the view to make daily monitoring more convenient.
7. Documents and reference information are available alongside employee records
8. When an additional document or certificate is needed, there is no need to gather information from multiple sources every time.

As a result, the routine process of “find the data → verify the status → account for HR changes” becomes simpler, while the risk of errors caused by scattered spreadsheets and paper documents is significantly reduced.

The service will continue to expand its capabilities. In particular, the team is working on automatic reminders about reservation and deferment expiration dates, as well as the generation of digital lists of military-liable employees.

In 2026, employee reservation is no longer a one-time action but a continuous process. To maintain the ability to reserve employees, employers must simultaneously monitor several areas:

• the validity of the company’s critically important enterprise status;
• the reservation period for each employee;
• compliance with the applicable reservation quota;
• the accuracy of military registration records;
• HR changes that may affect eligibility for reservation.

Vchasno.Kadry helps reduce manual work and keep all key information related to military registration, reservations, and deferments in one place.