Criticality Update 2026

An important stage after the first receipt of the status of a critical enterprise is its annual confirmation in accordance with the requirements. Every year the criteria and rules for granting criticality become stricter, and not all companies can meet the updated requirements. Law Firm "Prikhodko and Partners" provides full legal support for the renewal of criticality, providing comprehensive support to enterprises at all stages of the procedure and helping to confirm the status in a timely manner in 2026.

How to renew criticality in 2026?

At the beginning of the new year, the validity period of the status of a critical enterprise expires for many business entities, which necessitates its renewal.

When preparing documents, it should be taken into account that changes in legislation came into force on January 1, 2026, and the minimum wage indicators were updated. In this regard, financial and personnel calculations should be carried out in accordance with the current indicators of 2026. Calculations made with data for 2025 will not be relevant and may become the basis for refusing to grant the status.

Renewal of criticality is of practical importance, as it directly affects the possibility of booking employees. Untimely submission of documents or failure to take into account new requirements creates risks of losing the right to book, and as a result, mobilization risks for employees.

The renewal procedure generally remains unchanged and involves:

• preparation of a package of documents confirming the company's compliance with the criteria of a critical enterprise, taking into
• account the requirements of 2026;
• submission of documents to the relevant ministry;
• verification of submitted materials by the authorized body;
• decision on granting status if the established criteria are met.

When should you submit documents to extend the status for 2026?

It is advisable to start preparing documents for the extension of the status of a critical enterprise for 2026 in advance. It is recommended to collect and form a complete package of documents 2–3 months before the expiration of the current status. This approach allows you to correctly perform all calculations taking into account current indicators, check the compliance of the enterprise with the established criteria and eliminate deficiencies in a timely manner.

Minimum salary for criticality 2026

First of all, it should be noted that the mandatory conditions include the absence of tax arrears and the appropriate level of the average salary of employees.

The average salary of insured persons for the last calendar month must not be lower than the minimum salary in the country, multiplied by a coefficient of 2.5. Taking into account the established salary amount - 8,647 UAH, the minimum allowable indicator for confirming criticality is:

• 21,617.50 UAH (8,647 × 2.5)

If, when obtaining the status in December 2025, the average salary for the enterprise met the requirements, but from January 1, 2026 it became lower than the established indicator, the enterprise is obliged to bring the level of remuneration into line with the updated requirements.

This is due to the fact that during the validity period of the status, monitoring of compliance with the criticality criteria is carried out and the detection of non-compliance is a basis for revision, and in extreme cases, its cancellation.

How long does it take to confirm the criticality of an enterprise?

Confirmation of the company's criticality status officially takes up to 10 working days from the moment of submitting an application to the relevant ministry or OVA. In practice, due to the large number of applications, this process may take longer.

Updated criteria from the Ministry of Defense

The Ministry of Defense has expanded the criteria by which organizations in the field of defense industry can be recognized as being of importance for the national economy. Paragraph 2 of the Criteria has been supplemented with new grounds, in particular:

• the presence of Defense City resident status;
• the presence of a joint decision with the Ministry of Defense on the development of explosives and on the condition of their supply to the security and defense forces.

Important! To confirm the last criterion, you must have a copy of the decision from the Ministry of Defense with the development deadlines and documents confirming the developer status.

Assistance with the renewal of criticality

Prikhodko and Partners Law Firm provides full legal support on obtaining / renewing the status of a critical enterprise - both in the case of an initial application and during its extension.

Our military lawyer accompanies the client at all stages, resolves related legal issues and ensures the receipt of the status if there are grounds provided for by law, including from scratch.

Our services include:

• consultation with the analysis of documents and determination of possible grounds for criticality;
• preparation of a package of documents in accordance with the selected criteria;
• submission of an application to the relevant body;
• control over the consideration of documents and decision-making by sending legal requests;
• re-submission of documents in case of refusal.

If you are not sure about the possibility of obtaining the status of a critical enterprise, we recommend that you seek advice. After analyzing the documents, we will provide a reasoned assessment of the prospects and possible options for action. Practical experience and a significant number of successful cases allow us to effectively support such procedures.