A new system for collecting the tourist tax from pilgrims visiting Uman for the Rosh Hashanah celebrations has officially gone into effect. The project launched on September 15, 2025, as a pilot program, according to the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine and the “Charitable Foundation for the Historical and Cultural Center of the City of Uman.”
The initiative was implemented thanks to the collaboration between the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine, the Uman City Council, the “Charitable Foundation ‘Historical and Cultural Center of the City of Uman,’” Sense Bank, and researchers from the SID City Scientific Park at Lviv Polytechnic National University.
Why This Is Important
Every year, around 40,000 Hasidic pilgrims from around the world come to Uman to celebrate the Jewish New Year. Most of them stay in private accommodations, and for many years this has created a problem with the collection of the tourist tax. The lack of a unified system made monitoring difficult and resulted in losses for the local budget.
How the new system works
From now on, tourists and pilgrims will be able to pay the tourist tax in advance via a banking service accessible through a link on the official website of the Uman City Council.
The funds will be transferred directly to the account of the municipal enterprise “Kommunalnik,” which has been designated as the tax agent.
After payment, the tourist will receive a receipt with a QR code, which employees of the “Komyunalna Varta” municipal enterprise will be able to verify on the spot. For convenience, it is also possible to pay directly in Uman via self-service terminals.
How Much to Pay
According to the city council’s decision, foreign tourists and pilgrims pay a tourist tax equal to 5% of the minimum wage. As of today, this amounts to 400 UAH per day per person. The tax applies to all types of temporary accommodations—from hotels and apartments to private estates and cottages.
What the organizers say
Iryna Rybnytska, Executive Director of the “Charitable Foundation for the Historical and Cultural Center of Uman,” emphasized:
“After last year’s Rosh Hashanah celebration, we saw all the problems and mistakes that arose with the payment of the tourist tax. That is why our foundation, in partnership with the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine, has been working throughout the year to create a unified, transparent, and convenient payment system. We are confident that the new mechanism will help avoid misunderstandings and ensure that revenues to the city budget are stable and controllable.”