Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has approved the transition of qualified electronic signatures (QES) to the national Kupyna hashing standard. Since 10 February 2026, new signatures have already been formed under the new standard, and from 1 September 2026 new keys will be issued exclusively under it. Here is what this means for everyday users and businesses — and why there is nothing urgent to do.
What Kupyna Is
Kupyna is Ukraine's national cryptographic hashing standard DSTU 7564:2014 "Information technologies. Cryptographic protection of information. Hash function". Put simply, a hash function is a mathematical "fingerprint" of a document: even the tiniest change to the file completely changes that fingerprint. This is exactly what allows a qualified electronic signature to guarantee that no one has tampered with a document after it was signed.
One important detail: in the QES creation process, Kupyna replaces only the hash function. The signature algorithm itself stays the same — DSTU 4145-2002, based on elliptic curves. We explain how these standards work together in our article on Ukrainian cryptography.
Why Ukraine Is Moving to Its Own Standard
There are two reasons, and both matter.
- Digital sovereignty. Until now, hashing relied on a Soviet-era legacy — standards of the GOST family. The move to Kupyna means finally abandoning them in favour of Ukraine's own cryptographic standards.
- Resistance to threats. Kupyna offers a high level of resistance to both current and emerging cyber threats, so documents signed with a QES remain reliably protected in the long run — which matters for contracts and primary documents kept for years.
Key Transition Dates
| Period | What happens |
|---|---|
| From 10 February 2026 | New QES started being formed under the Kupyna standard |
| Until 1 September 2026 | Transition period: systems support both standards in parallel |
| From 1 September 2026 | Full transition: new keys are issued only under the new standard |
| After 1 September 2026 | Certificates issued earlier remain valid until they expire |
What Changes for Everyday Users
The short answer is: almost nothing — and that is the best news here.
- Existing keys keep working. Certificates issued before the transition remain valid until the end of their term. There is no need to rush to reissue your keys.
- Older documents stay valid. Everything you signed earlier retains full legal force and verifies correctly — see our article on the legal force of electronic signatures for details.
- New keys come with the new standard automatically. When your certificate expires, your trust service provider will simply issue a new key under Kupyna. The procedure itself will not change for you.
During the transition period, electronic document management systems support both standards in parallel, so both signing and verification work as usual. You could sign a contract today with an "old" key while your counterparty signs with a "new" one — both signatures are equally valid and verify correctly.
What Businesses Should Do
The Ministry of Digital Transformation recommends that companies and developers check in advance whether their software supports the new standard, and contact the technical support of their services and their trust service providers. This is especially relevant for companies with custom integrations — ERP, CRM, or bank-client systems. We have prepared a dedicated transition checklist for business with a step-by-step action plan.
eObig users do not need to take any extra steps: the platform's cryptographic core is being updated to comply with the new standard, so signing documents in the browser will keep working just as it always has. To learn how signature protection works on the platform, see our security page.
Key Takeaways
- Kupyna is the national hashing standard DSTU 7564:2014, which becomes the mandatory basis for creating QES.
- Since 10 February 2026 new signatures are formed under the new standard; from 1 September 2026 the transition is complete.
- Existing certificates remain valid until they expire, and previously signed documents keep their full legal force.
- The goal of the transition is to finally abandon the Soviet GOST legacy and strengthen Ukraine's digital sovereignty.
- There is nothing urgent to do: you will receive a key under the new standard during your routine reissue.
Want the switch to the new standards to go unnoticed by your team? Start for free at portal.eobig.com or book a demo — we will show you how signing with a QES works right in the browser, with no plugins and no extra setup.