Psychiatric examinations 2025: who needs to undergo them and when

On January 1, 2025, amendments to the Procedure for Preliminary, Periodic and Extraordinary Psychiatric Examinations, including for the use of psychoactive substances, came into force, and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine explained who needs to undergo them and when.

The Ministry of Health has also improved the process of conducting psychiatric examinations and tightened requirements for medical institutions that conduct them. This was done, among other things, to prevent abuses during psychiatric examinations, for example, when certificates of completion are issued without the fact of examination, and the institutions that conduct them do not have the appropriate specialists.

We explain the main points that most often raise questions among employees.

Do all employees have to undergo psychiatric examinations?

Not all employees are required to undergo psychiatric examinations. This requirement applies only to certain categories of people who perform activities with increased requirements for mental health.

The list of activities (works, professions, services) that require mandatory preliminary (pre-employment) psychiatric examination is available here.

In addition, certain types of activities require periodic (during employment) psychiatric examinations. For example, periodic psychiatric examinations must be performed by

• employees of food industry, catering and trade enterprises who come into contact with food products
• medical workers;
• drivers engaged in the transportation of passengers or goods;
• persons working with explosive materials or weapons;
• ship crew members and other categories.
• The full list of such professions, approved by the order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, can be found here.

How often do I need to undergo psychiatric examinations?

Depending on the profession, the examinations may be:

Preliminary - before appointment or commencement of work.

Periodic - at certain times to maintain admission to perform professional duties.

Extraordinary - at the request of the employer or in cases of suspected mental disorder (with the employee's consent).

The frequency depends on the type of activity. For example:

• employees in the food industry and pharmaceuticals - once a year;
• nuclear power workers, ship crew members - once every two years;
• drivers and educators - once every five years.
• The medical examination certificate is valid for one year. However, this does not mean that after this period, the employee must undergo a second examination to perform his or her professional duties. The reviews are carried out according to a certain frequency (see above) for specific categories of employees, which can be one, two, three, or even five years, depending on the type of activity.

That is, if the frequency of the examination for your profession is, for example, three years, then the next examination will need to be held after this period, even if the certificate has already expired. The certificate only indicates the fact of passing the previous examination, and not the obligation to pass the next one earlier than the approved period.

Who has to pay for the medical examinations

Ukrainian legislation stipulates that the costs of psychiatric examinations for employees are covered by the employer. In particular, Article 169 "Mandatory Medical Examinations of Employees of Certain Categories" of the Labor Code of Ukraine states that the employer is obliged to organize preliminary (upon hiring) and periodic (during employment) medical examinations of employees engaged in heavy work, work with harmful or dangerous working conditions or where there is a need for professional selection, as well as annual mandatory medical examinations of persons under the age of 21 at its own expense.

Ігор Льов