How to Automatically Buy Tickets in the Ukrzaliznytsia App — and What Has Changed in the Sales Rules

Tickets for popular destinations in Ukraine disappear within minutes — especially before holidays, on Friday evenings, or during peak tourist season. Sales open 20 days before the train’s departure, usually at 8:00 a.m., and at that exact moment seats on the most in-demand routes can sell out very quickly.

To avoid refreshing the page manually, the Ukrzaliznytsia app offers a monitoring feature with automatic ticket purchase. According to data provided by the carrier in response to a request from UP, during the first months of 2026 passengers created about 150,000 auto-purchase requests, and approximately 65 % of them resulted in successful purchases. In other words, this tool is not just formal — it is actively used.

The mechanism is simple. In the app, you can enable standard monitoring: the system tracks seat availability and sends push notifications when train tickets go on sale. There is also an extended option — automatic purchase. In this case, the user sets the trip parameters, confirms payment — and the system independently buys the ticket as soon as a matching seat becomes available. The ticket immediately appears in the profile without any additional actions.

How to Set Up Automatic Purchase in the App

The feature is available only in the official Ukrzaliznytsia mobile app, so first make sure you have the latest version installed.

Next, you must authorize via Diia.Signature — this is a mandatory requirement for creating an auto-purchase request. After verification, you need to:

1. Select a destination or a specific train.
2. Choose the travel date.
3. Select the number of tickets (from one to four within a single request).
4. Define the desired seat preferences.
5. Activate the automatic purchase function and enter passenger details.

After that, the request is paid immediately — the funds are reserved until the purchase is completed. If the system finds suitable seats, the ticket is issued automatically. If not, or if you cancel the request — the money is refunded to your card without additional applications.

It is important to understand: this is not a ticket guarantee, but a tool to increase your chances. Auto-purchase works on a queue principle — priority is given to the user who created the request earlier. If several requests compete for one seat, they are processed sequentially.

Your chances decrease if you select overly narrow preferences — for example, only lower berths, a specific carriage, or seats farther from the restroom. In that case, the system will not buy alternative options, even if they become available.

On certain international routes, the auto-purchase function may be unavailable — in such cases, only standard monitoring works.

Where Do “New” Tickets Come From If Everything Is Sold Out?

Even when the system shows no available seats, they may appear later. Most often this happens because other passengers return train tickets or previously created reservations are canceled.

In addition, special reserves are periodically released, particularly for discounted categories, and sometimes additional carriages are added to the train. All such seats simultaneously enter the general sales system — and at that very moment monitoring or automatic purchase may be triggered.

What Has Changed in Ukrzaliznytsia’s Ticket Sales System in Recent Months

Recently, Ukrzaliznytsia has strengthened control over ticket sales. On certain popular routes, mandatory verification via Diia.Signature has been introduced for ticket purchases and refunds. The goal of this decision is to reduce mass seat buying and the use of bots.

The carrier has also reported blocking hundreds of accounts linked to automated ticket purchases for resale. At the same time, the company announced the introduction of an alternative authorization method via BankID to expand identity verification options and make the system more accessible for users.

Additionally, the queue algorithm for auto-purchase requests has been optimized: priority is given to users who created their requests earlier. This makes the mechanism more predictable and transparent.

So if you are planning a trip, it is worth taking care of your tickets in advance — especially during peak travel seasons. And to choose a destination, take a look at the article “Abandoned Palaces of Ukraine and the Legends That Still Live Within Their Walls” — it features stories of Chervonohorod Castle, the Osten-Sacken Palace, the Muravyov-Apostol estate, and other architectural gems that preserve the atmosphere of past eras. Perhaps one of these locations will become your next travel destination, and automatic ticket purchase will help you get there without unnecessary stress.