Before you start

A valid residence permit and a РНОКПП tax number — the service centre asks for the tax number by name
Your original foreign licence, still valid
A translation of the licence certified in the manner Ukrainian law requires
Confirmation from the issuing country's competent authority, or its embassy or consulate in Ukraine, that the licence was issued and no disqualification is recorded
A Ukrainian medical examination for drivers

Step-by-step

1
Check whether your issuing country is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention
This single question decides whether you spend an afternoon or several weeks. Licences from Vienna Convention parties — most of Europe and a great many other states — are exchanged without theory or practical exams provided the document conforms. Licences from non-parties are exchanged only after passing both exams. The United States is not a party, which is the case that catches Americans out.
OnlineWho: YouAn hour of checking
2
Start the confirmation from your home authority first
The slow step, and the one people underestimate. The service centre wants a document from the competent authority of the issuing state, or from that state's embassy or consulate in Ukraine, confirming the licence was issued to you and that you have not been deprived of or restricted in the right to drive. Most foreign missions are in Kyiv, so from Dnipro this is remote correspondence — start it before anything else.
In personWho: You, via your home authority or its mission in KyivDays to several weeks depending on the country
3
Get the licence translated and certified, and pass the medical
A translation certified in the manner Ukrainian legislation requires — in practice a notarised translation by a translator the notary accepts; ask for 'нотаріально засвідчений переклад посвідчення водія'. Separately, a driver's medical commission at an authorised clinic, required for every exchange regardless of the issuing country.
In personWho: You, with a translator, a notary and a clinicTwo to four days for both
4
Attend a service centre in Dnipro
Go in person with the full file. Because exchange is available at any territorial service centre regardless of your registered address, you can use whichever Dnipropetrovsk oblast centre has capacity — but check the current addresses and hours on the ГСЦ МВС contacts page, and prefer centres in the western half of the oblast rather than driving east to save a queue.
In personWho: YouSame day for a straightforward exchange; longer where exams apply
5
Before you drive out of the city, check the destination's designation and curfew
This is the Dnipro-specific step and it is the one that matters most. Nikopol district is a designated combat area; parts of Synelnykove district and the eastern edge of Kryvyi Rih district are designated possible combat areas; curfews there begin earlier than the city's 00:00, and access is restricted in places. Check the current position for the specific community you are travelling to, not for the oblast, and tell someone your route.
OnlineWho: YouTen minutes before every trip

Documents you’ll need

Passport or other identity document, plus your residence permit
РНОКПП tax number
The foreign driving licence, with a certified Ukrainian translation
Confirmation from the issuing state's competent authority or its mission in Ukraine
The driver's medical examination certificate

Things most newcomers don’t know

In Dnipro the licence is worth having, and the route planning is worth more.

This is a logistics city and driving is genuinely useful. It is also the city from which people drive towards areas where the security designation, the curfew and the access rules are different from the ones at home. Getting the licence is the easy half.

Source: Дніпровська міська рада / oblast security designations

The Vienna Convention question is the whole guide.

Two people with equally good driving records get completely different processes — an afternoon versus a practical exam — purely on which country issued the plastic.

Source: Головний сервісний центр МВС

You may use any service centre in the country, not the one for your address.

Useful for avoiding queues, but in this oblast pick a centre to the west rather than east. A shorter queue is not worth a longer drive in the wrong direction.

Source: Головний сервісний центр МВС

In January 2026 the service centres publicly denied that new exams were being introduced for exchange and restoration.

The rumour that everyone would have to re-sit was widespread enough that the МВС published a piece titled 'Exams are not being introduced'.

Source: ГСЦ МВС, 2 January 2026

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving at the service centre without the confirmation from your home authority. It is the one document the counter will not work around.
Assuming an International Driving Permit substitutes for exchange. It does not.
Turning up expecting to do it online. The service centre says explicitly that online is not possible for this service.
Planning a drive on the oblast's curfew rather than the destination community's. They are not the same and the difference can be three hours.
Forgetting the tax number. РНОКПП is on the document list, so the exchange is gated on the tax registration.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.