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
This is 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. Some authorities take weeks; some correspond only through their mission. Odesa has a useful advantage here — several consulates are represented in the city and Chișinău is a day trip if your country covers Ukraine from Moldova.
In personWho: You, via your home authority or its missionDays to several weeks depending on the country
3
Get the licence translated and certified
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'; Odesa's translation bureaux cluster around the notary offices in the centre and near the courts.
In personWho: You, with a translator and notary1-3 days
4
Pass the driver's medical examination
A standard medical commission for drivers at an authorised clinic. It is required for every exchange regardless of which country issued the licence. Odesa's private clinics turn it round in half a day; a state polyclinic is cheaper and slower.
In personWho: You, at an authorised clinicHalf a day privately; longer through a polyclinic
5
Attend a service centre — and pick a quiet one
Go in person with the full file. Because exchange is available at any territorial service centre regardless of your registered address, the Odesa oblast centres outside the city are a legitimate strategy when the city ones are booked out. Check the current addresses and opening hours on the ГСЦ МВС contacts page before travelling, since wartime opening hours change and centres suspend counter work during alerts.
In personWho: YouSame day for a straightforward exchange; longer where exams apply

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

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 in Odesa traffic — 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.

The rule is explicit, and in Odesa oblast it converts a long city queue into a morning's drive. Confirm the centre is open on the ГСЦ МВС contacts page first; wartime hours are not the published pre-2022 ones.

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'. If you hear it repeated in an Odesa expat group, that is the story.

Source: ГСЦ МВС, 2 January 2026

Satellite navigation is not reliable near the coast.

GPS interference is a routine feature of the Black Sea littoral and it affects phone navigation as well as ships. Keep an offline map, and do not assume a route app knows which streets near the port are closed today.

Source: community-reported

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 — an IDP is a translation of a national licence, not a Ukrainian entitlement.
Turning up expecting to do it online. The service centre says explicitly that online is not possible for this service.
Forgetting the tax number. РНОКПП is on the document list, so the exchange is gated on having done the tax registration first.

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