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. 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. Foreign missions are in Kyiv, so from Zaporizhzhia this is entirely remote correspondence — begin 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 — locally or in Dnipro
Go in person with the full file. Check current addresses and opening hours on the ГСЦ МВС contacts page before travelling; wartime hours differ from published pre-2022 schedules and counters suspend during alerts. Because exchange is available at any territorial centre regardless of your registered address, combining it with a trip north to Dnipro is a common and sensible plan from here.
In personWho: YouSame day for a straightforward exchange; longer where exams apply
5
Before every trip south or east, check the destination's curfew and designation
This is the step that matters most in this oblast and it is not optional. Curfew is 00:00-05:00 in the city and most of Zaporizhzhia district but 21:00-06:00 in the Kushuhum community and the controlled parts of Vasylivka and Polohy districts, by the oblast Defence Council decision announced on 3 November 2025 — and these orders move. Access is restricted in places, some roads are closed, and the security designation of a community can change. Check the oblast administration's current position for the specific community, tell someone your route, and do not rely on a satellite-navigation app to know any of this.
OnlineWho: YouTen minutes before every trip out of the city

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 this oblast, route planning is the driving skill that matters.

Curfew changes by three hours over a short distance, security designations differ by community and some roads are restricted. A licence is administratively easy here; a badly planned trip south is not, and no navigation app models any of it.

Source: Запорізька ОВА, рішення Ради оборони області, 3 листопада 2025

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, and from here that often means Dnipro.

The rule is explicit, and a trip north to a larger, less disrupted centre is a legitimate strategy. Confirm opening hours on the ГСЦ МВС contacts page first.

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.
Planning a drive on the city's curfew when the destination community's begins at 21:00.
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.
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.

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