Welcome to Ukraine: a guide for foreign drivers

1 Staying safe on the road

Don't stop for strangers who try to flag you down — especially on an empty road or at night. Keep driving and call 112 with your location. Rest only at large, well-lit fuel stations.

Most journeys across Ukraine are uneventful. A few habits help keep them that way.

• Don't stop for people who wave you down, especially on an empty stretch of road or after dark — even if they seem to need help. Keep driving and call 112. Say what you saw and where: the road number and direction, the nearest town or village, a kilometre post or a landmark. The dispatcher sends the right service.
• Calling is also what the law asks of you at a minimum. Ukrainian criminal law punishes failing to help a person whose life is in danger or failing to tell the proper services about it (Criminal Code, Article 136). A call to 112 is that report, and it is free from any phone.
• Plan your rest stops. Stop to rest, eat or sleep only at large, well-lit fuel stations of the national chains — OKKO, WOG, UPG and Ukrnafta each run a network across the country, with a shop, staff on duty and other drivers around. Their station maps are linked in the sources below.
• Avoid sleeping in the car on the roadside or in an unlit lay-by. If you are tired, drive on to the next big station.
• If you break down, switch on the hazard lights, put out the warning triangle and call for help from inside the car when you can. The distances for the triangle are in After a road accident.

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2 Fuel: what to ask for and how to pay

The big chains sell 95-octane petrol (А-95), diesel (ДП) and autogas (ГАЗ). Pay in the station shop, or — at OKKO, WOG and UPG — at the pump through the chain's app.

• А-92 is rarer: of the four chains only Ukrnafta lists it.
• E10. WOG labels its 95 «Євро5-Е10»: petrol with up to 10 % bioethanol. If your car must not run on E10, choose another grade or chain.
• Prices are per litre, in hryvnia, and differ from station to station.

Paying

• In the shop: tell the cashier the pump number and the fuel, and pay by card. For a full tank: «Повний бак» — see A few words of Ukrainian.
• At the pump, in the app: with OKKO PAY (in OKKO's Fishka app) you scan the QR code on the pump and pay with Google Pay or Apple Pay; UPG PAY (in the UPG app) works the same way, from a bank card, Apple Pay or Google Pay; WOG PAY (in WOG's PRIDE app) lets you fill up without leaving the car.

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3 Parking, and how not to get towed

Don't stop on crossings, junctions or tram tracks, or within 10 m of a pedestrian crossing. Police may tow a car that seriously blocks traffic. In Kyiv, street parking is paid on weekdays 08:00–22:00 — in an app, never in cash to a person.

Where you may not stop

• On level crossings and tram tracks; on or under bridges and overpasses; in tunnels.
• On a pedestrian crossing, or closer than 10 m to one on either side.
• At a junction, or closer than 10 m to the edge of the crossing road.
• Closer than 30 m to a bus or tram stop (its platform, or its sign if there is none), on either side.
• Where fewer than 3 m would be left between your car and a solid line, a dividing strip or the far edge of the road.
• Closer than 10 m to an exit from a yard or car park.

Those are no-stopping rules (Road Rules 15.9); everywhere they apply, parking is forbidden too. Parking is also forbidden closer than 50 m to a level crossing, on pavements unless signs allow it, and on lawns (Road Rules 15.10).

Towing and clamping

The police may detain a car — tow it to an impound lot or clamp it — only if it seriously obstructs traffic or endangers safety, or is parked in a space for drivers with disabilities or for electric cars (Code of Administrative Offences, Article 265-2). If you are not there, the officer leaves a notice at the spot, or under the wiper of a clamped car (Cabinet Resolution No. 1102, point 6).

The car is returned straight away to the driver, the person who brought it into Ukraine or its registered keeper, once the fine and the towing and storage fee are paid (Article 265-2; Resolution No. 1102, point 12).

Paid parking — Kyiv as the example

• In Kyiv Digital you enter your plate and press «Почати паркування» (start) and «Завершити паркування» (stop); you pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Payment starts as soon as you park — for the first hour, then per half hour — and there are 10 free minutes after the paid time ends.
• Anyone who asks you for cash for parking is a fraudster, the city says — report it on 102.
• Not paying costs 20 times the hourly rate: ₴800, ₴600 or ₴200 depending on the zone (Code of Administrative Offences, Article 152-1).

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4 Speed limits

50 km/h in towns and villages, 90 km/h on ordinary roads outside them, 110 km/h on dual carriageways and 130 km/h on motorways — unless signs say otherwise.

Lower limits apply outside built-up areas, on every road including motorways: 80 km/h for a car with a trailer, and 70 km/h if the driver has less than two years of driving experience (Road Rules 12.6).

Signs override the defaults in both directions. The road owner may raise the limit on suitable stretches, and temporary or permanent signs may lower it (Road Rules 12.8, 12.10).

Fines start when you exceed the limit by more than 20 km/h, and are five times higher above 50 km/h over (Code of Administrative Offences, Article 122). The 20 km/h is the point where a fine starts, not a permission to drive faster.

Speed is also recorded automatically. The police may use photo and video equipment that works in automatic mode (National Police Law, Article 40), and a fine for a speeding offence recorded that way is addressed to the vehicle's responsible person rather than the driver on the spot (note to Article 122 of the Code).

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5 Headlights: on outside towns, all year

Outside towns and villages, drive with daytime running lights on — or dipped headlights if the car has none — in daylight too, all year round. At night and in poor visibility, headlights are required everywhere.

In daylight, dipped headlights — not just daytime running lights — must also be on when you tow another vehicle, drive in a convoy, and in tunnels (Road Rules 9.8).

Poor visibility means you can see less than 300 m of the road ahead — at dusk, in fog, rain or snow (Road Rules 1.10). In those conditions you may add fog lights or use main beam, as long as it does not dazzle other drivers (Road Rules 9.8, 19.1).

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6 Alcohol, drugs and medicines

The limit is 0.2 ‰ (per mille) of alcohol in the blood — in practice, don't drink at all if you drive. Over the limit, or refusing the test: a ₴17,000 fine and a one-year driving ban.

A driver must not drive while intoxicated by alcohol, drugs or anything else, or under the influence of medicines that reduce attention and reaction speed (Road Rules 2.9 а). Driving while ill or exhausted is forbidden too (2.9 б), and so is letting an intoxicated person drive your car (2.9 г).

The police test with a special device on the spot. If you refuse that test or disagree with its result, the test is done at the nearest medical facility (Instruction No. 1452/735, section I, point 7). Refusing the test altogether is the same offence, with the same penalty, as driving drunk (Code of Administrative Offences, Article 130).

The fine is set in «tax-free minimum incomes»; for fines one unit is ₴17 (Tax Code, section XX, subsection 1, point 5). Article 130 punishes a repeat within a year with 2,000 units or 10 days' arrest, a three-year ban and possible seizure of the vehicle, and a third time with a ten-year ban.

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7 Seat belts, child seats and phones

Everyone in the car wears a seat belt, front and back. Children shorter than 150 cm ride in a child seat. The driver may not hold a phone while the car is moving.

• Seat belts. Where the car has them, the driver must wear one and may not carry passengers who are not belted in (Road Rules 2.3 в); passengers must wear them too (5.2 б). There is no exception for visitors or for the back seat.
• Children shorter than 150 cm must travel in a child restraint — a child seat or booster — fastened with the car's seat belts. The rule goes by height, not age (Road Rules 21.11 б).
• Child seats go in the back. The one exception: a child under three may ride in the front in a rear-facing seat, with that seat's front airbag switched off (Road Rules 21.13).
• Phones. While the car is moving, the driver may not use a phone held in the hand (Road Rules 2.9 д). Set up the navigation before you set off and keep the phone in a holder.

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8 Winter tyres, and what the car must carry

There is no nationwide date from which winter tyres become compulsory, but tyres need at least 1.6 mm of tread — and a car must carry a first-aid kit, a warning triangle and a fire extinguisher.

Tyres

• No compulsory winter-tyre date. The Road Rules set no date or season from which winter tyres are required. They only recommend tyres that suit the road surface to anyone who regularly drives on slippery roads (Road Rules 31.4.5, note).
• Tread: at least 1.6 mm on cars and vans up to 3.5 tonnes (Road Rules 31.4.5 а).
• Don't mix studded and non-studded tyres on one axle (31.4.5 г). A car on studded tyres must show the «Шипи» sign at the back — a white triangle with a red border and the letter «Ш» (Road Rules 30.3 л).

In the boot

The Road Rules forbid using a car without these three (point 31.4.7 є). The rule is written for all vehicles and names no exception for cars registered abroad. Many European countries do not require a fire extinguisher, so check yours before you leave.

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9 Who can stop you: police and checkpoints

Patrol police signal you to stop with flashing lights, a siren, a loudspeaker or a signal disc. Under martial law there are also checkpoints where you must stop. If you doubt that the people stopping you are police, slow down, put the hazards on and call 102.

Patrol police

A police officer can require you to stop in four ways (Road Rules 8.9): with a signal disc showing a red signal, or a hand pointing at your car and at where to stop; with flashing blue-and-red or red lights and/or a siren — typically from a marked patrol car behind you; through a loudspeaker; or on a special electronic sign. You then stop at the place indicated, following the normal rules for stopping.

Ignoring a police officer's demand to stop is an offence (Code of Administrative Offences, Article 122-2).

Checkpoints (блокпост)

Ukraine is under martial law. On roads into and out of some areas there are checkpoints — блокпост — reinforced control points set up by the military command. They may be staffed by the military and by law-enforcement officers: soldiers, the National Guard, police. The people on duty are often on foot. You must stop at a checkpoint and follow the instructions. They may check your identity documents and the vehicle's documents, inspect the car and what it carries, and temporarily stop traffic (Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1455, points 3 and 20).

• Slow down early and stop where you are shown.
• At night, switch to dipped headlights so you don't dazzle the people on duty.
• Keep your passport and the car's documents within reach, and your hands visible.
• Answer calmly; if you don't share a language, show your documents and wait.

If you are not sure it is the police

Real police stops and checkpoints must be obeyed. But if people in plain clothes, or in a car without police markings, try to stop you in an isolated place: don't pull onto the roadside there. Slow down, switch on your hazard lights and call 102 straight away. Tell the dispatcher where you are and describe the car, and ask whether it is a police crew. Keep driving slowly to the nearest busy, well-lit place — a large fuel station or a police station — and stop there. Once you know it is the police, follow their instructions.

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10 Talking to the police: what they can ask

An officer must give you their name, rank and the specific reason for the stop, and show their ID if you ask. You show your driving licence, the car's registration and insurance. Fines are paid by card or through a bank — never in cash to an officer.

What the officer must do

• Give their surname, position and rank, and show their police ID card if you ask — you may read it, but they do not have to let go of it (National Police Law, Article 18).
• Tell you the specific reason for stopping you, describing the ground in detail (Article 35). The law lists the grounds: a traffic violation, an obvious technical fault, information linking the car or the people in it to an accident or an offence, a wanted vehicle, a road closure, a dangerously secured load, and a few others.
• Officers may carry photo and video equipment, including cameras fixed to the uniform (Article 40).

The Road Rules say the same from your side: you have the right to know the reason for the stop and the officer's surname and position, to ask to see their ID, and to complain about an officer who breaks the law (Road Rules 2.14).

Cars on foreign plates. The police may also stop a car registered in another country to check that it is used by the person who brought it into Ukraine and that it has not stayed longer than its temporary import allows (Article 35).

What you show

• Your driving licence for the right category — for a foreign licence, see below.
• The car's registration document.
• A valid insurance policy: a Ukrainian motor liability policy (OSCPV, ОСЦПВ), paper or electronic, or a Green Card issued by a foreign insurer, paper or electronic (Road Rules 2.1).
• Your passport — your identity document. The police law lists when an officer may ask for it; being at the scene of an accident is one of the grounds (Article 32).

On request you must also let the officer check the vehicle's identification numbers and, where there are legal grounds, inspect the car (Road Rules 2.4).

Foreign driving licences

If you are in Ukraine temporarily, you may drive on your foreign licence if it meets the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic (the Vienna Convention) and its entries are in, or duplicated in, Latin letters. If your licence does not meet the Convention, carry an International Driving Permit together with it (Cabinet Resolution No. 340, point 30).

Fines

• A fine is imposed by a written decision (постанова).
• On the spot, a police officer may take payment only by card, through a cashless payment terminal (Code of Administrative Offences, Article 222).
• Otherwise you pay through a Ukrainian bank within 15 days of receiving the decision (Article 307).
• Never hand cash to an officer. If something about a stop seems wrong, report it on 102.

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11 Curfew and air-raid alerts

Curfew hours are set region by region and change — check the regional military administration before you drive at night. When an air-raid alert sounds, go to the nearest shelter.

Curfew

Ukraine is under martial law, and curfew hours are set locally, by the military administration of each region or city. They differ from place to place and change over time, so check the official website or channel of the region you are in — and of the ones you will drive through — on the day. During curfew you may not be on the street or travel without a special pass. Plan night drives to arrive before it starts.

Air-raid alerts

Alerts are announced by sirens and on phones. They are now declared district by district rather than for a whole region, so the next district may be under alert when yours is not (Cabinet of Ministers, December 2025).

Install the «Повітряна тривога» (Air Alert) app — made by Ajax Systems with stfalcon and supported by the Ministry of Digital Transformation — and choose your region: it tells you when an alert starts and ends. In Kyiv the city app «Київ Цифровий» (Kyiv Digital) sends alerts too.

• When the alert sounds, go to the nearest shelter: a civil-protection shelter, a metro station, a basement or an underground car park. Stay there until the all-clear.
• If you are driving, stop where you don't block traffic — the Road Rules still apply — leave the car and go to the nearest shelter or solid building.
• If there is no shelter nearby, use the «two walls» rule: a room or corridor without windows, with at least two walls between you and the street.
• In Kyiv, the city's shelter map shows the nearest shelters.

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12 Emergency numbers

112 for any emergency. 101 fire and rescue, 102 police, 103 ambulance, 104 gas. Every call is free.

Calls to all five numbers are free. By law the 112 system must be accessible to everyone in Ukraine, including people who do not speak Ukrainian (Law No. 4499-VI, Article 3).

What to say

1. Where you are, first: the road number and direction, the nearest town or village, a kilometre post, a fuel station or another landmark. The map app on your phone shows your coordinates — read them out if nothing else helps.
2. What happened, and whether anyone is hurt.
3. How many people and vehicles are involved.
4. Your phone number — then keep the line free for a call back.

Speak slowly, in short sentences. If you are not understood, repeat the place and one key word: ambulance, police, fire.

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13 After a road accident

Stop, hazards on, warning triangle out, check for injuries. If anyone is hurt, call 103 and 102. If either car has a foreign policy, or you have no language in common, call the police rather than filling in the joint form.

1. Stop and stay. Stop at once and stay at the scene; don't move the vehicles or anything connected with the accident (Road Rules 2.10).
2. Hazards and triangle. Switch on the hazard lights and put the warning triangle at least 20 m behind the car in a built-up area and at least 40 m outside one (Road Rules 2.10 and 9.10).
3. If anyone is hurt: 103 and 102. Call the ambulance and the police, give first aid if you can, and wait for the police (Road Rules 2.10).
4. Photograph everything before anything is moved: the scene from all sides, both cars against the road markings and signs, the number plates, all the damage.
5. Exchange details: contact details, address, the insurer's name and the policy details (Article 33 of Law No. 3720-IX).
6. Tell the insurer — or MTSBU. The law gives you three working days from the accident (Article 31(1), point 4, of Law No. 3720-IX). With a Ukrainian policy, notify its insurer; with a foreign Green Card valid in Ukraine, notify MTSBU (Motor Transport Insurance Bureau of Ukraine). Who pays in each case: Car accident in Ukraine on foreign plates.

The joint accident report (європротокол)

Ukraine has a joint accident report — the європротокол — that lets two drivers settle a minor collision without the police. It is allowed only if all of this is true: exactly two vehicles collided and both are insured; nobody is hurt; only the two vehicles are damaged; neither driver shows signs of alcohol, drugs or medication that slows reactions; and both drivers agree on what happened (Article 31(2) of Law No. 3720-IX). The form is in Ukrainian.

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14 Cards, cash and currency exchange

Ukraine's currency is the hryvnia (UAH, ₴). Paying by card is the norm. Exchange cash only at a bank or an official exchange point — never with someone on the street.

• The currency is the hryvnia — UAH, symbol ₴ (Constitution of Ukraine, Article 99). Prices are in hryvnia.
• Cards are the norm. In the first quarter of 2026, 96 of every 100 operations with cards issued in Ukraine were cashless, about 654,500 shops and service points accepted cards, and almost every in-store payment was contactless — by card or phone (National Bank of Ukraine).
• Before you travel, check with your bank that your card works in Ukraine, and keep some hryvnia in cash as a back-up.
• There were about 15,700 ATMs in Ukraine in March 2026 (National Bank of Ukraine). Prefer machines inside bank branches, large shops or fuel stations.
• Exchange cash only at a bank, or at an exchange point of a bank, a licensed financial company or a post office. They are the ones allowed to exchange currency, and the National Bank publishes a register of exchange points every month. Never change money with a person on the street.
• Exchange points must accept genuine foreign banknotes of any year of issue if they are not badly worn. For heavily worn or damaged notes the bank may instead offer «інкасо» — sending them to a foreign bank for collection, for a fee (National Bank of Ukraine).

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15 Food and water on the road

Buy food and water at large fuel stations and big supermarkets rather than from roadside sellers, and carry water for queues.

On a long drive, the large fuel stations of the national chains — OKKO, WOG, UPG, Ukrnafta — are the practical place to eat: they sell packaged food and bottled water, most have a café or hot food and toilets, and they are open when you need them. In towns, big supermarkets are the other reliable choice.

We suggest not buying food or drinks from roadside sellers. You can't know how it was stored, and there is no receipt if something is wrong.

• Carry drinking water and a snack in the car — for the border queue, a checkpoint, or an air-raid alert that keeps you in a shelter.
• Pay by card where you can; see Cards, cash and currency exchange.

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16 Getting online: roaming, SIM cards and eSIM

Since 1 January 2026 an EU SIM works in Ukraine at home prices. Otherwise, Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine and lifecell all sell prepaid SIMs and eSIMs — and the law does not require you to identify yourself for a mobile service.

• From the EU? Since 1 January 2026 Ukraine is part of the EU's «Roam Like at Home» area: with an EU SIM you call, text and use mobile data at the prices of your home plan, without roaming charges (European Commission). Your operator's fair-use rules still apply — check them before a long stay.
• A Ukrainian number. Kyivstar sells eSIM online. Vodafone Ukraine sells a prepaid eSIM in its My Vodafone app, online, in its shops, at City24 terminals and in the Monobank, A-Bank and Privat24 apps. lifecell sells an eSIM starter pack in its online shop.
• Kyivstar says it guarantees its eSIM only on devices certified in Ukraine, and that it does not work on locked phones. If you are not sure about your phone, a physical SIM card is the simpler choice.
• No ID for a prepaid number. The law gives every user the right to receive the service without identifying themselves (Law on Electronic Communications, Article 104(5)); Kyivstar offers identification of a prepaid number as an option, not a requirement. A contract plan is different: Vodafone asks for an identity document in its shop.

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17 A few words of Ukrainian

Ukrainian is the state language, written in Cyrillic. A handful of words — hello, thank you, help, police, fuel — goes a long way at a checkpoint or a filling station.

Ukrainian is the state language of Ukraine (Constitution, Article 10), and signs, forms and announcements are in Ukrainian. The card below has the words that help most on the road. In an emergency, say where you are and one key word — see Emergency numbers.

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18 Crossing the border by car

Check the live queue on the Border Guard's map before you set off, and have your passport, licence, the car's registration and insurance ready. The electronic queue (єЧерга) is for trucks and buses — cars don't book.

What to have ready

• Your passport, and a Ukrainian visa if your country needs one. The State Border Guard Service states that a foreign national ID card does not give the right to cross the border — except for citizens of Türkiye and Georgia.
• The car's registration document and your driving licence, meeting the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, and number plates in Latin letters with the distinguishing sign of the country where the car is registered (Road Rules 29.1).
• Insurance valid in Ukraine — see Documents and insurance at the border.

Queues

• Before you set off, open the Border Guard's interactive map of crossings: for each road crossing it shows how many cars are waiting and how many are cleared per hour. It is in Ukrainian: «легкові авто» are cars.
• єЧерга, the electronic border queue, is for carriers — trucks and buses. Private cars do not book a slot.
• Carry water and food for the wait — see Food and water on the road.

Customs: the car and what you carry

• As a non-resident you may bring in a car registered abroad for personal use for up to one year, without a written customs declaration (Customs Code, Article 380, parts 1 and 2).
• Only you may drive it. A temporarily imported car may be used only by the person who brought it in, for their own needs — not lent, rented out or used for business (Article 380, part 5). The police may check this; see Talking to the police.
• Duty-free, per person aged 18 or over: 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 250 g of tobacco; 5 l of beer, 2 l of wine and 1 l of spirits over 22 %. The allowance does not apply if you were out of Ukraine for less than 24 hours (Customs Code, Article 376).

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19 Documents and insurance at the border

A car on foreign plates must be insured before it enters Ukraine: a Green Card valid in Ukraine, or a Ukrainian motor liability policy bought in advance.

Before a car registered abroad enters Ukraine it must be insured for the whole stay: either a Green Card from a foreign insurer that is valid in Ukraine, or a Ukrainian motor liability policy (OSCPV, ОСЦПВ) concluded before entry (Article 7(1) of Law No. 3720-IX). Without one, the border guard does not let the vehicle in (Article 9(3) of Law No. 3720-IX). For a foreign-registered car a Ukrainian policy can be short — for the period of the stay (Article 11(7) of Law No. 3720-IX).

What to have in the car

• Passport.
• Driving licence — and an International Driving Permit if your licence needs one (see Foreign driving licences).
• The car's registration document.
• The insurance: the Ukrainian policy or the Green Card, on paper or on your phone.

Read next

• Non-residents and cars on foreign plates — what the law requires, and how to get the border insurance.
• How to insure a foreign car, step by step.
• Border crossings into Ukraine, by neighbouring country.
• The Green Card — for driving a Ukrainian-registered car out of Ukraine.

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20 Your insurance: what it covers and how to check it

Ukrainian motor liability insurance pays for the harm you cause to other people — not for your own car. Any Ukrainian policy can be checked free in the МТСБУ register.

OSCPV (ОСЦПВ) is third-party liability insurance: if you cause an accident, your insurer pays the people you harmed, up to limits set by law. Damage to your own car is not covered — that is separate, voluntary insurance (КАСКО, casco).

Check a policy in the register

1. Open policy.mtsbu.ua — the free register of МТСБУ, the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine. It is in Ukrainian.
2. Choose the date you are asking about and search by the registration number, the policy number or the VIN. A Green Card issued by a Ukrainian insurer is found by its 8-digit number.
3. Read the status: «діючий» means the policy is valid on that date.

A Green Card issued by an insurer in another country is not in the Ukrainian database — check it with the insurer named on it. The full walkthrough, with every status in English: Check a Ukrainian policy.

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