Driving in Ukraine with a Turkish licence

This page is for Turkish citizens who want to drive in Ukraine with a Turkish driving licence or exchange their Turkish licence for a Ukrainian one. During a short stay, you may drive with your Turkish licence. If you have temporary or permanent residence in Ukraine, you can exchange your licence without taking an exam thanks to the agreement between Türkiye and Ukraine. Below you will find the rules, documents, application steps and points requiring attention.

• Persons temporarily staying in Ukraine may drive with a foreign licence in either of these two cases (Cabinet of Ministers driving licence regulation No. 340, Art. 30):
  • the licence complies with the requirements of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and its information is written in Latin letters
  • if the licence does not comply with these requirements, it must be in Latin letters and accompanied by an international driving permit
• Under the Türkiye–Ukraine driving licence agreement, you may also drive in the other country with one party's licence, for the period permitted by that country's legislation, vehicles in the class stated on the licence.
• According to the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs, the new-type Turkish driving licence issued since 1 January 2016 is valid in 93 countries that are parties to the Convention on Road Traffic. The period of use varies according to the legislation of the country where you are located.
• For countries that are not parties to the Convention, an international driving permit issued in Türkiye by the Touring and Automobile Association of Türkiye is required.
• If you have an old-type document issued before 2016, obtain an international driving permit before setting out or renew your document.

• The "Agreement on the Mutual Recognition and Exchange of National Driving Licences" was signed in Kyiv on 3 February 2020. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved it on 1 July 2020. The agreement entered into force on 10 January 2023.
• Turkish citizens with temporary or permanent residence in Ukraine may exchange their Turkish licence for a Ukrainian licence at any service centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (сервісний центр МВС) without taking theoretical or practical exams.
• The agreement covers all vehicle classes. The equivalents of the classes are set out in the equivalence table in Annex II to the agreement.
• Limits of the agreement:
  • Only licences issued before moving to the country are exchanged (Art. 4).
  • Documents issued by a third country and subsequently converted into a Turkish licence are excluded.
  • Temporary driving licences and driving-school documents are not exchanged.
  • Restrictions valid on the date the licence was issued also apply to the Ukrainian licence.
• Your Turkish licence is taken away during the exchange. The Ukrainian authority returns the document to the Turkish Ministry of Interior through diplomatic channels (Art. 7).
• The Ukrainian authority verifies the validity of your licence with Türkiye through diplomatic channels. If the Turkish authority reports that the document is invalid, the exchange may be refused.
• If Ukrainian legislation offers more favourable conditions, those conditions apply (Art. 10).

• A foreign licence held by a person who comes to Ukraine for permanent residence is valid for 60 days from the date the Migration Service issues the permanent residence documents. At the end of this period, the licence must be exchanged (Regulation Art. 30).
• Under the general rule, exchange takes place after a medical examination and theoretical and practical exams. Since there is an agreement with Türkiye, exams are not required for Turkish licences (Regulation Art. 32-2).
• The regulation says that persons who are only temporarily present (for example, visa-free visitors) cannot exchange their licences. Turkish citizens with temporary residence cards, however, may exchange them under the agreement.
• Exchange is not carried out in the following cases (Regulation Art. 32-1):
  • the person is wanted
  • the licence expired more than one year ago
  • the person's right to drive has been revoked or temporarily restricted

• Temporary or permanent residence card (посвідка)
• Copy of the tax number document (ІПН / РНОКПП) (see U8.1)
• Your Turkish driving licence and a photocopy
• An certified translation of the Turkish licence into Ukrainian. The translation is certified by a notary or at the consulate.
• Driver's medical certificate. According to the service centre's January 2023 announcement, it was not mandatory during martial law; however, the report appears on the service centre's current document list. Ask before applying.
• Fee receipt
• For an exchange under the agreement, a letter from the foreign authority confirming that the licence was issued and has not been confiscated may not be required. The service centre asks the Turkish authority for this information itself.
• Fee: the service centre's January 2023 announcement listed the administrative service fee as 26 hryvnias and the document (blank) fee as 243 hryvnias. Ask the service centre for the current amount before paying.

1. Obtain your tax number (see U8.1).
2. Have your Turkish licence translated into Ukrainian and have the translation certified by a notary or at the consulate.
3. Ask the service centre whether a medical certificate is required.
4. Go in person to any service centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A foreign licence cannot be exchanged online.
5. Pay the fee and submit your documents. Your Turkish licence will be taken away.
6. Collect your Ukrainian driving licence.

• According to the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs, driving licence applications have also been accepted at our overseas missions since 15 February 2021.
• For the application, make an appointment through konsolosluk.gov.tr and attend in person.
• Areas of responsibility in Ukraine (for details, see O1.1):
  • Embassy of Türkiye in Kyiv: Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi, Kharkiv, Ternopil, Sumy, Rivne, Poltava, Lviv, Luhansk, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk and Volyn regions
  • Consulate General of Türkiye in Odesa: Crimea, Sevastopol, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Zakarpattia, Donetsk and Vinnytsia regions
• Upon returning to Türkiye: with a driving licence obtained abroad since 1 January 2016, Turkish citizens may drive in Türkiye for 2 years. After that, you must obtain a Turkish driving licence.

• During martial law, expired Ukrainian licences are considered valid throughout the country. This rule is also important for you after switching to a Ukrainian licence.
• The curfew also covers travelling by vehicle. Persons without a permit may go only to the nearest shelter during an air-raid alert or to support points during a power outage (see U9.1).
• The police may check identity and documents. Carry your passport, residence card and licence with you.
• Ukrainian licence holders can show the digital version of their licence in the Diia application (see U7.2).

• Main Service Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Головний сервісний центр МВС) — central office for licence procedures
  • Address: 62 Lukianivska Street (вул. Лук'янівська, 62), 04052 Kyiv
  • Information centre: +380 44 290 19 88
  • Application: in person at any service centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
• Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Kyiv — Turkish driving licence applications
  • Address: 22 Panasa Myrnoho Street, 01011 Kyiv
  • Telephone: +380 44 281 07 50 (consular services: weekdays 14:30–17:30)
• Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in Odesa
  • Address: 5 Leontovycha Street, 65014 Odesa
  • Telephone: +380 48 722 79 11, +380 48 722 79 39, +380 48 720 72 00
• Consular Call Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye (24/7): +90 312 292 29 29

• Driving with an old-type or non-Latin document without obtaining an international driving permit.
• Trying to benefit from the agreement with a new licence obtained in Türkiye after moving to Ukraine. The agreement covers licences issued before moving.
• Going to the service centre without having the licence translation certified.
• Assuming that you will keep your Turkish licence after the exchange. The Turkish licence is taken away and returned to Türkiye.
• Missing the 60-day period after obtaining permanent residence.
• Trying to exchange a licence that expired more than one year ago.

• Can I drive with my Turkish licence as a tourist? Yes. You may drive if your licence complies with the requirements of the 1968 Convention and is written in Latin letters. If it does not, you must carry an international driving permit.
• Can I exchange my licence with temporary residence? Yes. The Türkiye–Ukraine agreement covers Turkish citizens with temporary or permanent residence.
• Do I need to take an exam? No. There are no theoretical or practical exams under the agreement.
• Can I drive in Türkiye after the exchange? Your Turkish licence is taken away. In Türkiye, Turkish citizens may drive with a document obtained abroad for 2 years.
• Can I renew my Turkish licence in Ukraine? Turkish missions in Ukraine accept driving licence applications. Appointments are made through konsolosluk.gov.tr.
• Can I complete the exchange through Diia? No. You must go in person to a service centre to exchange a foreign licence.

• Türkiye–Ukraine driving licence agreement – full text and equivalence table (official legislation portal)
• Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 340 on driving licences
• Main Service Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs – Exchange of a foreign driving licence
• Ministry of Internal Affairs – electronic driver's cabinet
• NVI – Driving licence services FAQ
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye – Consular procedures: driving licence
• Consular appointment system of the Republic of Türkiye