You may drive on a Ukrainian licence in Slovakia, but the rules depend on your status: holders of temporary protection are not obliged to exchange it, while after a temporary or permanent residence permit the exchange is mandatory within a set deadline. The good news: for category B, in most cases there is no exam to retake. Here is how it works.
Who has to exchange their licence
There are two different regimes here — do not mix them up.
- Temporary protection (dočasné útočisko). There is no obligation to exchange: under Regulation (EU) 2022/1280 a valid Ukrainian driving licence is recognised across the EU for the whole period of temporary protection — no exchange, no exam. You may exchange it voluntarily, for instance if you plan to move to a residence permit.
- Temporary or permanent residence (prechodný / trvalý pobyt). The exchange is mandatory (§ 104(4) of Act 8/2009): the application must be filed within 60 days after 185 days of stay have passed since residence was granted. Miss the deadline and the Ukrainian licence is no longer valid for driving in Slovakia, with a fine at a roadside stop.
The deadlines also depend on the type of licence, so if you are unsure it is cheaper to check your case than to be fined.
Which documents you need
- a valid Ukrainian driving licence;
- a sworn translation of the licence into Slovak;
- confirmation from the Ukrainian authority that issued the licence (informácia štátu, ktorý vodičský preukaz vydal), with a certified translation — § 104(6) of Act 8/2009;
- your passport and proof of residence;
- a medical certificate from a Slovak doctor (potvrdenie o zdravotnej spôsobilosti);
- the application and the administrative fee.
How the exchange goes
- Medical check. Any general practitioner or a specialised centre — half an hour.
- Translation of the licence. Only a sworn translator (úradný prekladateľ) will do; an ordinary translation is refused.
- Filing at the dopravný inšpektorát. At your place of residence, ideally with an appointment.
- Waiting. The Slovak licence is usually ready within 30 days. Your Ukrainian licence is taken when the new one is issued.
Points to watch
- Licences issued after certain dates are verified against Ukrainian registers; if the data cannot be found, additional confirmations are required.
- Categories C and D and professional licences are a separate story with extra requirements.
- An international driving permit does not replace the exchange.
If you would rather not go from office to office, we will handle the exchange end to end: the medical certificate, the translation, the appointment and going with you. And if you also need to have your diploma recognised, we can help with that too.