A driver from Kharkiv moved to Poland in 2022. Temporary protection was in force, and Ukrainian driving licences worked fine - three years in a row. Then protection ended, and it turned out he hadn’t exchanged, hadn’t got a translation, hadn’t checked the deadline. A fine and a demand to show a valid document. This situation is common, and there are hundreds of thousands of drivers like him across the EU. Here’s the breakdown by country - when the deadline is, what it costs, what translation is needed, and whether there’s an exam.
What EU law says: the common framework and national differences¶
EU Directive 2006/126/EC sets the general framework: a licence issued in any EU country is valid in all other EU countries without exchange. For holders of licences from third countries (outside the EU/EEA), each member state sets its own rules.
One common baseline: in most EU countries, exchanging a third-country licence happens without an exam if that country signed the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Ukraine signed it - so you don’t need to retake theory or practical tests in Poland, Czech Republic, Netherlands, or Belgium.
But the details vary a lot by country: - whether translation is required and what type (sworn / certified / notarised) - what it costs and how long it takes - when the mandatory exchange deadline kicks in
Temporary protection for Ukrainians: in force until 4 March 2026¶
EU Regulation 2022/1280 gave Ukrainians under temporary protection the right to drive anywhere in the EU on their Ukrainian licences without any exchange. No IDP, no translation, no exams - nothing extra required at all.
According to the official European Commission Q&A:
Ukrainian driving licence holders who benefited from temporary protection or suitable national protection in the EU were allowed to drive in the Member States of the EU.
In practice: DIIA digital licences were recognised on equal footing with physical documents, all categories (B, C, D) were valid, and even expired Ukrainian licences weren’t an issue.
Temporary protection ended on 4 March 2026. After that, each country’s standard rules came back into force.
If you’ve been in a country for several years without exchanging, the clock on your foreign licence started running from your date of registration. In some countries, you may already be past the permitted deadline.
Comparison table: 15 EU countries¶
| Country | Translation | Exam | Cost (€) | Processing time | Deadline from registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Sworn (required) | No | 95-150 | 6-10 weeks | 6 months |
| Poland | Sworn (required) | No | 94-120 | 2-8 weeks | 185 days/year |
| Czech Republic | Certified (non-EU) | No (since 2024) | 0-50 | Variable | 185 days |
| France | Not required | Yes (after 1 year) | 40+ | Complex | 1 year |
| Spain | Not required | No | 53-78 | 4-8 weeks | 6 months |
| Netherlands | Certified (Cyrillic) | No | 70-150+ | 3-4 weeks | 185 days |
| Belgium | Sworn (required) | No | 60-95+ | 4 wks-6 months | 185 days |
| Austria | Check locally | No | — | — | — |
| Sweden | Check locally | No | — | — | — |
| Finland | Check locally | No | — | — | — |
| Denmark | Not specified | No | ~70 | — | — |
| Ireland | Not required | No | 65 | A few weeks | 10 yrs from expiry |
| Portugal | May be required | No | — | — | 185 days |
| Slovakia | Check locally | No | — | 60 days | 60 days from 185-day threshold |
| Hungary/Romania | Check locally | No | — | — | — |
Note: Austria, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania have relatively straightforward procedures for licence holders from Vienna Convention countries, but specific requirements vary by region - check directly with the local authority.
Countries requiring translation: Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium¶
Germany: sworn translation and a long wait¶
Exchanging your licence in Germany is one of the most bureaucratic procedures among all 15 countries on this list. You submit your application to the district authority (Fahrerlaubnisbehörde) and wait. In Berlin, waiting times reach 6-10 weeks; in smaller cities, 2-4 weeks.
What you need to submit: - Application form (Antrag) - Sworn translation of your licence by a vereidigte Übersetzer - a court-sworn translator with an official stamp - Passport-format photo (35x45 mm) - Valid ID or passport - Proof of address registration (Meldebescheinigung)
Deadline: 6 months from your registration date in Germany. Miss it and you’re technically driving without a valid licence, and getting back on track is harder.
As germany4ukraine.de explains:
Since the beginning of 2024, automatic exchange of Ukrainian driving licences has been discontinued. Ukrainian nationals who wish to drive commercially need to apply for a German driving licence through the standard exchange procedure.
Important change from 2024: automatic exchange for commercial drivers (categories C, CE, D, DE) has been discontinued. It’s now the standard procedure for everyone.
The registry of sworn translators in Germany: justiz-dolmetscher.de.
Costs in Germany:
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Administrative fee | €35-50 |
| Sworn translation | €50-100 |
| Photos | €5-15 |
| Total | €95-150 |
Watch out: some district offices require a specific translation format, or only accept translations from translators on their own approved list. Call ahead and check before ordering - you don’t want to redo the translation.
Poland: tłumacz przysięgły and nothing else¶
Poland has an official sworn translator registry from the Ministry of Justice (tlumacze.ms.gov.pl). The translation must come exclusively from a translator in that registry. A notarially certified translation made in Ukraine is not accepted - that’s a firm line.
Documents needed for exchange: - Application form (formularz wniosku) - Sworn translation of your licence by tłumacz przysięgły - Medical certificate (badanie lekarskie) - required in virtually all cases - Photo 3.5 x 4.5 cm - Residence card (karta pobytu) - Original foreign licence
Costs in Poland:
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| State fee | ~€27 (100.50 PLN) |
| Sworn translation | €13-40 (50-150 PLN) |
| Medical exam | ~€54 (200 PLN) |
| Total | €94-120 |
Deadline: a non-EU licence holder residing in Poland for more than 185 days per year is required to exchange. The fine for driving past the deadline without exchanging: up to 1,500 PLN (~€400).
Fast-track processing takes up to 9 working days; standard is 2-8 weeks.
Netherlands: translation if there’s Cyrillic¶
The Netherlands requires a certified translation only if the licence contains non-Latin characters. Ukrainian licences use Cyrillic - so translation is mandatory.
The official processor is RDW (Dutch Road Services). RDW processes applications within 15 working days, then another 5 days for collection.
Documents needed: - Colour passport photo - Original foreign licence + certified translation - Registration in the municipal database (BRP) - For non-EU: proof of tax residency and a Health Declaration Form from CBR
Costs in the Netherlands:
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Municipal fee | €20-50 |
| Certified translation | €40-60 |
| Medical exam | €50-100+ |
| Total | €70-150+ |
Critical point: after 185 days from registration, foreign licences in the Netherlands become invalid automatically. There’s no extension. Driving after that = driving without a licence.
Belgium: sworn translation and municipality-dependent timelines¶
In Belgium, the procedure depends heavily on the specific municipality. Some are fast - 4-6 weeks. Others stretch to 6 months.
Key quirk: non-EU/EEA licence holders can only submit an application after 185 days of residence. So if you registered in September, you can’t even start the process before the end of February the following year.
Costs in Belgium:
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Licence fee | €20-35 |
| Sworn translation | €40-60 per page |
| Total | €60-95+ |
Countries without translation requirements¶
France: fine for a year, then an exam¶
France is the only country on this list where you’ll eventually need to take an exam. For the first year after establishing normal residence, you can drive on foreign licences. After 12 months, exchange requires passing the French driving test through the ANTS system and your local Prefecture.
Costs in France: - Electronic tax stamp (timbre fiscal): €40 - Medical exam (if required) - If you need the exam - costs multiply considerably
Important for those who lived in France under temporary protection: the clock on the “first year without exam” may have been running during the protection period. If you registered in 2022-2023, check your status at the Prefecture right away.
Spain: cheap and relatively straightforward¶
Spain is one of the easier options. No translation required, no exam needed.
Documents for DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico): - Residence card (NIE or TIE) - Passport - Photo 32x26 mm - Medical certificate from a licenciado en medicina - Original foreign licence
Costs in Spain:
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| DGT fee (Tasa 2.3) | €28 |
| Medical exam | €20-40 |
| Total | €53-78 |
From submission to temporary document: 4-8 weeks. The plastic card arrives by post another 1-8 weeks later.
Ireland: simple and transparent¶
Application goes to NDLS (National Driver Licence Service). Cost: €65 as of 1 January 2025. Verification through the RESPER system (EU data exchange) takes a few weeks.
Ireland’s standout feature: the deadline is 10 years from when your foreign licence expired - by far the most relaxed deadline on this list.
Denmark: fixed fee¶
Denmark charges DKK 520 - roughly €70 for the exchange. An in-person appointment at Borgerservice is required.
Czech Republic: cheapest after the 2024 reform¶
Czech Republic simplified the process for third-country licence holders in 2024: the theory exam is no longer required (it used to be). Exchange costs anywhere from nothing to ~€50, depending on your documents and whether a medical exam is needed.
Third-country nationals now only need to pass the final driving proficiency test - no theory test required. For some nationalities (Japan, South Korea, UAE), even the proficiency test is waived.
For Ukrainians: exchange without the theory test, just a certified translation (if the licence uses Cyrillic) and the basic administrative steps.
What documents to gather for exchange¶
Basic package that works for most EU countries:
| Document | Where to get it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Original driving licence | You have it | Mandatory |
| Passport | You have it | Mandatory |
| Proof of registration | Local municipality | Anmeldung (DE), BRP (NL), karta pobytu (PL), etc. |
| Photo | Photo shop | Size varies by country - check beforehand |
| Translation of licence | Sworn translator | Only where required by the country |
| Medical certificate | Doctor or clinic | Needed in most countries |
For Poland and Belgium especially: the translation must come from a certified translator accredited in that specific country. A translation done in Ukraine or by an online service without the relevant accreditation won’t be accepted.
Online services like ChatsControl handle driving licence translation - an AI draft plus a sworn translator, delivered as a signed PDF with a stamp. This works for Germany and the Netherlands. For Poland, it only works if the specific translator is registered in the Polish tłumacz przysięgły registry, so check before ordering.
The right order of operations: don’t make the common mistake¶
The most frequent mistake: people get a translation, then find out it was done by the wrong type of translator or in the wrong format, and have to do it again from scratch.
The right sequence for Germany and Poland:
- Check requirements with the specific authority in your city - some have particular format requirements for translations
- Find a translator from the country’s official registry (justiz-dolmetscher.de for DE, tlumacze.ms.gov.pl for PL)
- Get the translation with stamp and signature
- Book your appointment in advance - queues in Berlin, Warsaw, and Amsterdam are real
- Show up with the full package and don’t forget your photo - some offices take it themselves, others need you to bring it
For Netherlands and Czech Republic the sequence is similar, but you can submit the application online (via RDW and local portals respectively).
FAQ¶
Are Ukrainian driving licences valid in the EU after 4 March 2026?¶
No - once temporary protection ended, the standard rule came back: third-country licences are valid for a limited period after registration. Typically 185 days (Poland, Netherlands, Belgium) or 6 months (Germany, Spain). If you’ve been in the country for years without exchanging, you may already be past the deadline.
How much does it cost to exchange a driving licence in Poland?¶
Total €94-120: state fee ~€27, sworn translation €13-40, medical exam ~€54. If additional psychological testing is required for certain categories, add more.
What translation is needed for a licence exchange in the Netherlands?¶
A certified translation if the licence uses non-Latin characters (Cyrillic = yes, that’s required). The translation is done by an official translator. RDW processes the application in 15 working days.
Do you need an apostille on your driving licence for exchange in the EU?¶
Generally no - driving licences are official government documents with a photo, and most EU countries don’t require apostilles on them. Apostilles are for educational certificates, court documents, notarial acts - not driving licences.
What if you’ve lost or don’t have the original Ukrainian licence?¶
Get a duplicate via DIIA or through the Ukrainian transport inspection. Some countries (Germany) can issue a temporary permit while the original is unavailable. For war-related document issues - contact the local authority directly, they have special procedures for this.
Which country is easiest to exchange your licence in?¶
Czech Republic and Spain are the simplest options. Czech Republic doesn’t require a theory exam since 2024 and costs close to nothing. Spain is cheap (~€53-78) with no translation requirements. Poland and Germany are more expensive and more complex, but they’re also where most Ukrainians who left Ukraine actually live.
When should you start the exchange process?¶
Right after registering, not when the deadline is approaching. Queues at both the licensing authority and sworn translators are a real problem in popular cities. Waiting until the last month is a real risk of not making it on time.
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