How long can you drive with temporary number plates in 2026: rules and fines
This has been reported by the Main Service Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the validity period of the number plates is determined by the Regulations on the State Registration of Motor Vehicles.
What are transit number plates used for?
Transit number plates are red number plates issued for one-off journeys until the vehicle’s state registration is finalised. They allow the vehicle to be driven to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ service centre under its own power.
Such number plates may be issued to vehicles being delivered from a manufacturer, repair workshop or dealership, imported from abroad, or deregistered.
Red number plates do not replace permanent registration and do not grant the right to use the vehicle without restriction. The Ministry of Internal Affairs’ main service centre emphasises that operating a vehicle without state registration on public roads is prohibited.
How long are transit number plates valid for?
Paragraph 47 of Order No. 1388 stipulates that number plates for one-off journeys are issued for a period of two months. The widely circulated information that it is possible to drive with such number plates for three months does not correspond to the current version of the document.
The two-month validity period of the number plates should not be confused with the timeframe allocated for registering the vehicle. The owner is obliged to register or re-register the vehicle within 10 days of purchase, receipt, customs clearance, temporary importation or the occurrence of other grounds for amending the registration documents.
Therefore, transit number plates may be issued for two months, but after purchasing a vehicle, the owner must contact a Ministry of Internal Affairs service centre within 10 days.
Do any exemptions apply during martial law?
Under the current version of Order No. 1388, the ten-day registration deadline remains in place for ordinary vehicles. The document does not contain a general provision allowing the registration of a vehicle to be deferred until the end of martial law.
Separate rules apply to vehicles placed on temporary state registration. This category includes, in particular, compulsorily expropriated vehicles and some vehicles imported into Ukraine as humanitarian aid.
Temporary registration certificates for such vehicles remain valid throughout the period of martial law and for a further 90 days after its termination or revocation. This procedure does not automatically apply to ordinary vehicles with red number plates intended for one-off journeys.
What fines are in place in 2026
Driving a vehicle that has not been registered or re-registered in accordance with the established procedure is punishable by a fine of 850 hryvnias. This liability is provided for in Part 6 of Article 121 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences.
For a repeat offence within a year, the fine is 1,700 hryvnias. The court may also impose between 30 and 40 hours of community service, with or without the vehicle being impounded at the owner’s expense.
A separate fine is imposed for driving a vehicle without a number plate, or with a number plate that does not belong to that vehicle, does not meet the established requirements, is obscured, upside down, unlit or fitted in an incorrect position. For such an offence, Article 121-3 of the Code of Administrative Offences provides for a fine of 1,190 hryvnias.
The sum of 1,190 hryvnias is not a standard fine for the expiry of transit number plates. The classification depends on the offence recorded by the police: driving an unregistered vehicle or failing to comply with the rules on the use of number plates.
How to register a car
To register a vehicle permanently, the owner may apply to any convenient service centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, regardless of their place of residence or the region where the vehicle was purchased.
You will need to provide proof of identity, a tax registration certificate, a bill of sale or another document confirming the purchase of the vehicle. For cars imported from abroad, customs documents and a certificate of conformity will also be required.
When registering a second-hand car imported from abroad for the first time, it must undergo a technical inspection. Once the documents have been checked and the information entered into the Unified State Register of Vehicles, the owner will receive a registration certificate and permanent number plates.
What to do if the deadline has passed
If the owner has not registered the car within 10 days or the validity period of the red number plates has expired, the vehicle should not be driven on public roads. Driving an unregistered car may result in an administrative fine.
The owner must prepare the necessary documents and contact a Ministry of Internal Affairs service centre. Simply keeping the car in a garage or car park does not automatically result in a fine; however, driving an unregistered vehicle constitutes an offence.
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