Traffic rules: Ukraine

Para. 1.10: a main road is a road with a hard surface relative to a dirt road, or one marked with signs 1.22, 1.23.1–1.23.4 or 2.3; a short paved stretch on a minor road just before the junction does not make it equal. Para. 16.11: from a minor road you give way to everyone on the main road, whichever way they are going. Para. 16.12: at a junction of equal roads give way to traffic from the right (except at roundabouts). Para. 16.13: when turning left or making a U-turn, give way to oncoming traffic going straight or turning right. Para. 16.15: if you cannot tell whether your road has a hard surface (darkness, mud, snow) and there are no priority signs, assume you are on the minor road. Width or traffic volume do not matter. Separately, para. 10.2: when coming out of a driveway, petrol station, car park or other adjacent area you give way to everyone on the road — legally this is not a junction (para. 1.10).

Fine: 30 NMDH units. Breaking junction rules: fine of 30 'tax-free minimum incomes' (NMDH units; Code of Administrative Offences art. 122(2)).

Para. 16.12: at any uncontrolled junction a tram has priority over vehicles approaching on an equal road (roundabouts excepted). If the tram is on the minor road, it gives way to traffic on the main road (para. 16.11 applies to everyone). Para. 16.7: when a green signal allows both trams and other vehicles to go, the tram has priority whichever way it is heading. Paras. 16.6 and 16.13: when turning left or making a U-turn, give way to a tram travelling in the same direction. Para. 17.3: away from junctions, where tram tracks cross your lane, the tram has priority (except when leaving a depot). Para. 18.8: if a tram is at a stop with no boarding island, stop and let passengers walk to or from its doors; drive on only once they have left the carriageway and the doors are closed.

Para. 16.12 (since 2017): you give way to the right at junctions of equal roads 'except at junctions with circular traffic'; at uncontrolled junctions with circular traffic marked with sign 4.10, priority belongs to vehicles already on the ring. No separate give-way sign is needed for this — sign 4.10, which marks a roundabout, is enough. The tram's priority at uncontrolled junctions also does not apply on roundabouts. If the roundabout has traffic lights, follow the signals.

Para. 8.7.3(e): a red signal prohibits movement. A green arrow in an extra section lit together with amber or red allows movement in the arrow's direction provided you give way to traffic from other directions. A green arrow on a plate beside the red signal (vertical traffic light) allows the turn from the rightmost lane (on a one-way road also a left turn from the leftmost lane), giving way to those moving on a green signal. Para. 16.9: on the green arrow take the outermost lane and give way to vehicles and pedestrians from other directions. An unlit extra section means you may not go in its arrow's direction (para. 8.7.3(z)).

Fine: 30 NMDH units. Running a red light: fine of 30 NMDH units (Code of Administrative Offences art. 122(2)).

Para. 18.1: give way to pedestrians who could be obstructed or endangered. Para. 18.4: if a vehicle in an adjacent lane slows or stops before an uncontrolled crossing, slow down and stop if needed. Para. 18.2: at a signal-controlled crossing, on green give way to pedestrians still finishing their crossing. Para. 16.2: when turning right or left, give way to pedestrians crossing the road you are turning into. Para. 18.5: give way to people with a white cane anywhere. Para. 18.6: do not enter a crossing if traffic is backed up beyond it. Para. 18.9: near a stopped 'Children' bus with orange beacons or hazard lights on, slow down and stop if needed.

Fine: 20 NMDH units. Failing to give way to pedestrians at an uncontrolled crossing: fine of 20 NMDH units (Code of Administrative Offences art. 122(1)).

Para. 12.4: 50 km/h in built-up areas (marked by signs 5.49 and 5.50 — white place-name signs). Where road conditions allow, the road owner may raise the limit with signs, in agreement with the police (para. 12.8). Para. 12.5: residential zones (sign 5.34, and courtyard areas) and pedestrian zones — 20 km/h. Para. 12.7: when towing — 50 km/h maximum. On blue place-name signs (sign 5.51) the out-of-town limits apply (para. 12.6).

Fine: 20–100 NMDH units. Over the limit by more than 20 km/h: 20 NMDH units; by more than 50 km/h: 100 (Code of Administrative Offences art. 122(1) and (4)). Article 122 sets no fine for exceeding by 20 km/h or less.

Para. 12.6(g): 90 km/h on ordinary roads, 110 km/h on roads with separate carriageways divided by a central reservation. Para. 12.6(a): car towing a trailer — 80 km/h maximum. Para. 12.6(b): less than 2 years' experience — 70 km/h on all out-of-town roads. The same limits apply on roads through settlements marked with the blue sign 5.51.

Fine: 20–100 NMDH units. Over the limit by more than 20 km/h: 20 NMDH units; by more than 50 km/h: 100 (Code of Administrative Offences art. 122(1) and (4)).

Para. 12.6(g): 130 km/h on a road marked with sign 5.1 'Motorway'. Para. 12.6(a): with a trailer — 80 km/h. Para. 12.6(b): less than 2 years' experience — 70 km/h on all roads outside built-up areas, motorways included.

Traffic Rules para. 2.9(a) bans driving while intoxicated but gives no number. The threshold is in the Instruction on detecting intoxication in drivers (Interior and Health Ministries order No. 1452/735), section II para. 7: intoxication means a device reading above 0.2 per mille. Refusing the test is punished the same as drink-driving (Code of Administrative Offences art. 130(1)). Drinking after a crash, or after being stopped by police and before the test, is also prohibited (Traffic Rules para. 2.10, Code art. 130(4)).

Fine: 1,000–2,000 NMDH units, driving ban 12–36 months. Fine of 1,000 NMDH units plus a 1-year driving ban; a repeat within a year — 2,000 units and a 3-year ban, or 10 days' administrative detention (Code of Administrative Offences art. 130).

The 0.2 per mille threshold in section II para. 7 of the Instruction (order No. 1452/735) applies to all drivers regardless of experience or licence category.

Traffic Rules para. 2.9(d): while moving you must not use communication devices held in your hand (emergency vehicles on duty excepted). Code of Administrative Offences art. 122(2) punishes using communication devices without hands-free equipment. The general duty not to be distracted is in para. 2.3(b).

Fine: 30 NMDH units. Fine of 30 NMDH units (Code of Administrative Offences art. 122(2)).

Traffic Rules para. 9.8 (as amended by Cabinet resolution No. 1105 of 20.10.2023): all motor vehicles outside built-up areas must have daytime running lights on, or dipped headlights if they have no DRLs. The current text sets no seasonal period. In town, dipped headlights by day are required only in specific cases: in a convoy, in tunnels, when towing, for buses carrying organised groups of children, heavy or dangerous loads, etc. (para. 9.8(a)–(d)).

Para. 3.2: drivers who could obstruct a vehicle with a blue beacon and/or siren must give way to it; if red or blue-and-red beacons are on (escorted convoy), stop at the right edge of the carriageway or on the right shoulder (on a dual carriageway — drivers going the same way). The rules do not say how to make room in a jam (between which lanes). Para. 3.5: when passing a stationary vehicle with a blue beacon on or beside the road, slow to 40 km/h.

Fine: 40 NMDH units. Failing to give way to an emergency vehicle with its signals on: fine of 40 NMDH units (Code of Administrative Offences art. 122(3)).

Para. 1.7: drivers must be especially careful around cyclists. Para. 13.3: keep a safe lateral gap when overtaking, passing or going around. Para. 16.2: when turning right or left, give way to cyclists going straight in the same direction. Sign 4.23 'Road for shared use by cars and cyclists' marks local streets for mixed traffic; the rules attach no special speed limit or overtaking ban to it. Cycle lanes on the carriageway are marked with sign 5.88 and road markings; cyclists may use bus lanes (signs 5.8, 5.11; para. 17.1).

Note to para. 31.4.5: if you regularly drive on slippery roads, tyres suited to the conditions are recommended. Mandatory: minimum tread depth for cars 1.6 mm (para. 31.4.5(a)); studded and non-studded, or winter and non-winter tyres must not be mixed on one axle (para. 31.4.5(g)). Cars with studded tyres must carry a 'Studs' sign at the rear — a triangle with the letter 'Ш' (para. 30.3(l)).

Para. 31.4.7(ye): a vehicle may not be used without a first-aid kit (marked with the vehicle type), a standard warning triangle or flashing red lamp, and a working fire extinguisher (for cars, lorries and buses). Place the triangle at least 20 m behind the car in built-up areas and 40 m outside them (para. 9.10). The rules do not require a hi-vis vest for drivers.

Para. 21.11(b): children under 150 cm tall may not be carried without a child restraint system (bus services and emergency vehicles excepted). Paras. 21.12–21.16: the seat must match the child's weight and height, be fitted per the manufacturer's instructions, and the child must be buckled in. Para. 21.13: child seats are fitted outside the front row; a child under three may ride in front of a car in a rear-facing seat with the front airbag switched off.

Fine: 30–50 NMDH units. Breaking child transport rules: fine of 30 NMDH units; a repeat within a year — 50 (Code of Administrative Offences art. 121(10), (11)).

Road Traffic Act, art. 15(9): national and international driving licences are valid in Ukraine in line with the Convention on Road Traffic; issue and exchange rules are set by the Cabinet of Ministers. Traffic Rules para. 2.1(a): the driver must carry a licence for the relevant category. Whether you also need an international permit depends on the issuing country and the Convention — check before travelling.

Traffic Rules para. 2.1(g): the driver must carry a valid compulsory motor third-party liability policy (recorded in the central insurance database) or a Green Card certificate issued by a foreign insurer under the international Green Card system, electronic or paper. Show it to police on request (para. 2.4(a)).

Code of Administrative Offences art. 16: foreigners and stateless persons in Ukraine are liable on the same basis as citizens; cases involving persons with immunity are handled through diplomatic channels. Separately: driving a car past its temporary import deadline, handing it to someone else or using it to earn money in Ukraine is fined 500 NMDH units (art. 121(8)).