Can you drive in Great Britain with a Ukrainian license?

Yes. Visitors can drive small vehicles in Great Britain on a full, valid Ukrainian licence for up to 12 months from their last entry.

The visitor allowance covers vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes with up to 8 passenger seats, for 12 months from the date you last came to Great Britain; for genuine visitors the clock restarts on re-entry. Becoming a resident switches you to the residency clock, which does not restart. Vocational entitlements do not carry over: visitors may only drive lorries or buses they drove into GB on foreign plates.

Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

No IDP requirement, but one is sensible since your licence is not in English or Latin script.

Great Britain accepts a full, valid foreign licence on its own for the visitor period; no IDP or translation is legally mandated. Police checks and car hire go smoother with an IDP from Ukraine translating the licence.

Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

Ukrainian licence holders get an extended window: 36 months of driving from becoming a GB resident, instead of the standard 12.

The standard rule gives new residents 12 months; the UK extended it to 3 years for Ukrainian licence holders. The exchange window runs to 5 years from residency, so exchange before the driving window closes rather than at the deadline. As a designated-country licence holder you exchange rather than test, and can apply any time within 5 years of becoming resident.

Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

Yes. Ukraine is a designated country: exchange your car licence for a GB licence by post, with no theory or practical test.

Apply with the paper D1 form (from Post Office branches), your Ukrainian licence (it is sent to DVLA and returned to the issuing authority, not to you), a passport-style photo, identity documents and the 43 pound fee; processing runs about 3 weeks. You can apply any time within 5 years of becoming resident, but can only drive on the original licence during the first 36 months. Transmission rule: tests passed in Ukraine before 28 December 2021 exchange to an automatic-only GB licence; tests on or after that date exchange with manual entitlement if the licence allows it. Ukrainian motorcycle entitlements cannot be exchanged: a GB motorcycle test is needed.

Exchange a foreign driving licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

No theory or practical test for car licences from designated countries; the exchange is paperwork only.

Two carve-outs: vocational entitlements (lorries, buses) do not exchange and require GB tests, and if your exchanged licence comes back automatic-only, upgrading to manual means passing a GB manual driving test (with a theory pass first).

Exchange a foreign driving licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

No translation regime as such, though country-specific supporting documents apply to some exchanges.

Ukrainian exchanges hinge on the licence details DVLA can verify rather than a translation; where DVLA cannot verify entitlements it may request supporting evidence from the issuing authority.

Exchange a foreign driving licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

Post the D1 form with your licence, a photo, ID and the 43 pound fee; allow about 3 weeks.

The application is postal, not online, and your original licence leaves the country with it, so time the application for a period when you can go without the physical card.

Exchange a foreign driving licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)