Driving to Ukraine by Car: Green Card vs Health Insurance

To drive a foreign-registered car into Ukraine you need two separate insurance documents: a Green Card for the vehicle and a health insurance policy for every person in it. The Green Card pays for damage you cause to others. It does not pay a single euro of your own medical bills — and it does not satisfy the health insurance rule that border officers enforce for every foreign national.

Green Card or health insurance — which one does Ukraine require?

Both, and they are checked by different officers for different reasons:

Ukraine is a member of the international Green Card system. Before you leave, look at the country boxes on your card: "UA" must not be crossed out. Some insurers have excluded Ukraine since 2022. If yours has, buy Ukrainian third-party liability cover for the vehicle before or at the border — and remember that it still does not replace health insurance.

Which documents do you need at the border when driving?

Ukrainian civilian airports are closed, so the land border is the main way in. Officers check the people first, then the vehicle:

• Passport for every traveller — and a visa if your nationality requires one
• Health insurance policy for every traveller — a PDF on your phone is accepted
• Driving licence — a national licence that conforms to the Vienna Convention is accepted; carry an International Driving Permit if yours is not in Latin script
• Vehicle registration certificate
• Green Card valid for Ukraine (UA)
• Notarised power of attorney if you are not the owner named in the registration certificate
• Written permission from the rental or leasing company if the car is rented — most rental contracts prohibit entry into Ukraine, so check before you book

How long can a foreign-registered car stay in Ukraine?

Up to 1 year for personal use, without customs duties, under the temporary import procedure for non-residents (Article 380 of Ukraine's Customs Code). Three rules matter in practice:

• Only the person who brought the car in may drive it. Handing it to someone else is a customs violation.
• Transit is limited to 10 days — 5 days if you enter and leave within the same customs zone.
• Overstaying is fined under Article 481 of the Customs Code — from 850 UAH for a delay of up to 3 days to 170,000 UAH or confiscation of the vehicle for more than 30 days.

Your health insurance should match the length of your stay, not the car's. Policies are available for 3 to 180 days; for a longer stay, buy a new policy before the first one expires.

How much does health insurance cost for everyone in the car?

The price is per person, with no surcharge for travelling by road. The Basic plan costs €3.30 for the first 3 days and €1.00 per additional day; the Advanced plan costs €5.32 and €1.60.

You can add every passenger to one order in the purchase form, so the whole car is insured in a single payment.

Why do drivers need the Advanced plan more than anyone?

A road trip means hours on highways that pass near energy and transport infrastructure, in every region of the country. Two facts make the Advanced plan the rational choice for drivers:

• Road traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of serious injury among travellers worldwide. The Basic plan's 100,000 UAH (~€2,300) is consumed quickly by surgery and a multi-day hospital stay. The Advanced plan covers up to €30,000.
• Neither your Green Card nor your home comprehensive policy covers war-related events. If you are injured by shelling or a drone strike while driving, only a health policy with war risk coverage pays for treatment. The difference is €0.60 per day.

No health policy covers damage to the vehicle itself. If the car is valuable, ask your motor insurer in writing whether comprehensive cover remains valid in Ukraine — in most cases it does not.

Which border crossings do drivers use?

Most private cars enter from Poland, with Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova as alternatives:

• Poland: Korczowa–Krakovets (A4 motorway, the main route to Lviv), Medyka–Shehyni, Hrebenne–Rava-Ruska, Dorohusk–Yahodyn (the direct route to Kyiv)
• Slovakia: Vyšné Nemecké–Uzhhorod
• Hungary: Záhony–Chop
• Romania: Siret–Porubne
• Moldova: Palanca–Maiaky-Udobne (the route to Odesa)

Waiting times range from under 1 hour to more than 6 hours on weekends and before holidays. Have the insurance PDFs for all passengers open on one phone before you reach the booth — a missing policy for one passenger holds up the whole car.

What should you know about driving in Ukraine right now?

• Curfew: most regions enforce a night curfew, typically from midnight to 5:00. Driving during curfew is prohibited without a special pass — plan to arrive before it starts. Hours differ by region and are stricter near the front line.
• Speed limits: 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h outside them, 110 km/h on dual carriageways and 130 km/h on motorways.
• Alcohol limit: 0.2‰ — effectively zero.
• Headlights: dipped headlights are mandatory outside built-up areas from 1 October to 1 May.
• Checkpoints: expect military and police checkpoints on main roads. Slow down, switch to dipped headlights at night, keep passports within reach and do not film or photograph them.
• Air raid alerts: install the official "Air Alert" app. During an alert, do not stop on bridges or next to infrastructure facilities.
• Emergency number: 112, or 103 for an ambulance. Your policy PDF lists the insurer's assistance contacts — call them before choosing a hospital where possible.

How do you get insured before you set off?

1. Count everyone in the car, including children — each person needs a policy.
2. Fill in the form with names and passport numbers exactly as in the passports, and add the passengers as additional persons.
3. Choose the Advanced plan and set the start date to the day you expect to cross the border. If a long queue may push your crossing past midnight, start the policy one day earlier.
4. Pay by card and receive the PDFs by email, usually within 5 minutes.
5. Save the PDFs offline — mobile data is unreliable in the queue at some crossings.