# Driving to Ukraine – Documents and the Green Card

> As of: 28 September 2026
> HTML: https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/porady/samochodem-na-ukraine-dokumenty

What you need to drive into Ukraine: passport, Green Card, authorisation to use the car. Plus the Polish travel warning and practical rules under martial law.

## Before you plan the trip: the official travel warning

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs keeps its highest warning level for Ukraine: it advises against all travel to the country because of the fighting, and urges Polish citizens in Ukraine to consider leaving without delay. Martial law is in force throughout the country, and most regions also have a curfew, the hours of which vary from region to region.

This guide does not encourage anyone to travel. Many people do have to go, though – to see family, for work, to deliver humanitarian aid – and for them we have gathered the requirements that most often decide whether the border crossing goes smoothly. If you are a Polish citizen and you do travel, register your trip in Odyseusz, the Polish foreign ministry’s travel registration system, so that in a crisis the consul knows you are there.

## Documents for the driver and passengers

Polish citizens may stay in Ukraine visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. A valid passport is required to cross the border – the Polish foreign ministry states clearly that a Polish ID card does not entitle you to enter Ukraine. This applies to children too: each child needs their own passport.

The driver needs a valid driving licence. You must carry your identity document throughout your stay – checkpoints (blokposty) operate at city entrances and on inter-regional routes, where soldiers or police may ask for your papers. At a checkpoint, slow down, stop before the marked line or STOP sign, and follow instructions.

If people from outside the EU are travelling with you – family members with Ukrainian citizenship, for example – remember that on the way back into Poland they go through an EES check, and the first biometric registration takes longer. There’s more on this in our guide to the [EES system](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/porady/ees-system-wjazdu-wyjazdu-ue).

## The Green Card – you won’t get in without it

A Polish compulsory motor liability (OC) policy is not valid in Ukraine on its own. Ukraine belongs to the Green Card system, but not to the multilateral agreement that makes a domestic policy sufficient in EU countries. The Polish foreign ministry puts it plainly: if you come to Ukraine by car, you must have a Green Card.

The Green Card is issued by the insurer that provides your liability cover – usually free of charge and on the spot, often also as an electronic version you can print. Check that the UA code is not crossed out on the document and that the validity period covers your whole trip. If you forget your Green Card, the only option is to buy border insurance, which costs money and takes time at the crossing.

Comprehensive (AC) cover is a separate matter. Many comprehensive policies exclude damage in Ukraine or limit cover in areas affected by the war. Read the terms of your policy before you go and, if the car is leased, the lease agreement as well.

## A car that isn’t yours: company, leased or borrowed

Cars not owned by their driver cause the most problems at the border. Ukrainian customs clear a foreign car as a temporary import and check that the person bringing it in has the right to use it. So prepare a written authorisation from the owner to use the vehicle abroad, including the car’s details (make, registration number, VIN), the driver’s details and the period of validity.

For a company car, the authorisation is issued by a person entitled to represent the company; for a leased car, by the lessor (and it is the lessor who decides whether a trip to Ukraine is allowed at all). For a car borrowed from a private individual, it’s safest to have an authorisation with a notarised signature. In its profiles of other non-EU countries, the Polish foreign ministry recommends a similar named authorisation – notarised if the car belongs to a private person. A translation into Ukrainian or English makes the conversation with the customs officer easier.

A temporarily imported car should leave Ukraine together with the person who brought it in. Don’t hand the car over to someone else there, and don’t leave it in Ukraine without agreeing this with customs – such cases end in customs proceedings. Details of the temporary import of vehicles are published by the State Customs Service of Ukraine.

## Which crossing to choose

By car you can cross the Polish–Ukrainian border at, among others, [Medyka](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/przejscie/medyka-szeginie), [Korczowa](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/przejscie/korczowa-krakowiec), [Hrebenne](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/przejscie/hrebenne-rawa-ruska), [Zosin](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/przejscie/zosin-ustilug), [Budomierz](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/przejscie/budomierz-hruszew), [Dołhobyczów](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/przejscie/dolhobyczow-uhrynow), [Krościenko](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/przejscie/kroscienko-smolnica) and [Malhowice](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/przejscie/malhowice-nizhankovychi). The largest crossings lie on the main roads to Lviv and Kyiv, so they attract the most traffic. Smaller ones can be quicker, but you need to allow for a longer drive to reach them.

We show the current estimated waiting time for every crossing in both directions on the [Ukraine border](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/granica/ukraina) page. If you can choose the day and time, see our guide on [when to cross the Ukraine border](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/porady/kiedy-jechac-na-granice-z-ukraina) – the difference between the best and worst slot can be several hours.

## On the road in Ukraine

The Polish foreign ministry highlights several things that surprise drivers arriving from Poland. Road signs have been removed on many roads, and navigation doesn’t work during air-raid alerts – an offline map and a paper map will come in handy. Avoid driving after dark, especially in areas near the front line and near the borders with Russia and Belarus. Fill up before you enter and top up whenever you get the chance.

During an air-raid alert you must go to a shelter or another safe place. Install an app that warns of alerts and write down the most important phone numbers on paper, including those of the Polish consulates. Photographing military sites, checkpoints, critical infrastructure and the aftermath of attacks is strictly forbidden.

If you have a minor collision, call the police and don’t move the vehicles. Ukrainian police do not give drivers an accident report – ask to photograph the documents and take your own photos of the scene. Speed-camera fines are linked to the registration number; an unpaid fine can hold you up at the border when you leave Ukraine.

## Length of stay, medicines and easily forgotten rules

Keep an eye on the 90-days-in-180 limit. Overstaying your permitted period carries a fine of 1,700 to 5,100 hryvnias (UAH) and, in more serious cases, expulsion with an entry ban. If you can’t leave on time – because of illness, for example – report to the State Migration Service of Ukraine or the border service.

Medicines containing narcotic or psychotropic substances may be brought in only for your own use and with medical documentation – without it, Ukrainian officials may treat them as smuggling. Medical care for foreigners must be paid for, so check whether your travel insurance covers a country at war.

## Pre-departure checklist

- Passports for all travellers (a Polish ID card is not enough), valid for the whole trip.
- Original driving licence and vehicle registration certificate.
- Green Card with an active UA code.
- The owner’s authorisation if the car isn’t yours (company, lease, family).
- Terms of your comprehensive and travel insurance – do they cover Ukraine?
- Trip registered in Odyseusz (Polish citizens), offline map, air-raid alert app, cash.
- Know the customs allowances for the return journey – see our guide to [customs allowances](https://kolejkanagranicy.pl/en/porady/limity-celne-ukraina-bialorus).

## Sources

- [Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Odyseusz, country profile: Ukraine (in Polish)](https://odyseusz.gov.pl/UA)
- [Polish Motor Insurers’ Bureau – map of the Green Card system (in Polish)](https://pbuk.pl/system-zielonej-karty/mapa-systemu/)
- [State Customs Service of Ukraine – information for citizens](https://customs.gov.ua/en/informatsiia-dlia-gromadian)
- [State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (DPSU)](https://dpsu.gov.ua)
- [Straż Graniczna (Polish Border Guard)](https://www.strazgraniczna.pl)