Government Updated Rules for Vehicle Registration and Driver's License Issuance — Changes

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, by Resolution No. 779, introduced changes to the procedure for issuing driver's licenses and registering vehicles. The changes cover the application of the Law "On Administrative Procedure," expanding the possibilities for appealing decisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs service centers, automating data checks, as well as introducing additional benefits for persons affected by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation.

Administrative Procedure and Appeals of MIA Decisions

One of the key innovations is the direct establishment that relations in the field of issuing driver's licenses and vehicle registration are regulated by the Law of Ukraine "On Administrative Procedure."

What will change:

• decisions, actions, or inactions of employees of territorial service centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs can be appealed to the regional service center or to the court;
• complaints will be reviewed by the heads of regional service centers.

Loss of License and Vehicle Registration

In case of loss of a driver's license or vehicle registration certificate due to armed aggression against Ukraine, persons recognized as victims and who have suffered property damage are exempt from paying for the corresponding administrative services and reimbursement of the cost of forms. To do this, an application must be submitted (through the MIA service center, the driver's electronic cabinet, or, if technically possible, through "Diia") and a document issued by the pre-trial investigation body confirming the victim's status in the criminal proceedings must be attached.

When issuing a new driver's license instead of the lost or stolen one, the MIA service center employee checks whether such a document was previously issued, as well as the person's data in state registers.

The check is carried out through MIA databases, the demographic register, wanted persons registers, and registers of persons deprived or temporarily restricted in the right to drive. If necessary, data on persons who may have been unlawfully deprived of liberty due to armed aggression are also checked.

It is also provided that during the consideration of applications regarding registration (re-registration), deregistration of vehicles, and issuance of registration documents, the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On Administrative Procedure" apply. Decisions, actions, or inactions of MIA service center employees can be appealed administratively to the regional service center of the Main Service Center of the MIA or to the court. Complaints are reviewed by the head or other authorized officials of the respective regional service center.

In the procedure of state vehicle registration, the possibility of submitting and issuing registration documents, including in electronic form without printing on a form, as well as assigning alphanumeric combinations of license plates with or without issuance, is also provided.

Additionally, a special procedure is established for re-registering vehicles belonging to individuals recognized as missing or missing under special circumstances. Such re-registration is carried out without changing the owner upon the application of the property guardian. During the procedure, the MIA service center employee verifies information about the appointment of the guardian and their status based on data from the Unified Register of Persons Missing under Special Circumstances. In case of cancellation of the guardian's appointment certificate or absence of the vehicle in the property description act, re-registration is not carried out.

Also, when re-registering, a note is made in the registration certificate that the document was issued to the property guardian in the interest of the vehicle owner, indicating their personal data.

References to the Russian Federation have been excluded from the list of paid services notes, and it is established that persons who have been deprived of personal liberty due to armed aggression against Ukraine are exempt once from paying for certain administrative services within a year from the commission's decision date, including vehicle re-registration and issuance of a driver's license instead of a lost one. The cost of forms in such cases is not charged.

During martial law, it is also clarified that persons with a category B driver's license are allowed to drive vehicles of categories C and C1, and the right to drive category CE vehicles is granted only after retraining and passing a practical exam at the territorial MIA service center.

Previously, "Judicial and Legal Newspaper" wrote that drivers can obtain a driver's license in electronic form. This can be done personally at any convenient MIA service center, online through the Driver's Cabinet, or via the "Diia" app. After completing the procedure, the electronic license is automatically displayed in digital services.

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