Exchanging a driving licence in Slovakia: step-by-step instructions

Before you start: who needs an exchange and when

The practical sequence from the original article is retained below: request confirmation from Ukraine, translate the documents, book the Slovak police appointment, pay the fee, apply and collect the new licence. It primarily covers Ukrainian licence holders with ordinary Slovak residence. For another issuing country, request the confirmation from that country’s competent authority instead.

Under Section 104(4), holders of valid licences from applicable road-convention countries outside the EEA who wish to drive in Slovakia must request exchange within 60 days after 185 days have elapsed from residence grant or registration. This runs from residence, not any entry date. Prepare the confirmation and translations ahead of the deadline.

Ukrainian temporary or corresponding national protection holders have separate recognition under EU Regulation 2022/1280 for the duration of protection; certified translation and an international permit are not required for that recognition. Valid EU/EEA licences also do not generally require exchange simply because of a move. The old claim that everyone must retake a test after one year is incorrect.

Documents needed for the exchange

Issuing-authority confirmation of the licence, driving categories and valid driving entitlement.
Your valid driving licence.
A valid passport and Slovak residence card.
Official Slovak translations of the confirmation and licence under Section 104(11).
Fee-payment evidence and, where applicable, medical and psychological documents for the relevant categories.

For C/D and related categories, check medical and psychological requirements beforehand. Drivers aged 70 or over may also face additional medical requirements. Do not automatically apply a professional driver’s document list to ordinary category B.

Step 1. Request confirmation from the Ukrainian service centre

You can request confirmation remotely from Ukraine’s Main Service Centre or the relevant regional centre. The Main Service Centre uses info@hsc.gov.ua. Its current procedure and application form are on the official website.

Attach legible scans of both sides of the licence and your signed application as a PDF. Include your full name, residence address, a request to confirm issuance and validity for exchange in Slovakia, reply contact, date and signature. Keep the entire email and attachments within 5 MB.

In the original practical procedure, confirmation was supplied free by email. If you need a paper original, request it and provide a postal address in Ukraine. For an electronically signed response, also request the signature file, such as .p7s, so you retain the complete set.

Sample email and application for the service centre

To: info@hsc.gov.ua. Subject: “Заява — [прізвище, ім’я, по батькові]”. The Ukrainian text below is ready to adapt for submission.

Добрий день!

Прошу розглянути мою заяву про необхідність письмового підтвердження за фактом видачі мені посвідчення водія для заміни цього посвідчення на словацьке.

Скан-копію мого водійського посвідчення та підписану заяву додаю у вкладенні.

Прошу надіслати відповідь на цю електронну адресу. Якщо відповідь буде підписана електронним підписом, прошу додати файл підпису для перевірки.

Дякую.
[ПІБ]

Repeat the request in a separate application with the required details. Fill the fields, date and sign it, then save the signed document as a PDF:

До Головного сервісного центру МВС України
Від: [ПІБ]
Місце проживання: [адреса]
Електронна пошта: [email]
Телефон: [номер]
ЗАЯВА
Прошу надати офіційне письмове підтвердження факту видачі мені посвідчення водія [серія та номер], виданого [дата, орган видачі], із зазначенням відкритих категорій і відомостей про чинність права керування. Підтвердження необхідне для обміну посвідчення водія на словацьке.
Прошу надіслати відповідь на [email].
Додаток: копія посвідчення водія.
[Дата]
[Підпис]

Check the confirmation and electronic signature

Check your name, licence number, categories and driving-entitlement information. Keep the original PDF, signature file and service-centre email. You can verify a Ukrainian electronic signature through the Central Certification Authority service; save and print the verification report with the document.

In the original article’s tested practical case, the confirmation was accepted without an apostille, including an electronically signed version. That experience is retained. However, a scan and an electronic original are different: before paying for translation, confirm your particular format and any need for a paper original with the chosen office. A QR code alone is not a verifiable signature.

Step 2. Obtain official Slovak translations

Translate both the service-centre confirmation and the driving licence. Find a registered official translator for Ukrainian and Slovak in the Slovak Ministry of Justice register. An ordinary uncertified translation does not replace the official one.

The original article included Natalia Reznichenko’s contact in Bratislava. You may use that contact or choose another registered translator. Ask which original files or documents are needed, the price for each translation and when the completed set can be collected.

The original practical example quoted about €22 per translation and up to four working days. These are figures from that experience, not a fixed 2026 tariff. Send PDFs for initial coordination and collect the official translations in the agreed form.

Step 3. Choose the police office and book

Use a police documents department, oddelenie dokladov, or a client centre handling foreign driving-licence exchanges. This is not the Foreign Police. Find the appropriate office on the Interior Ministry website and check its opening hours.

Open the Interior Ministry portal and its document-appointment booking service. The original instructions selected “Zahraničný vodičský preukaz”, then “Výmena” (exchange). Match the service’s purpose if interface labels change. Keep the booking confirmation and check how to register your ticket on arrival.

Step 4. Pay the eKolok fee

Standard licence issuance within 30 days costs €10; expedited issuance within two working days costs €40. The original payment path was “Doklady (OP, VP, CP) → Vodičský preukaz → Vydanie VP”, then standard or expedited issuance. These labels help identify the item; confirm the correct service with the office before purchasing.

Pay through eKolok or an available police payment kiosk; post offices also sell eKolok. Avoid buying too early: a service-specific eKolok is normally usable for 30 days, while a nominal-value post-office eKolok is usable for two years. The original article incorrectly applied one month to every format.

Step 5. Register your ticket at the office

If you attend without an appointment and the office accepts walk-ins, select the foreign-licence exchange option: “Zahraničný vodičský preukaz — Výmena”. If booked, follow the confirmation’s check-in instructions. Wait for your number on the display and go to the indicated desk.

Step 6. Submit documents, have your photo taken and sign

Present the confirmation and official translation, licence translation, original licence, passport, residence card and fee receipt. The officer checks the details and prepares the application; your photograph and signature are captured at the office. Check your name and categories before signing.

Provide a phone number for the readiness SMS. Obtain the application receipt and confirm the collection location. In the original practical case, the national licence was returned during the wait and surrendered when collecting the Slovak one. Follow your office’s procedure: the foreign original is ultimately retained for return to the issuing country.

Submission itself took up to an hour in the reported experience; queues and foreign-record checks can take longer. The card-production period does not guarantee that preliminary document checks finish within the same time.

Step 7. Receive the SMS and collect the Slovak licence

After the readiness notification, attend the specified office and select collection of completed documents. Bring your passport, residence card, application receipt and old licence if you still hold it. Check your name, categories and validity dates on collection.

The exchange concludes with surrender of the foreign licence; it does not provide a second simultaneously valid card. If the expected SMS does not arrive, check readiness through the Interior Ministry or contact the office where you applied.

If the electronic confirmation is questioned

The original practical experience included successful submission of electronically signed confirmation even where the first officer questioned the format. Bring the original files, signature-verification report and translation, and request clarification from the foreign-licence specialist or supervisor. If another format is needed, establish exactly what must be supplied. Acceptance of any printout at another desk cannot be guaranteed.

International driving permits

If you need an international permit after exchange, read the international driving permit guide. It is a separate document and application; choose the format for your destination.