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Is my US driver’s license valid in Nikolaev?

Posted by on

My friends are Nikolaev for a russian matchmaking tour and I’ll be following after them so we can all see the tourist spots together after their event. Our plan is to rent out a vehicle and just drive it by ourselves. We’d feel more comfortable that way than paying someone we don’t know to do that for us.

Our only worry now is if our US driver’s license is valid in Nikolaev too. I have an unrestricted license in the state of California, so do my friends. Do I need to get an International driver’s permit or something?

Posted by
7029 posts

From the website of the US Embassy in Russia:

Under Russian law (Russian Government Order #1396 of 12/15/1999), U.S. citizens bearing Russian visas may use a valid U.S. driver’s license to drive a car in Russia provided that a certified Russian translation of it is available.

An International Driving Permit from AAA is an acceptable translation. Every driver will need to have one in addition to his US license.

Posted by
4140 posts

The IDP that Nancy mentions has a Russian ( Cyrillic ) component . You will do well , before you go , to learn the Cyrillic alphabet . The learning curve is not difficult , and it will smooth your way during your trip , considerably .

Posted by
4518 posts

Hmm, the only Nikolaev I can find is in the Ukraine. What are “all the tourist spots”? I see it’s not too far from the Russian occupied zone in Crimea.

IDP seems to be required in the Ukraine but this is the odd instance where the local language is not included in the IDP. But I suppose their Russian is better than their English?

Posted by
7029 posts

Well, silly me, I didn't even check to see where Nikolaev was located, just assumed Russia because of the Russian matchmaking tour. The rules are the same for Ukraine and I guess Ukraine accepts the Russian translation on the IDP since Ukrainian is not one of the 10 languages on it. I think most authorities and public officials in Ukraine speak Russian, or at least can read and understand it.

Posted by
2 posts

Basically, it's okay as long as my IDP has Ukranian translation. Noted. Thank you for your replies. This helps big time!

Posted by
11179 posts

From US Embassy in Ukraine website

"U.S. drivers licenses are not valid in Ukraine as their vehicle categories do not meet the standards enumerated in the1968 Convention on Road Traffic (as amended in 2011); travelers who do not have a foreign drivers license that meets these requirements must obtain either a Ukrainian drivers license or an International Driving Permit."

https://ua.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/u-s-citizen-services-faq/

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