Ukraine driving licence photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Main Service Centre of the MVS of Ukraine for the Ukraine driving licence, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Ukraine driving licence photo?
You do not need to bring a photo for a Ukrainian driving licence. A Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVS) service centre photographs you if its register holds no digitised image of your face, and online exchanges in Diia or the Driver's Cabinet reuse the image already on file. The one driving document that takes a print is the international driving permit: one 35 x 45 mm colour photo on matte paper.
Ukrainian driving licences are issued by the territorial service centres of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, coordinated by the Main Service Centre (HSC MVS). You deal with them to get a first licence after the theory and practical tests, to exchange a licence that has expired or whose details have changed, or to replace a lost or stolen one. Exchanges can also be requested through some administrative service centres (TsNAP), in the Diia app or in the HSC's Driver's Cabinet.
Under the licence regulation, Cabinet of Ministers resolution No 340 of 1993, the service centre photographs the applicant whenever the MVS Unified State Register has no digitised image of that person's face, and stores the new image in the register. The HSC tells drivers that the administrator takes the picture during the visit, so there is nothing to print beforehand.
Online exchange and replacement work only when a usable face image is already on file, either in the MVS register (licences issued since 1 January 2013) or in the State Demographic Register that holds ID card and biometric passport images. Drivers are not asked to upload a photo at any stage.
Ukraine driving licence photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Main Service Centre of the MVS of Ukraine:[1]
| Print size | Licence: no print, photographed at the service centre. International driving permit: one 35 x 45 mm colour print |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: online exchange uses the face image already in the MVS or State Demographic Register |
| Background | Not published for the licence photo, which the centre takes; the permit print rules name no background |
| Colour | International driving permit: colour print |
| Print quality | International driving permit: matte paper only, because the issuing unit stamps over the photo |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
At the MVS service centre the administrator will take the photograph, so there is no need to print it in advance. (translated from Ukrainian)
Key requirements
- Nothing to print for the licence
For an exchange at a service centre you bring your ID card or passport, your tax number and the licence being replaced. The HSC says the administrator photographs you there, and the new card is issued on the day of the visit.
- Register image reused online
The Driver's Cabinet and Diia accept an exchange or replacement only if a digitised face image of you is already held, in the MVS register or the State Demographic Register. The Diia guide lists a missing face image as a ground for refusing an online application.
- Licences issued before 2013
The service centres' register holds no photos of drivers licensed before 2013. After a data update the licence appears in the Driver's Cabinet without a photo, while Diia may load one from the State Demographic Register. The HSC says there is no need to send a photo or a scan of one.
- Photographed before the tests
If the MVS register has no face image of a learner driver, the administrator photographs them just before the theory or practical test. During the theory test a camera in the monitor takes periodic pictures that are compared with the stored image.
- International permit: 35 x 45 mm matte print
The international driving permit is the only driving document that needs a photo from you: one 35 x 45 mm colour print on matte paper. The issuing unit stamps over the photo, and the HSC warns that the permit is not valid without that stamp.
- Permit issued in person
Apply for an international permit in person at a service centre with your national licence, your ID card or passport, and your passport for travelling abroad, so that the Latin spelling of your name matches. It is issued within 5 working days and is valid for 3 years, but not beyond the national licence.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book a service centre visit through the HSC e-queue.
- Check that your licence shows with a photo before ordering online.
- Bring your ID card, tax number and old licence to an exchange.
- Take your passport for travelling abroad to an international permit appointment.
- Get a matte colour 35 x 45 mm print for an international permit.
Don't
- Do not pay for prints to exchange a national licence.
- Do not send photos or photo scans with a pre-2013 data update letter.
- Do not bring a glossy print for an international driving permit.
- Do not order online if your licence appears without a photo.
Sample photos
How a Ukraine driving licence photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Neither the HSC nor the licence regulation publishes separate glasses rules for the licence photo, because the administrator takes it at the counter. The international driving permit rules from the HSC and the Diia guide are also silent on glasses: they set only the size, colour and matte paper of the print.
Printed and digital photos
The national licence uses digital images held by the state. The service centre photographs you or reuses the face image in the MVS register; the Diia route can also draw on the State Demographic Register. You never upload a photo, and an e-licence can be ordered without a plastic card.
Paper enters only for the international driving permit, a paper booklet issued for driving in more than 100 countries. For it you hand in one 35 x 45 mm colour photo on matte paper. A 35 x 45 mm digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter on matte paper and cut to size.
Where to submit the photo
You can exchange a licence at any MVS service centre in Ukraine, whatever your registered address, after booking a slot through the HSC e-queue or at the centre's terminal. Online, sign in to the Driver's Cabinet or use the licence replacement service in Diia; the new card can be collected at a service centre or delivered by post or courier.
If an old licence does not show online, first write to the regional service centre of the region that issued it to have its data transferred to the register. International driving permits are issued only at service centres, on a personal visit.
How to get your Ukraine driving licence photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Ukraine driving licence: 35 × 45 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: nothing to print for the licence; register image reused online; licences issued before 2013; photographed before the tests.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The national licence uses digital images held by the state. The service centre photographs you or reuses the face image in the MVS register; the Diia route can also draw on the State Demographic Register.
- Submit the photo with your application. You can exchange a licence at any MVS service centre in Ukraine, whatever your registered address, after booking a slot through the HSC e-queue or at the centre's terminal.
Ukraine driving licence photo FAQ
No. MVS service centres photograph you during the visit whenever their register has no face image of you, and the HSC says there is no need to print a photo in advance. Online exchanges reuse an image already on file.
No. Diia and the Driver's Cabinet have no photo upload. An online exchange is possible only when a digitised face image is already held in the MVS register or the State Demographic Register; otherwise the application is refused and you exchange the licence at a service centre.
The service centres' register has no photos of drivers who got their licence before 2013. Once your data has been updated, the licence appears in the Driver's Cabinet without a photo; Diia may pull your photo from the State Demographic Register. The HSC says you should not send a photo or scan.
One colour photo of 35 x 45 mm on matte paper. The HSC insists on matte paper because the issuing unit stamps over the photo, and a permit without the stamp is not valid. You hand it in at a service centre with your licence and passports.
Yes, if the MVS register has no face image of you: the HSC said in July 2026 that the administrator photographs candidates before the theory or practical test. During the theory test the workstation camera also takes periodic photos and compares them with the stored image.
Related photo specifications
Other Ukraine documents
- Passport photo 100 × 150 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
Driving licences nearby
- Belarus driving licence photo 40 × 50 mm
- Austria driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Belgium driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Croatia driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Denmark driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Estonia driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Finland driving licence photo 36 × 47 mm
- France driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Germany driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Ireland driving licence and learner permit photo
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Ukraine photo specifications
- Driving licences: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Main Service Centre of the MVS of Ukraine. How to exchange a paper laminated driving licence for the current model hsc.gov.ua. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Main Service Centre of the MVS of Ukraine. Digitised face image: a new step before exams at MVS service centres hsc.gov.ua. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Main Service Centre of the MVS of Ukraine. Exchanging a licence online if it was issued before 2013 hsc.gov.ua. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Main Service Centre of the MVS of Ukraine. How to exchange or restore a driving licence online hsc.gov.ua. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Main Service Centre of the MVS of Ukraine. International driving permit in 5 days without exams hsc.gov.ua. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Diia online guide, Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. Exchange of a driving licence (service 00509) guide.diia.gov.ua. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Diia online guide, Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. Issue of an international driving permit guide.diia.gov.ua. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government portal of Ukraine (MVS news). International driving permit: how to get one at MVS service centres kmu.gov.ua. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (legislation database). Cabinet of Ministers resolution No 340 of 8 May 1993 (driving licences) zakon.rada.gov.ua. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Main Service Centre of the MVS of Ukraine before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Ukraine driving licence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/ukraine/driving-licence-photo