Crossing the state border by road: what will change in the near future

Author

Valery Moisieiev

The number of trucks in Ukraine used for international transport has more than doubled to 100,000 since the introduction of the visa-free regime with the European Union in June 2022. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development Serhiy Derkach at the "Infrastructure Day 2025" held by the European Business Association (EBA). Regarding the volume of shipments, the official noted that it increased significantly in 2023, while this year "it is decreasing slightly, but not significantly."

reports on other interesting things that were said about wheeled vehicles crossing Ukraine's western land border.

Prospects for extending the visa-free regime with the EU

Serhiy Derkach recalled that the visa-free regime with the EU has been extended until the end of March 2027. He noted that the annual extension of this visa-free regime was difficult due to complex negotiations with individual countries. "The main country that considers Ukraine a major competitor for the future is Poland, as it has become the largest road transport company in Europe – the Poles control 60-65% of the entire European road transport market," the deputy minister explained.

He added that they are currently actively working to meet EU criteria for the implementation of an agreement on indefinite visa-free transport after March 2027.

As part of this effort, all trucks registered in Ukraine must be equipped with smart tachographs starting in July 2026. The necessary infrastructure has already been created, and approximately 20 companies are licensed to install and certify tachographs. Carriers are advised to install smart tachographs even on vehicles purchased before July 2026 to avoid double costs in the future.

Furthermore, to access the international transport market, companies must meet three EU criteria: a good business reputation, financial independence, and professionalism.

"We are currently establishing integrity criteria. We plan that by default, all Ukrainian companies are considered to be virtuous and have a good business reputation. If a company commits numerous violations over time, it could be classified as unsound, and then it will lose the right to travel abroad," the official warned.

Regarding financial independence, the European regulation requires a certain amount to be deposited in a bank account per vehicle, but the Ukrainian side proposes considering insurance as a financial guarantee.

Regarding the professionalism of carriers, every company licensed for international freight transport must have a manager with the appropriate certificate who has completed short-term training under the EU program.

Overall, according to the deputy minister, Ukrainian legislation in the field of road transport is currently 50% in line with European legislation.

Prospects for the "iCherga" border crossing project

In December 2022, at the Yagodin-Dorohusk border crossing point on the Polish border, electronic registration for border crossings replaced physical waiting in line. The system was subsequently expanded to other key truck border crossing points, and the "iCherga" functionality was further developed.

"iCherga" is currently operational at all 29 truck and bus border crossing points (out of a total of 41 vehicle border crossing points) on the borders with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. Registration in line for exiting the country is mandatory for all commercial vehicles – Ukrainian and foreign. Plans include implementing new functionality and launching a pilot project for passenger cars in early 2026. The pilot project for passenger cars is planned for one border crossing point, likely "Chop." The option to schedule a specific border crossing time for buses will be available in 2026 at four more border crossing points where it is not currently available: Shehyni, Krakovets, Ustyluh, and Palanka.

According to Serhiy Derkach, since the introduction of the queue change ban, traffic has stabilized: approximately 3,000 trucks cross the border daily, and this figure no longer fluctuates between 200 and 500 vehicles, as was previously the case.

In the three years since the "iCherga" system was launched, trucks and buses have crossed the border 2.2 million times.