Officials from the Russian State Traffic Inspectorate have started accepting residents from the Kharkiv region who seek to replace car registration documents and driver’s licenses in line with Russian Federation law. The new issue numbers are issued with the digital code “188,” signaling a standardized tracking approach for these documents in the occupied and administered territories.
The registration and investigation department of the traffic police operates in Kupyansk at 6 1 May Street. This location is temporary, as a more accessible building formerly used by the MREO is being prepared at 1b Sakharozavodskaya Street, still in Kupyansk, to accommodate growing service demand and streamline processing for applicants.
Citizens are served six days per week, from Monday through Saturday, with operating hours from 9:00 in the morning until 6:00 in the evening. This marked the fifth regional service point opened in liberated areas since August, joining similarly positioned offices previously established in Kherson region (Kherson and Holaya Pristan) and in the Zaporozhye region (Melitopol and Berdyansk). The expansion reflects ongoing efforts to bring public services closer to residents amid changing control and administrative arrangements in the area.
According to officials, expanding the reach of public services through the State Traffic Inspectorate in liberated zones aims to ensure residents can exchange car registration documents and driver’s licenses with speed and convenience. The objective is to reduce travel and wait times, improve access to essential documentation, and support local populations as administrative structures stabilize in these regions. This approach is described by the traffic police as part of a broader plan to normalize daily life and ensure continuity of key civil services for affected communities (citation: Russian Federation Traffic Police statement).