DONATE CAR OR VAN TO UKRAINE

Sunflower Scotland has already delivered 50+ vehicles and medical aid to frontline areas in Kherson, Sumy, Kramatorsk etc. These vehicles are evacuating the wounded and saving lives ever day. Donate your car for Ukraine through Sunflower Scotland: we will first use it to transport medical aid, and after that donate to Ukrainian medics or defenders.

REGIMENTS WE HAVE SUPPORTED

WHY DONATE THROUGH SUNFLOWER SCOTLAND

1. MEDICAL SUPPLIES DELIVERED TO FRONTLINE AREAS

First, we use donated vehicles to transport medical supplies from the UK to frontline hospitals and combat medics in Ukraine.

We currently support doctors working in cities such as Kherson, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kramatorsk and many others (see our Project: “Saving Lives at the Front Line“). As a registered charity, our mission is to help these medical teams save lives in the most dangerous areas.

After delivering the supplies, we donate the vehicle to Ukrainian medics or defenders who need it at the front.

2. DIRECT DELIVERY TO FRONTLINE UNITS

Your vehicle will be donated directly to combat medics or frontline units in Ukraine — where it is most needed. We ensure full transparency: you will know which regiment receives the vehicle, and we provide photo reports confirming every delivery.

See real-life examples of our past deliveries:

3. REGISTERED SCOTTISH CHARITY – FULLY LAWFUL AND TRANSPARENT

Sunflower Scotland is a registered Scottish charity regulated by OSCR, and we strictly follow both UK and Ukrainian law when transporting and donating vehicles.

For every vehicle we:

• ensure it is MOT tested, taxed, and insured for the journey
• register the V5C in the charity’s name, so donors are not liable for speeding or parking penalties
• declare the vehicle to Ukrainian customs as humanitarian aid
• complete full customs clearance before the vehicle enters Ukraine

Ukrainian customs stamp the V5C to confirm that the vehicle is humanitarian aid and cannot be resold.

Donors receive copies of the V5C and customs declaration with the official stamp, confirming that the vehicle was imported lawfully.

4. 100% DONATED — NO PROFIT

Sunflower Scotland does not sell donated vehicles. Every vehicle we receive is delivered to Ukrainian defenders free of charge.

All transport, preparation, and delivery costs are covered by our supporters in Scotland and across the UK. We never ask Ukrainian medics, soldiers or organisations to pay for vehicles. For us, this is a charitable donation — not a business transaction.

Unfortunately, the sale of “humanitarian” vehicles has become a known problem. Some unregulated organisations collect donated vehicles and later sell them in Ukraine.

For this reason, we follow strict procedures. Vehicles delivered by Sunflower Scotland are imported as humanitarian aid and stamped by Ukrainian customs “not for resale.” Each vehicle is delivered directly by our members of staff, not intermediaries. This ensures they go directly to those who need them most.

Our goal is simple: every donated vehicle should save lives — not generate profit.

Every vehicle donated through Sunflower Scotland is legally imported into Ukraine as humanitarian aid, stamped “not for resale” by customs, and transferred directly to Ukrainian medics or defenders.

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GUIDE: HOW TO DONATE A CAR FOR UKRAINE (LAWFULLY)

This is a step-by-step guide explaining how a UK resident can lawfully donate a vehicle for use in Ukraine.

Thousands of civilian vehicles have already been legally donated and registered in Ukraine under this humanitarian procedure. Today we are going to explain how it works in simple terms.

Ukrainian law allows vehicles from overseas to be imported as humanitarian aid without paying customs duties or taxes when they are donated to support Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s invasion.

The process is regulated by several Ukrainian legal acts, including:

• Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 953 (05.09.2023)
• Resolution No. 927 (09.10.2020)
• Resolution No. 584 (10.05.2022)
• Most importantly, Resolution No. 1235 (29.10.2024)

You do not need to study these documents yourself — the guide below explains the process in plain English.

After completing these steps, your vehicle can be lawfully donated to a person or unit in Ukraine that needs it. The recipient will then be able to register the vehicle with the Ukrainian equivalent of the DVLA and receive Ukrainian registration plates.

We strongly advise not bringing vehicles into Ukraine without customs clearance. Such vehicles cannot be registered legally and are often sold on the black market or dismantled for parts.

STEP 1. Ensure the vehicle is road legal in the UK

If you plan to drive the vehicle to Ukraine, it must be fully road legal in the UK.

Make sure that:

• the vehicle has a valid MOT
• UK road tax has been paid
• your insurance policy covers driving in the EU

Although this may seem obvious, it is important to check before setting off.

STEP 2. Obtain a Ukrainian Customs Declaration from a Ukrainian charity

Before leaving the UK, a Ukrainian charity (in Ukraine they are usually called “Charitable Foundation” or “Civic Organisation”) must create a Customs Declaration for the vehicle as humanitarian aid.

To prepare the declaration, you should send the organisation either a photo of the V5C or the key details from it. They will normally need the following information:

• Driver’s surname and name (in this order) and passport number
• Make (V5C item D.1, e.g. Mitsubishi)
• Registration number (V5C item A)
• Legal name and address of the donor
• Model (V5C item D.3)
• Weight (V5C item G – Mass in Service)
• Year of manufacture (from B – Date of first registration)
• Engine capacity (V5C item P.1 – Cylinder Capacity)
• Fuel type (V5C item P.3 – Type of fuel)
  • Note: “Heavy oil” means diesel
• VIN number (V5C item E – VIN/Chassis/Frame Number)

The Ukrainian organisation will create the declaration through the government online portal. Each declaration receives a unique ID number.

In theory, you could provide this ID number at the border. In practice, they expect you to bring a printed copy of the declaration.

Ask your Ukrainian partner to send you the PDF version, and print one copy to take with you.

Note: Since 2024, a “Letter of Request” (Запит) from a military unit is no longer required. The electronic Customs Declaration replaces it. However, if the vehicle is intended for a specific regiment, having such a letter can still be helpful. It confirms that the unit has requested the vehicle and that they are expecting to receive it.

STEP 3. At the Ukrainian border

When you reach the Ukrainian customs border, present two documents for the vehicle:

• the Customs Declaration
• the V5C registration document

STEP 4. Obtain Customs Clearance

If the declaration has been prepared correctly, Ukrainian customs officers will process the vehicle and return your documents with official stamps. The V5C will receive a stamp stating:

“Humanitarian aid — resale forbidden.”

After this, you may proceed to meet the Ukrainian charitable organisation that issued the declaration.

STEP 5. Sign an Act of Transfer with the Ukrainian charity

It is very important that you sign an Act of Transfer with the Ukrainian charity.

This is a legal requirement under Resolution No. 927.

An Act of Transfer is a Ukrainian document confirming that you have transferred the vehicle to the charity and that it now owns the vehicle. The charity must upload this document to a government database. Failure to do so can lead to serious penalties.

Technically, until you sign the Act of Transfer, you remain the legal owner of the vehicle. If something happens to the vehicle before this step is completed, you could still be responsible.

For this reason, we strongly recommend signing the Act of Transfer as soon as possible after arriving.

STEP 6. The Ukrainian charity transfers the car to the final recipient

The Ukrainian charitable organisation will then transfer the vehicle to the final recipient.

Under Resolution No. 1235, the recipient may be:

• a military regiment, or
• an individual soldier (or a group of up to five soldiers).

You may be present when this happens, but it is not required.

At this stage, the charity and the recipient sign another Act of Transfer, which transfers ownership of the vehicle from the charity to the soldiers or military unit.

You are not responsible for this second document. It is mentioned here simply to explain the full process.

STEP 7. Government Registration in Ukraine

Finally, the soldier or military unit that received your vehicle must register it with the Ukrainian road authorities.

This is similar to registering a vehicle with the DVLA in the UK.

You will not need to be involved in this stage, we are mentioning this for your information.

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WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY ABOUT DONATING FOR UKRAINE VIA SUNFLOWER SCOTLAND

We asked other Scots who donated their vehicles for Ukraine to share their experience.

Barclay (Scotland):

If you have a sturdy 4×4 or any other vehicle that could be useful for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine, I would urge you to consider donating it through Sunflower Scotland… This is a very trustworthy charity…” 

(Full report on delivering Barclay’s car to ZSU and what he said about his experience working with Sunflower Scotland)

Diana (Scotland):

We were quickly convinced the Sunflower Scotland was a genuine charity and that the car would end up at a place where it would be the most useful….Sunflower Scotland dealt with all the paper work and then drove to car to Ukraine where we are hopeful that it is making a useful contribution. We have been sent photographs of the car in its new camouflage paint at various points on the journey.

(Full report on delivering Diana’s car)

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HOW CAN I DONATE A CAR

• If you want to donate a car, please contact us by phone 0131-358-54-90 or email contact@sunflowerscotland.co.uk.
• Bring the car to our location in Edinburgh. Transfer the V5C document to Sunflower Scotland.
• We will prepare the car for Ukraine: insure it and do full technical servicing.
• Sunflower Scotland will find a soldier in Ukraine who needs the car. We will sort out all paperwork.
• We will drive the car to Ukraine and officially transfer it to the end-user.
• Upon returning to Edinburgh, we will send you electronic copies of the customs paperwork and photos of the delivery

As a registered charity, Sunflower Scotland will keep all paperwork and invoices for future independent examination and audit. Copies of the paperwork will be available to the person who donated the car.

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WHAT ARE THE COSTS INVOLVED

We pay for technical servicing and delivering the cars. The guys on the front line don’t have much time to service the cars. Their main duty it to protect their country.

Please make sure the car is technically sound. If there are any mechanical issues with the engine or suspension, please fix them or contribute some money so we can pay to the garage.

Before setting off, we will do full servicing (change oil, filters, etc).

If possible, please put on a set of low-budget offroad tyres.

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WHERE WILL MY VEHICLE GO?

We will send your car to help on the front line. Depending on what kind of car you donate, we will decide what will be the best use for it. If it’s a pickup truck, we will send it for the off-road duty. If you donate a van, we may send it to medics.

Examples:

• Nissan Navara delivered to 225th Assault Brigade in the Kharkiv Region
• Ambulance delivered to the 151st brigade in the Kharkiv region
• Two pickup trucks delivered to the defenders of Bakhmut and New York

IMPORTANT: we support several units, we are not exclusive with just one regiment. When a unit needs a vehicle, they reach out to us, explain why they need it, and send a “Letters of request”.

We will speak with them and learn how they want to use it, and what are the road conditions. We will try to send the best vehicle that will help in each particular situation.

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REPORT ON DELIVERIES

To date Sunflower Scotland has delivered 39 vehicles. We used them to carry medical and humanitarian supplies to dangerous frontline areas. After that, we donated the vehicles directly to the end-users.

VEHICLE	REG NUMBER	FRONT
Mitsubishi L200	DA60 *	Bakhmut
Merc Vito	SX56 *	Lyman
Nissan Navara	AO59 *	Toretsk
Mitsubishi L200	SJ55 *	Chasiv Yar
Ford Transit (Ambulance)	SF60 *	Chasiv Yar
Mitsubishi Pajero	LI97 *	Kupyansk
Nissan Navara	SL57 *	Lyman
VW Touareg	FB03 *	Lyman
Volvo XC90	SM59 *	Sumy
Skoda Scout	SP12 *	Sumy
Renault Trafic	SM59 *	* Patient transport, Kryvyi Rih
Mitsubishi Shogun	PJ05 *	Lyman
Ford Transit Custom	BK64 *	Kupyansk
Volvo XC90	SM05 *	Lyptsy (Kharkiv)
BMW X5	SM60 *	Pokrovsk
Renault Trafic	SG59 *	Pokrovsk
Nissan Navara	YS57 *	Pokrovsk
VW Touareg	AV06 *	Kharkiv
Honda CR-V	SV10 *	Lyptsy (Kharkiv)
Renault Trafic	SB08 *	Vovchansk
Vauxhall Antara	ST61 *	Kupyansk
Kia Sedona	LC57 *	Veterans Centre, Shakhtarske
BMW X5	LF06 *	Sumy
Honda CR-V	RJ08 *	Kupyansk
Renault Master	DK13 *	Sumy
Nissan X Trail	FN11 *	Kupyansk
Toyota Avensis	GL07 *	Slovyansk
Mitsubishi Shogun	VD05 *	Kharkiv
UK AMBULANCE	LP62 *	Pokrovsk
UK AMBULANCE	LO14 *	Kherson
Renault Trafic	SC64 *	Sumy
Mitsubishi Outlander	ST14 *	Kherson
Mitsubishi Shogun 4×4 AMBULANCE	GU56 *	Sumy
Nissan X Trail	NA08 *	Zaporizhzhia
Ford Ranger (Spiders4Ukraine)	EA60 *	Pokrovsk
UK AMBULANCE	LO14 *	Lyptsy (Kharkiv)
Ford Transit 350 L3H3	SS19 *	Lyptsy (Kharkiv)
Ford Transit 290 SWB	NK15 *	Lyptsy (Kharkiv)
Subaru Outback	NL10 *	Sumy
VW Crafter	MX11 *	Evac Centre, Shakhtarske