The bureaucracy is crazy here! Here is the story of getting our car registered. First, we had to travel to Chernigiv because that is where lyala is registered. So we started on Saturday afternoon. Yep, the ‘dmv’ is open on Saturday and closed on Sunday and Monday. This a good thing. The first step is to get an inspection to make sure the cars current paper work matches the vin numbers. There are about 5 or 6 numbers that have to match. Like the numbers on the frame and the engine and such. Well, there was a problem, there are welding marks around the vin number, so we had to go get it looked at by an expert. We were given the experts cell phone number (weird) and met him in front of a children’s hospital (weird). He looked and looked. Then we went to his office and he got some more tools and looked and looked for about two hours. He made us sweat it, telling us things like we will confiscate the car if it was stolen or chopped. He finally decided that the car was wrecked on that side and there was no fowl play like the car had been chopped. Then comes the punch line. He told us for $200 USD that he would make sure all the paper work went smoothly and quickly. Ha! Well lyala has a uncle that works for the transit police. So we contacted him and asked him what to do? It so happens that lyala’s uncle was the boss of the guy who tried to get a bribe from us. Needless to say we got our paper work from the expert on Monday afternoon. Tuesday: we had to get proof that the car was not stolen from the head transit cop office and get the paper signed by the head cop! So that took all of Tuesday morning to get this done, then lyala had to leave and go to a meeting in kiev. On Wednesday we spent all day in the main ‘dmv’ office to get the license plate. We got there at 10am and left around 7pm. All the filing and paperwork is done by hand so it is slow and they close an hour for lunch, and we waited around so we wouldn’t lose our place in line. So at 7pm we got your 3 month license plate. Since we bought the car in a different oblast (like a state) they have to contact that oblast and get some paper work, then we have to come back it 3 months to get the final registration. And still not done yet. Now we need a technical inspection sticker. On Thursday we went to get that and the key in the ignition got stuck and I had to spend most of the day fixing that, including waiting on a locksmith take it apart and could not get it back together because he lost some pieces. So I had to buy a new one, not a big deal only about $10. They call these Lada’s “do it yourself cars.” Now I understand why. So Friday we got to the technical inspection place and they said that we need a stamp from the ‘IRS’ to prove that our taxes were payed and a medical examination to make sure you can drive! But luckily at closer inspection of our paperwork, the current technical inspection that the previous owner had was valid and the ‘dmv’ forgot to give us the sticker. So back to the dmv, but they realized they messed up and gave us the sticker immediately. We are pretty much done now, except in Ukraine noone has the right to drive anyone else’s car. Only family members can file the paper work to be placed on the car’s passport (paperwork). So lyala has to prove that I am her husband and an untranslated American marriage certificate is not good enough. We will bring that paper work back when we go back in tree months I guess. For now I can only drive while lyala is in the car. Not a big deal I guess. And to think that we were going to buy a car in Bulgaria and try to import it! Glad we didn’t do that. So all is good now!