Change it correctly: who will have to get new rights
This year, several categories of motorists will have to get new driver's licenses at once. This applies to those who have obtained Russian citizenship or a residence permit (residence permit), as well as those who have expired the three-year automatic renewal period. How to change the rights now, what fines are threatened for driving with expired and national visas, and what those who are going to drive a car abroad should remember — in the Izvestia article.
Which rights have expired and how to extend them
This year, Russian citizens whose driver's licenses expired in 2022, but were then automatically renewed for three years, will have to receive new driver's licenses.
— On December 28, 2023, amendments to paragraph 5 of the "Specifics of Licensing regimes in the field of transport" (Appendix No. 14 to Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated March 12, 2022 No. 353 "On the Specifics of Licensing activities in the Russian Federation") entered into force, according to which the validity of Russian national driver's licenses was extended for 3 years. which expire or expired between January 1 , 2022 and December 31, 2025.
Taking into account these changes, driver's licenses, which in column 4b indicate the expiration date from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2025 inclusive, are considered valid throughout the Russian Federation for three years from that date.
We do not have information about the development of regulatory legal acts that extend the validity of driver's licenses, which expire after December 31, 2025," Police Colonel Sergey Hrantskevich, head of the Department for Road Safety Promotion and Prevention of child traffic injuries at the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, told Izvestia.
Thus, the rights that expired on January 1, 2022, were automatically extended until January 1, 2025. Currently, they are already invalid for the fourth month, and you cannot drive with them. The rights that expired on January 1, 2023 will need to be changed before January 1, 2026. While the upper threshold is December 31, 2025, such driver's licenses are automatically renewed until December 31, 2028.
No additional marks will be required in the document — the extension is automatic. Previously issued driver's licenses, which have previously been extended for three years, cannot be renewed a second time. They need to be replaced.
How to change a driver's license to a Russian one: which exams to take
Newly minted holders of Russian citizenship are required by law to change their national driver's license to a Russian one, recalls Igor Morzharetto, a member of the Public Council at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
— If a person has obtained Russian citizenship or a residence permit, he must obtain Russian rights within a year. Relatively speaking, if he received a residence permit on April 1, 2025, then he must receive a Russian residence permit by April 1, 2026. Until then, he can drive on national rights, then it will be considered that he has no rights. For this, a fine of 5 thousand to 15 thousand rubles and the car is withdrawn to the parking lot," the expert said.
Until April 1, 2024, there was a simplified procedure for obtaining Russian driver's licenses for those who received citizenship and a residence permit. Now you will have to take an examination for knowledge of traffic regulations at the State Traffic Inspectorate. This requirement applies to holders of rights of categories M (mopeds), A (motorcycles) and B (passenger cars), as well as subcategories A1, B1.
Those who need to drive trucks and buses (categories C and D, as well as their subcategories, including for driving with a trailer), will have to complete a full course of study at a driving school, and then pass both theory and practice.
However, these requirements do not apply to driving licenses issued in Belarus. You can replace your Belarusian driver's license with a Russian one without exams.
How to get a license: medical examination and fee
Earlier, the State Traffic Inspectorate reminded that owners of invalid rights will need to undergo a medical examination and pay the prescribed state fee in order to obtain a new certificate.
To obtain a medical certificate, a motorist will need to visit a therapist, ophthalmologist, psychiatrist and narcologist. Categories C, D, CE, DE, Tm, and Tb will additionally require an examination by a neurologist, an otolaryngologist, and an EEG specialist. At the same time, doctors can be trained in different institutions — for example, a narcologist and a psychiatrist in public clinics, and the rest of the doctors in private centers.
In Moscow, in order to obtain a driver's license, in addition to the usual medical examination, it is possible to pass a commission in a "one-stop shop" format. In this case, all doctors, including a psychiatrist and a narcologist, are in the same medical facility.
To pass the commission in the "one-stop shop" format, you need to have permanent or temporary registration in the capital and not be under medical supervision in a neuropsychiatric or drug treatment dispensary. The validity period of the medical certificate is one year.
Extension of rights in Russia
Igor Morzharetto recommends not to delay getting a new driver's license. He recalled that the extension of rights applies only to the territory of the Russian Federation. Abroad, the rights will be invalid even on the territory of Belarus, and the car owner will have to answer to the fullest extent of local laws. The international license is valid only if the national driver's license has not expired. Thus, it will not be possible to obtain new international rights based on automatically extended Russian rights.
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