The lawyer explained the new procedure for extending car rights in 2026

Starting from the new year in Russia, the mechanism of automatic renewal of driver's licenses is terminated. Starting from January 1, 2026, it will be impossible to replace the license without personally contacting government agencies — drivers will have to undergo a medical examination, confirm their identity and apply for a new document. Azamat Zhigatov, a lawyer at the Moscow Bar Association, told Izvestia about this.

"Since the beginning of 2022, the validity period of national driver's licenses in Russia has been extended automatically. Such an anti-crisis measure was associated with the consequences of the pandemic and the high burden on government agencies. However, this order has changed since April 1, 2025. The Interior Ministry explained this by stabilizing the system and the need to monitor the health of drivers," Zhigatov said.

The expert stressed that the automatic renewal applies only to those rights that expired from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2025. Such certificates were automatically renewed for three years. But drivers whose documents expire after December 31, 2025, need to prepare for replacement in advance, according to the usual rules.

"Drivers whose licenses expire after 12/31/2025 should already be processing the necessary documents: undergo a medical examination, get a certificate, submit an application through Gosuslugi or the traffic police and pay the state fee," the lawyer emphasized.

The State Traffic Inspectorate clarified the amount of new duties

According to Zhigatov, the tightening of the order is due to the need for regular monitoring of the health status of drivers. This is an important element of ensuring road safety.

The expert recalled that driving a car with expired rights would entail administrative liability.: According to Article 12.7 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, the fine ranges from 5,000 to 15,000 rubles.

Additionally, drivers should consider the new cost of replacing their ID card. Starting from September 1, 2025, the state duty for national rights has been increased to 4 thousand rubles.

For more information, see the Izvestia article.

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