List of documents for obtaining an international driving license

What is an international driving license

You have already received a Russian driver's license, purchased a car after checking its history in advance, and now you want to acquire an international license. What is the document? This is an A6 booklet approved by international law in Russian and English with a photograph, indicating the driver’s data, as well as the categories of vehicles that he can drive.

What is an international standard university?

Some drivers are confident that the new license gives the right to drive a car outside of Russia. This is wrong. The IDP form is approved by paragraph No. 41 of the Vienna Convention. It is stated here that countries party to international agreements recognize driver's licenses drawn up in the national language or one of the dialects used, which comply with the provisions and requirements of this convention.

Based on these principles, an international driver's license is a fold-out booklet containing a photograph of the owner and indicating the categories of vehicles that the driver can drive. The data is entered in Russian and duplicated in English.

Sample document

Sample international driving license

Why do you need an international driving license?

An international license will come in handy if you are going to drive a car abroad or rent it there. In addition, with an international ID it is easy to book a hotel room and buy air tickets. This is the same document as a passport.

Also, you won’t have to argue with the foreign police once again about who is right and who is wrong. Since national rights do not apply everywhere in practice, it is easier to have international ones.

Also read: What does an international driving license look like?

Which countries require international law?

First, let’s figure out what document and when the sample of international rights was approved.

Back in 1949, 96 countries signed the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. The paper was created for the purpose of ease of movement within the territories of countries that signed the convention. The document approved a unified form of the card, the minimum age of the driver - 18 years, categories of vehicles, as well as the validity period of the international license.

Today international law is recognized in:

Dominican Republic;
Egypt;
India;
Cambodia;
China;
Cyprus;
the Netherlands;
USA;
Tunisia;
Turkey, etc.

A complete list of countries can be found on the United Nations website.

Also read: How to get an international driving license

At the same time, if you decide to drive with an international license, take Russian ones as well. Without them, an international certificate is considered invalid.

19 years after the signing of the convention in Geneva, 75 states have signed the new Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. This document was intended to make life even easier for motorists, as it allowed the use of national rights in the territory of the countries that signed the document.

For example, the Convention allowed Russians to drive a car in a number of countries with a Russian license. The list of those who signed includes countries of the former Soviet Union, for example: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, as well as countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Latin America, Africa and Western Europe. For a complete list of states, also see the UN website.

IMPORTANT! Countries that have not signed any conventions, by default, accept only documents approved by their own laws and regulations. But, fortunately, there are few such states.

Also read: Is it possible to get a license in another city?

Effect of international rights

Since a signed agreement is a prerequisite for legally driving a car abroad, it is necessary to understand the types of such agreements.

IMPORTANT !!! Today, the rules for driving a car are enshrined in the Vienna and Geneva Conventions. However, not all states have signed and ratified these agreements. Accordingly, they are not participants and the use of an international ID may be difficult.

Most likely, if the state has not ratified the convention, driving within the country is permitted only with the appropriate national certificate. This option is not very suitable for tourists, because it is unlikely that anyone will want to be specially trained in this.

The key difference between the Geneva and Vienna Conventions is the recognition of a particular driving license. According to the Vienna Convention, member states accept on their territory the national rights of other member countries. This convention came into force in 1977, and to date it has been ratified by 78 member states. Since it is recognized by most European countries, most often the national ID alone will be sufficient. The general list of countries is quite extensive, so it makes sense to name only a few examples (Germany, Poland, Portugal, Ukraine) and a huge number of others.

IMPORTANT !!! For participants in the convention, there are requirements that a driver's license must conform to a certain model. In Russia, such rights began to be issued in 2011. Therefore, all drivers who received a license after this date have the right to use it to drive a car in countries party to the Vienna Convention. If the license was obtained earlier, an international driver's license will be required.

An International Driving Permit is required to drive in countries party to the Geneva Convention. This agreement was concluded in 1949. It was also ratified by a large number of countries, but many later signed the Vienna Convention. With an international driver's license, a Russian citizen has the right to drive a car in any participating country (except Japan).

ATTENTION !!! Thus, today you can drive a car in a large number of countries only with a national document and you will not need to obtain additional international licenses. Most European countries recognize the Russian Federation certificate issued according to the new model. Old-style rights will be recognized only in conjunction with an international document.

You must obtain an international driver's license in the following cases:

if the national driving license was issued before 2011;
if you are planning a trip to a country where a national ID is not accepted;
to obtain a car rental from large organizations. This is not a rule, but it is used quite often, so it is recommended to learn about such features in advance.

International laws and popular holiday destinations

International laws apply in Thailand. Popular transport there is scooters or scooters. Many tourists say that it is easier to get a Thai license by spending a couple of days and 555 baht (including state duty, medical certificate and resident certificate) for category A/A1 - a little more than a thousand rubles. Although even at such prices, some people drive without a license at all...

You can drive on Turkish roads for six months with a national license, although the traffic police will ask for an international or local license. Moreover, rental offices may not ask for identification at all, considering all possible outcomes to be problems of the insurance company. Please note that after 6 months without the necessary rights, you will not receive an insurance payment.

International laws do not apply in China. But you can travel with Russians for 1-2 months. If you stay there longer, you will have to get a local driver's license.

On Indian soil, on the contrary, only international and local rights are recognized. You can't travel with Russians at all. Some manage to negotiate with traffic police for a few hundred rupees or even make their licenses in Photoshop... But we do not recommend going this route. This is illegal and unsafe.

On the roads of Eastern European countries, you will also be asked for international licenses. Moreover, in Belarus, for example, you can travel with a Russian ID for 3 months after receiving a Belarusian passport or residence permit. In Poland - six months. And in Bulgaria, national rights are valid for a year from the moment of entry into the country. After these deadlines, you need to take exams and obtain a local license.

Also read: How to get a motorcycle license

Where does the IDP operate?

The list of countries where you can use an international driver's license is approved by the provisions of the Vienna and Geneva conventions. Currently, the document is valid in the territory of the following states:

Austria;
Azerbaijan;
Armenia;
Bahamas;
Bahrain;
The Republic of Belarus;
Belgium;
Bulgaria;
Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Brazil;
Vatican;
Great Britain;
Hungary;
Venezuela;
Vietnam;
Guyana;
Ghana;
Germany;
Greece;
Georgia;
Denmark;
Zimbabwe;
Israel;
Indonesia;
Iraq;
Iran;
Spain;
Italy;
Congo;
Cape Verde;
Kazakhstan;
Qatar;
Kenya;
Kyrgyzstan;
Costa Rica;
Ivory Coast;
Korea;
Cubes;
Kuwait;
Latvia;
Lithuania;
Liberia;
Luxembourg;
Macedonia;
Morocco;
Mexico;
Moldova;
Monaco;
Mongolia;
the Netherlands;
Niger;
Nigeria;
Norway;
United Arab Emirates;
Pakistan;
Peru;
Poland;
Portugal;
Russia;
Romania;
San Marino;
Saudi Arabia;
Seychelles;
Senegal;
Serbia;
Slovakia;
Slovenia;
Tajikistan;
Thailand;
Taiwan;
Tunisia;
Turkey;
Turkmenistan;
Uzbekistan;
Ukraine;
Uruguay;
Philippines;
Finland;
France;
Croatia;
Central African Republic;
Montenegro;
Czech Republic;
Chile;
Switzerland;
Sweden;
Ecuador;
South Africa.

Citizens over the age of 18 can obtain an international driver's license. Let us add that along with the IDP it is necessary to present national rights.

When considering the issue of driving abroad, it is important to take into account the fact that not all countries have joined international agreements. Therefore, in the territory of countries that have not signed the Vienna and Geneva Conventions, the IDP has no legal force. Here tourists will have to take an exam and receive a driver’s license approved in the country. Otherwise, you cannot drive the car.

What you might encounter in practice

If you have an old Russian license issued before 2011, foreign inspectors will not accept it. In 2006, an addition to the Vienna Convention was issued, according to which rights must be indicated in numbers, and there must be a barcode on the card itself. The old ID does not have this. It can, of course, “take a ride,” but it’s better not to risk it.

Even if you have a new Russian driver's license, they may require international licenses abroad. They are often asked when you need a rental car or when it comes to paying out insurance.

It often happens that in states where only international certificates must be accepted, they agree to check national ones and, vice versa. For example, a traffic policeman from the USA will ask for your Russian license, although the States have signed the Geneva Convention, which allows only international ones.

An interesting situation in Italy. The country has signed both conventions, which means any rights are accepted there. But rental shops ask for international ones. Therefore, you need to be ready to defend your case or simply have an international ID.

Also read: Documents for obtaining a driver's license

Adviсe

Experts and experienced drivers suggest doing 3 things before driving abroad:

Search the forums and find out where problems with rights arose and how the matter ended.
Apply for an international driver's card if your Russian license is an old model.
If the country you are visiting has not signed the Vienna Convention, this does not mean that it has signed the Geneva Convention. You need to check both lists of countries on the UN website.

The main thing is to try not to take risks. It’s easier to make the necessary document and not worry than to wait for it to work out.

How and where to apply for an international certificate

To register your rights, you need only five documents:

Russian passport;
international passport;
Russian driver's license;
receipt of payment of duty - 1600 rubles;
photo.

Take the papers to the central department of the road inspection or find out which departments can issue licenses, or contact the MFC. Another way to obtain a certificate is through the State Services portal.

It is important to remember that international rights, according to the terms of the Convention, are valid only for 3 years. If you drive a car abroad often, during the 10 years of validity of your Russian license, change your international license 3-4 times.

Also read: How to sign up for a license through State Services

How to get an international driving license in Moscow?

To obtain an international certificate you will not need to spend a lot of time. The whole procedure is simple and only requires providing the necessary list of papers. On average, the registration procedure does not take much time.

To complete the document, you must contact the relevant government authorities.

Where to contact?

To complete it, you need to collect a package of documents and submit it to the relevant government agencies.

You can apply for the service using several methods:

To the Multifunctional Center (My Documents).
Through the government services portal.
By contacting the relevant traffic police department in person.

The procedure for obtaining it is the same everywhere; you must submit an application using any of the listed methods.

In the first case, a personal visit to the multifunctional center or the My Documents center will be necessary. In which to submit an application and provide all the necessary papers.

After completing the application procedure, MFC employees will set a date for the next visit. At this time, they will carry out all the necessary actions to complete the document.

When applying through the government services portal, you will need to fill out an electronic application form, as well as attach copies of all the necessary documents to it. This information portal will also set a date and place for visiting the authority, where it will be possible to obtain ready-made international laws.

The third method differs only in the addressee. The application is submitted to one of four traffic police departments, which are located at:

Zelenograd, st. Krupskaya, 1
Varshavskoe highway 170D
Troitsk, Oktyabrsky Prospekt, 20
st. 2nd Izmailovsky Menagerie, 2a
st. Bolshaya Ordynka, 8
st. Kyiv, 20
st. Lobnenskaya, 20
st. Nagatinskaya, 27, building 2
st. Nizhnie fields, 35 building 2
st. Pyalovskaya, 21
st. Tvardovskogo, 8, bldg. 5

At the same time, the application for its receipt is accompanied by a list of documents that must be attached for registration.

List of documents for obtaining rights

The list of documents that are required includes various information information, such as:

application for issuance of an international driving license;
identification document;
national format rights;
photo 35x45 mm;
original and copy of receipt for payment of state duty.

Cost of issuing international licenses

According to the rules of law governing these legal relations, the cost of providing the service includes only the state fee.

The state fee is 1600 rubles. At the same time, by paying through the government services portal, you can get a 30% discount, taking into account which the fee will be 1,120 rubles.

Required time for production of licenses

To produce this type of document, it does not take much time. Usually, this happens within one business day. Having arrived at the MFC or the traffic police department and submitted the necessary list of documents, the inspector will set a time to come.

From experience, it is known that depending on the traffic police department, the time takes from 20 minutes to 1 hour. This time is necessary to verify the provided data with the information contained in the traffic police databases.