How to find your old driver's license number after replacement

What can you check in the traffic police database?

By entering the number and series of the driver's license in the online service of the traffic police database provided for Internet users, you can find out the following information:

who owns the rights;
validity period of rights;
what category(ies) is open to the driver;
driver's place of birth and date;
the place where the certificate was issued;
whether the driver has any fines for road trips;
authenticity of driver's license and more.

This check can be performed by going to the traffic police website, selecting your region and following the following links:

The Services tab in the main Menu contains the required item – “Driver Verification”.
On the page that opens, you need to fill in all active lines, including entering the series and VU number in the required field.
Write your email address in the appropriate field, where the response will be sent later.
Then you should enter a verification code (it checks whether a robot is operating on the site), the so-called “captcha”.
The last step is to click the “Check Driver’s License” button.

Note! If you need free legal advice to reinstate, replace or obtain a driver's license (or other license-related issues), then you can also use the websites of various legal consultants.

A free consultation may include finding reliable information about the series and number of the VU.

Samples of VU operating in Russia

Drivers have 4 types:

paper ID of the old form;
old plastic VU;
rights of the new sample of the old edition;
updated new licenses.

Now you can get a new sample of the latest edition of the holder of license. It was established by the Ministry of Internal Affairs on May 13, 2009.

On them you can see the date of issue of rights and assignment of categories.

Old

A series of driver's licenses on old models consists of letters of the Russian alphabet, and only those that can be replaced with Latin ones. These VUs differ in that:

Does not contain a barcode;
Information about the owner is indicated in Russian;
Contains a total of 9 categories;
The photograph on the license must be in color and against any background.

The validity period of the rights is 10 years. If you don’t know how many digits are in the old license number, there are six of them.

Sample:

Pay attention! Drivers who are allowed to drive a car with an automatic transmission are prohibited from driving a car with a manual transmission. The old-style form cannot indicate this feature; its structure does not provide for this.

Some drivers ask the question: “Can car owners from Kazakhstan drive a vehicle on the territory of the Russian Federation?” Yes, they can, this is determined by the Vienna Convention.

New

The new sample form is made in the form of a small card with specific dimensions of 8.56 x 5.4 cm and slightly rounded corners. It is made of moisture-resistant and relatively fire-resistant material.

On the front side you can see all the information about the owner of the device, as well as:

the date when the rights were issued;
until what year, month and date are they valid;
management categories for which the driver studied.

On the reverse side are located:

graphic information (barcode);
a table showing all possible categories of rights;
the date when the driver passed the exam for a particular category;
year, date and month of expiration of the ability to manage the car category;
a column with specified restrictions regarding the management of a particular category of car;
rights identifier.

Important! The driver's photo should not include glasses, hats, etc.

How to find out the number and series of the old VU

There are ways to find out the number and series of your previous driver's license without using the Internet:

Look at the card you received after graduating from driving school.
Check your insurance policy if, when you issued it, you limited the number of drivers who can drive the car. Such data is indicated in a separate paragraph in the table: the left column contains the citizen’s full name, the right column contains the series and number of the certificate.
Show up with your passport to the traffic police department that issued the document.
Send a request to the traffic police - for this you need to fill out an application and send it. The answer will come in 2 weeks.
Before replacing the old VU, make a photocopy of it and store it among your documents.
Contact your old place of work, if such information was provided there at one time.
Use data from old administrative protocols on violations.
Look at the back of the new driver's license if the change was made due to an increase in the number of driving categories. On the back to the right of their name is the date of issue of the certificate. However, it will not be possible to determine the number and series in this way.

Appearance of the new driver's license

What does a 2014 driver's license look like? This is a plastic card that is covered with watermarks on both sides. The surface color of the watermarks is pink, turning into a light blue tone.

The front side of the ID contains a photograph of the owner and personal information:

his name, surname and patronymic;
date and place of birth;
location;
date of issue and expiration of the document.

Series location and numbers

Where is the driver's license number written? It is located both on the front and back of the document, where it is located:

barcode with information about the owner;
permitted categories and subcategories, their validity periods.

The document number is applied using a luminescent composition. On the reverse side, the series and number of the driver's license are printed in large numbers under the list of permitted categories and subcategories of transport.

Is it possible to find out the license number by last name?

There are times when it is necessary to find out the existence and/or validity of a VU. Example – a driver has lost his documents and needs to have his license restored. To do this, he must receive an extract confirming that the lost driving license document has been identified in the traffic police database. Such verification is not available on the official website.

How to find out your driver's license number by last name? The most reliable way is to submit a written request to the state traffic inspectorate. But you will have to wait several days for an answer.

You will receive information faster through the State Traffic Inspectorate website by email. To do this you need:

Go to the traffic police website.
Select “Reception of requests” in the side menu “Online services of the traffic police”, which is located on the right.

Click the button “Proceed to fill out the application form” at the bottom of the page.
Fill out a short application form, enter the numbers shown in the picture and submit.
Provide your email address.

It is also impossible to find a driver’s license number by last name on the website of the Russian Union of Automobile Insurers (RUA). But you can check whether your driving license is valid. To do this, you need to go to the site page and follow a simple algorithm of actions:

Fill out the fields of the form, indicating the series and number of your driver's license.

Confirm that the action is performed by a person and not a computer.
Click the “Search” button below.

If the system accepts the entered information and begins to process it, the driver's license is in the database.

Replacing a driver's license: Video

Some driver's license data is published on the updated driver's license in a single copy, but the series and number are placed on both sides.

The driver's license number is written in paragraph 5, on the main side or at the bottom right, on the back side. You will see a number delimited by two spaces; the last 6 characters are the ones you are looking for.

The driver's license series can be viewed there, in item 5 of the list. The series is encoded in the first four characters.

The initial two digits encrypt the region where the document was issued. An example of a VU number is shown in the photo below:

Using identification information, you can see whether the owner of the driving license has been deprived of his rights (the processing time can take several hours), and whether there are any unpaid fines.

Starting from 2014, all Russian drivers, if desired, can change their license and receive a driver’s license of a new design.

How do they differ from the old, time-tested rights? If they have advantages over the old IDs?

New driver's licenses are produced in accordance with international requirements.
The new ID is equipped with many degrees of protection; the document cannot be faked.
No information on the certificate is erased and remains in its original form until the expiration date.

What is the series and number of a driver's license

Forms of documents of strict reporting, i.e. movements, reception, issue, replacement of which must be constantly monitored, have special identification marks. They can consist of letters and numbers. Their number and alternation depend on the required degree of complexity of the cipher, the information included in the code and other interests of the organization entrusted with control of the circulation of documents.

Similar samples can be seen on forms of passports of general civil, foreign, vehicles (PTS), registration certificates, paper money, sick leave. Wherever protection against counterfeiting and ensuring other interests are required, systematized alphanumeric designations of the series and number are placed in a certain way.

How to find out information without a license

If you have lost or damaged your license, and you urgently need the details, you can find them out in one of the following ways:

State Services , a portal that is used for many operations. When registering on the site, you can, among other personal data, enter the details of your VU. If you lose your VP, you can find the necessary information in your personal account at any time. The peculiarity of this method is that it is necessary to take care of the possibility of searching for data in advance.
Agreement with an insurance company. You can view both the paper version and the electronic version. In the first case, it is enough to find your copy of the agreement; in the second, look at your computer or phone in which the electronic agreement is stored. This method is suitable if you need details of your rights, and if you need the details of someone else’s document, they can be found in this way only if limited insurance was taken out and only if this person is allowed to drive a vehicle.
Territorial division of the traffic police. Here you need to present your passport and write an application to provide the necessary data. In this way, you can find out the details of only your VU. Information will be provided to a third party only if there is a power of attorney from the owner.
Protocol on administrative violation . The necessary information will be indicated in the “Driver’s license (identity document)” column. You can use this method both if you need to obtain information from your driving license, and when searching for information about the driver who committed the violation.

You can also contact your employer (if your work activity involves driving a vehicle) or make a copy of the driver’s license in advance so that, if necessary, you can find the necessary information.

Important! It is impossible to find out the details of a stranger’s rights from their full name or passport details.

An example of searching for the series and number of a territorial license when filling out a form

Citizen V. was selling a car, and the purchase and sale agreement required the series and license number to be indicated. While filling out his details, he discovered that he had forgotten them at home.

In order not to delay the transaction, citizen V. logged into his personal account on the State Services portal from his phone and found out the necessary information. Thus, he did not have to waste time, and the contract was signed in a timely manner.

Getting a number using insurance

Searching for information about the driving license number in the OSAGO or CASCO form implies the ability to fill out an electronic insurance form. After going to the official website of the insurance company, you are authorized and logged into your personal account. There is a section “My contracts”. Information about all issued policies is stored there. Insurance is available for the required period. After opening it, the necessary information is displayed in the “Driver’s License” field. You can also find the information you need on a paper form in the “Driver’s License” field. If necessary, you can contact the insurer directly. When visiting the insurance company in person, you must bring identification documents and a valid driver's license with you.