When going to foreign countries on their long-awaited vacation, everyone wants to spend it as comfortably as possible. Car rental is perhaps one of the services that will help you do this. During tourist trips, a car will allow you to not depend on anyone and travel to places where tourists are not usually taken. Is it possible to drive abroad with a license issued in the Russian Federation?
Unfortunately, Russian military institutions are not recognized everywhere. Therefore, before leaving, it is better to get an international license so as not to get into an unpleasant situation later.
Currently, you can apply for an IDP through the website of state and municipal services. The registration procedure using this method will take a minimum of time. How to make international rights through State class=”aligncenter” width=”650″ height=”458″[/img]
Concept of international rights
An IDP is a document giving the right to drive a car in foreign countries. This type of document was introduced as a result of the signing of the Geneva Convention. In the countries that have signed it, such rights cannot be avoided.
Note! Without a basic driver's license, the IDP is not valid. Therefore, you need to take both this and this document on your trip.
In some countries that have signed the Vienna Convention, you can drive with a national license.
Important information! The validity period of the IDP depends on the validity period of the fundamental rights, that is, when replacing the national driver's license, international rights should also be replaced.
How to apply for an IDP through the website
It is very easy to submit an application through the information web resource. The main thing is that the account is verified. So, step-by-step instructions on how to obtain an international license in 2021 through State Services:
- Log in to your personal account on the portal by entering your username and password. If you are absent, register and confirm your identity at the MFC.
- Go to the “Transport” section and the “VU” item.
- On the next page, click on “Obtaining an IDP”.
- Next, you need to fill out an online application, where you must indicate the citizen’s personal data, information from the Russian passport and Russian driver’s license, and address of residence.
- Information from a medical certificate can also be provided (but this is not mandatory).
- The next point will be to select the date and department of the State Traffic Inspectorate, from where it will be more convenient to pick up the finished certificate.
- The traffic police department has been selected, then you must give permission to process personal data.
So, the application has been sent and queued. As soon as the application is reviewed and registered, the user will receive an invitation by email to the State Traffic Inspectorate office at the appointed time.
The letter will also contain a link for paying the state fee, by clicking on which you can immediately make the required contribution.
How to get an international driving license
Documents for IDP
Remember that an IDP is only valid if you have a regular Russian driver’s license, so you should always take them with you when traveling.
- Regular national driving license.
- Russian passport.
- 1 photo 3.5 by 4.5 on MATTE paper.
- Receipt of payment of state duty (not necessary if payment is made through State Services).
- A foreign passport for the correct spelling of the last name and first name (not necessary, you can simply tell them from memory how to write).
A driver's card from a driving school, a photocopy of a Russian passport, a medical certificate - none of this is needed. An important point - the photo must be on matte paper; gloss will not be accepted (I had to run to redo it). The background is light, but not necessarily straight white.
How to obtain an international license through State Services
When registering through State Services, the fee will not be 1600 rubles, but 1120 rubles.
Rights are issued for a period of 3 years, but not longer than the validity period of national rights. Therefore, if your regular driver's license expires earlier, it makes sense to change it first. True, they cannot be changed in advance. The categories in international law will be the same as in national law.
I make an IDP for reinsurance, so that when abroad I don’t have to talk to the police about the Vienna Convention. IDPs are inexpensive, they are done quickly, there is simply no point in taking risks. From experience, Thai traffic cops always want international ones. If someone suddenly has a regular ride, don’t listen, they were just lucky and this is an exception. In Italy they stopped me and also wanted an IDP. But when renting a car, I always show regular Russian ones and the rental companies don’t seem to care.
The entire registration process is described on the official website and there is also a button to receive this government service. I won’t tell you how to fill out the application, everything is extremely simple.
There is an important point that may not be obvious. The application form contains fields for a medical certificate, but you don’t need to fill them out! I specifically contacted technical support, 2 times. Once they told me that it was necessary, since there were fields, the second time that it was not necessary. I'm stubborn, yes, I didn't believe it the first time. But in any case, I checked everything - a medical certificate is still not needed!
No medical certificate needed!
It’s best to pay by card right there, through State Services. But not at once. First, you submit an application, then wait about a day until an email arrives with a request for payment. Only then will the “Pay” button appear in the application on the website.
It is best not to delay payment, because it takes 1-2 business days for the payment to arrive and be seen by the traffic police. That is why you do not need to bring any receipts for payment of the duty with you; traffic police officers must check everything themselves. But you can print out a receipt from the State Services if you are worried.
You arrive at the traffic police department at a specific appointed time. You choose the day and time in advance when filling out the application, usually 2 weeks from the date of submission. It's better not to be late. They call you on the spot, either by name, or by a coupon (you need to take it from the terminal). Last time there were a lot of people, so they called me 30 minutes later than my turn. And then I waited another 40 minutes while they processed it.
International driving license - what it looks like
Just in case, I remind you that you must have traveler’s medical insurance. My mega-post, you will learn the whole truth about insurance, I have been collecting information for years.
The whole truth about travel insurance →
Registration of an IDP without services
The state fee for issuing international rights is 1600 rubles. And if you are not going through State Services and paid for a receipt at Sberbank or a payment terminal, then you need to take it with you.
The process of obtaining international rights is quite simple, but you will have to go at least 2 times (how to simplify the task, see above). First, come to the traffic police department any day during business hours and take an electronic queue coupon for a specific day and time. Then come a second time and hand over your documents at one window, and at the other you receive ready-made IDPs. You will need to spend 20-60 minutes at the traffic police department.
As far as I understand, it will most likely not be possible to come on the same day. I mean, in the morning we take a ticket, in the evening we come by appointment. But it probably all depends on the specific department and its workload.
When you’re at the traffic police, keep your eyes open on the screen where the electronic queue numbers appear one after another, and don’t wait until they announce it over the speakerphone. I almost missed my turn (listening to the numbers rather than looking at the screen) because they announced everyone except those with international rights. This may not happen in all traffic police departments, but keep it in mind.
Automatic machine issuing electronic queue coupons
Receipt for payment of duty and time stamp
Electronic queue, everyone sits and waits
The traffic police departments currently do not have machines for paying state fees, so you will have to go to Sberbank or somewhere else where there is a machine. Along with the traffic police ticket, I immediately took the receipt (so as not to look for details on the Internet), and drove it to Sberbank, since I still had to wait.
By using State Services in advance, you can simplify your life. Firstly, register with the traffic police without leaving your home, and secondly, get a receipt and pay the fee online. Then there will be even fewer body movements.
Which traffic police department issues international licenses?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to obtain international driving licenses at any branch in Moscow. At the time of writing this post, the list is as follows.
- Moscow, Solntsevo, st. 50th anniversary of October, building 6, building 1
- Troitsk, st. Oktyabrsky Prospekt, 20 (3rd floor, window No. 1)
- Zelenograd, st. Krupskaya, 1
- Moscow, st. Kominterna, 38/1
- Moscow, st. Pyalovskaya, 21
- Moscow, st. Tvardovskogo, 8, building 5
- Moscow, st. Sadovaya-Samotechnaya, 1
- Moscow, st. Varshavskoe highway no. 170 D
- Moscow, st. Lower Fields, 35 building 2 (window 2, 3)
- Moscow, st. Vernisazhnaya, building 1, building 1
- Moscow, st. Lobnenskaya, 20
- Moscow, st. Nagatinskaya, 27k2, window 3, 4, 5
- Moscow, st. Bolshaya Kosinskaya, 1B
I drive my license all the time in Varshavka, it’s the closest place for me to go. The list may change, so check it on the government services website on the application page. At the end of the application form there is a current map with the addresses of branches where you can obtain an international driving license. True, the addresses are displayed clumsily... Government services are like that, yes.
Parking near the traffic police on Varshavskoe highway 170D, hmm...
How long will it take to process the document and the cost of the state duty?
The fee is 1600 rubles.
Important! When paying the mandatory contribution online through the State Services portal, users are given a 30 percent discount. That is, you will need to pay 1,120 rubles for the IDP.
An application submitted through the State Services website must be registered within 15 minutes. And personal data is checked by State Traffic Inspectorate employees within 1 hour.
Failure and possible problems
Why they may refuse to issue an international license through the State Services portal:
- the applicant's age is less than 21 years;
- the citizen has been deprived of his driver's license;
- the applicant is convicted of forging or stealing documents;
- erroneous or inaccurate information has been entered.
If the applicant is sure that none of these points have been violated, but problems still exist, it is possible that the information was provided in violation of the regulations:
- the application registration deadlines were not met;
- there is no opportunity to correct typos when entering data;
- additional payment was required;
- documents were requested that were not included in the list of required documents in PP No. 1097.
If the applicant was denied an IDP without legal grounds or there were other violations of the law during the provision of the service, the citizen can write a complaint on the Unified Portal of State Services.
Where are international licenses issued?
To obtain a ready-made driver's license, you must visit the traffic police department that was selected when filling out the application.
You must take with you to the State Traffic Inspectorate office:
- Russian Federation passport.
- National rights.
- Photo 3.5*4.5 cm (necessarily matte).
- Military ID (for military personnel).
- International passport.
Within 1–2 hours, employees will check the documents and issue the citizen with an internationally recognized document.
other methods
Using the State Services information portal, applying for an IDP takes a minimum of time; you do not need to visit the department in person.
If it is not possible to fill out an application through an information web resource for some reason, this can be done in other ways:
- Personally visiting the traffic police with all the required documents. But this procedure will take quite a lot of time, since you will have to stand in a live queue for a long time and wait until the employees check the documents and issue the finished document.
- In multifunctional centers. But the registration procedure will take from 3 to 7 days, since the MFC is only an intermediary between the citizen and the State Traffic Inspectorate.
There are several ways to apply for an IDP. But the simplest and most optimal way is to obtain an international driver’s license through State Services. The convenience lies in the fact that a citizen can apply for an IDP in a convenient environment and indicate a free date to visit the department. To obtain an international driver's license through State Services, you must have an account in the “Verified” status.
Disadvantages and advantages
The government services portal is in great demand among the population. Almost all documents can be issued through the website, including an international driver's license. It is worth talking about the pros and cons of this method.
Flaws:
- It is impossible to obtain an IDP without a Russian driver's license;
- if a citizen already has a driver's license, he will have to additionally obtain an international driver's license;
- international rights are issued through a government agency, but they do not give the right to use them as the main document when driving a car; In essence, this is a translation of a foreign language into a foreign language according to a model.
It is impossible to obtain an IDP without a Russian driver's license.
Advantages:
- despite a number of requirements, the driver can easily fulfill them, especially since obtaining an IDP will not oblige him to retake the exam;
- payment of state duty with a 30% discount;
- saving time.
