Is it necessary to change Ukrainian licenses to Russian ones?

Legal framework for replacing a Ukrainian driver’s license in the Russian Federation

The admission of persons to drive vehicles is regulated by clause 12 of Art. 25 of Law No. 196-FZ of December 10, 1995. It states that driving a vehicle is possible with a Russian national driver’s license or international documents. In this case, it is necessary to comply with the restrictions. These restrictions are listed in paragraph 13 of Article 25 of Law No. 196-FZ of December 10, 1995. These include a ban on driving a vehicle with these documents when carrying out labor or business activities related to driving. But there are nuances here too. For example, when checking the documents provided, the driver has the right to work with a temporary permit, the validity of which is limited to 2 months.

Can a foreign citizen obtain a driver's license in Russia?

Undoubtedly, a foreign driver's license is an official document authorizing the driving of a vehicle, but even if it is available, a visiting person does not have the right to drive on the territory of the Russian Federation. This is due to the fact that in Russia such a document has no legal significance.

As I noted earlier, replacing the driving license of another country with a Russian license is the responsibility of a foreign citizen, provided that he plans to drive a car in Russia. The key point that determines whether a foreigner can obtain a permit in the Russian Federation is his current status.

If he came to Russia for a short time, limited to 90 days from the moment of entry, then he should not change his driver’s license and, moreover, does not have any legal right to do so.

This opportunity appears to foreigners only after receiving a temporary residence permit or temporary residence permit. This means that it is possible to replace the certificate, and it does not matter at all what citizenship the foreigner has, as long as he complies with all the rules for carrying out such a replacement.

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Reasons for exchanging Ukrainian rights in the Russian Federation

If the lines of the document are duplicated in Latin, then the owner of the license can freely travel through the territory of the Russian Federation. But to work as a driver, a Ukrainian will have to change his license. For employment in the Russian Federation, the rights of the country in which Russian is recognized as the official language are suitable . Ukraine is not one of them. Therefore, residents of Ukraine are forced to change their rights if they come to the Russian Federation for the purpose of employment.

The only condition that allows you to carry out professional activities in vehicle management is obtaining Russian citizenship.

Important! The validity period of Ukrainian rights on the territory of the Russian Federation corresponds to the period of legal stay of a foreigner in Russia.

Therefore, when visiting the country as a guest, the license is valid for 90 days. As soon as a citizen of Ukraine receives a residence permit, the replacement of rights becomes mandatory.

In what case do you need to change permissions?

Issues related to the replacement of rights depend on the status that the foreigner received in our state:

1. If he plans to stay in the Russian Federation for a short time (maximum 90 days), then he can use his documents and drive a car.
2. If a foreigner has a residence permit or a temporary residence permit in the country, then he can obtain a Russian and then an IDP. He has 60 days from the date of issue of the permit for legal stay in the Russian Federation to replace the documents. If the document was issued at the consulate, then this period is counted from the moment of crossing the border.

If a foreign driver's license is not replaced with a Russian one, it will be considered invalid after two months. According to Part 1 of Article 12.7 of the Administrative Code, a fine of 15,000 rubles is charged for driving without a license.

But there is an exception to this order. As of June 1, 2021, there is a law prohibiting the use of driver’s licenses of residents of other states who work in Russia as professional drivers. In this case, regardless of when you plan to obtain Russian citizenship, you need to find out immediately how to change your driver’s license.

This requirement does not apply to Belarusians. They can work as drivers with a valid license.

It is very important to comply with the laws of the country in which you work or temporarily stay. Therefore, the issue of changing rights must be taken seriously. To quickly and easily obtain new documents, you can contact intermediaries. They will provide assistance in replacing a driver's license to foreign citizens for a fee. But the client will definitely be sure that all the paperwork is completed correctly.

The nuances of exchanging Ukrainian rights for Russian ones

Only those driving documents that in Russia comply with the requirements of international treaties are subject to exchange. These types of agreements include the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of November 8, 1968. Ukraine is included in the list of participating countries (signatories) of the agreement. Therefore, the exchange of Ukrainian rights for Russian ones is possible in any region of the Russian Federation. To do this, the driver will need to go through:

• theoretical testing;
• practical exam in the traffic police.

No course training is required. Only drivers who have received a license in countries with which there is no international agreement in the field of road safety undergo the initial training stage. They will need to undergo training at a driving school and pass qualifying exams.

Replacement of foreign rights

Regardless of why you need to replace the rights of a foreign citizen with Russian ones, such a procedure can cause a number of difficulties. To avoid most of them, you can contact our company. We will help you resolve almost all issues that may arise during the process of obtaining a license from the traffic police. At the same time, our specialists will be able to undergo absolutely all procedures that do not require your direct presence.

Description of the procedure

If your license meets the requirements of the Vienna Convention, then there is no need to study at a driving school. Otherwise, the replacement of a foreign driver's license with a Russian one is not carried out (you must obtain a license from scratch).

The provisions of this paragraph do not apply to citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as citizens of states whose legislation establishes the use of Russian as the official language, carrying out business and labor activities on the territory of the Russian Federation, directly related to driving vehicles.

3. Call the helpline located on the police vehicle. Report that the traffic police officer is restricting your right to drive a car in violation of current legislation. It is quite possible that this call will be enough to stop the evacuation.

What foreign driver's licenses can be used in the Russian Federation?

• A foreign driver's license that does not indicate a validity period, which complies with the Vienna Convention on all other points.
• Foreign licenses issued before March 28, 2021 and corresponding to the previous version of Annex 6 to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
• Foreign licenses issued before March 28, 2021 and written in Russian or accompanied by a certified translation into Russian.
• A foreign certificate issued by a state that has not signed the Vienna Convention, all entries in which are made in letters of the Latin or Russian alphabet or accompanied by a certified translation.

And it is prohibited to drive a vehicle on the basis of a foreign driving license in cases of entrepreneurial or labor activity related to the transportation of goods or passengers. In this case, you need to undergo training at a driving school.

Foreign driving licenses that comply with Annex 6 of the Vienna Convention on Road Safety can be exchanged for a Russian national driving license. Otherwise, it will not be possible to exchange your driving license; you will need to undergo training at a Russian driving school and pass exams on a general basis.

Can any foreign driver's license be exchanged?

Many foreign citizens have come to Russia in recent years. Many of them have already begun the procedure for registering civil relations with our country. Often such citizens are faced with the need to exchange a foreign driver’s license for a Russian national one. Our citizens who received a driver’s license abroad face the same problem. If you know the entire procedure for exchanging a foreign driving license for a national Russian ID, then this will not become a problem at all.

I would like to note that when replacing a foreign driver’s license with a Russian one, you need to take into account an important feature. If several categories are open in a foreign certificate, then you only need to take the exams for the highest category.

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“It is not allowed to drive vehicles on the basis of foreign national or international driver’s licenses when carrying out business and labor activities directly related to driving vehicles.”

List of documents required to change a driver's license.

After performing the maneuvers, the candidate for a Russian driver's license undergoes a driving test within the framework of a city route, the direction of which is developed by officials of the registration authority.

Starting next year, changes will come into effect that will greatly facilitate the process of replacing a driver’s license. Motorists must undergo a medical examination every 10 years. For this you can use both public and private hospitals. The cost of a medical examination depends on your place of residence. To obtain a medical certificate, you must present: passport, driver's license, military ID, SNILS and compulsory medical insurance policy.

According to the law, driver's licenses are valid for 10 years. After this time, you must submit an application to the relevant authorities. Replacement of a certificate can occur for a certain number of legal reasons, including:

When do you need to change permissions?

• Loss of driving license.
• Mechanical damage to the ID, as well as damage to it using chemicals. Under these circumstances, the driver needs to go to the traffic police.
• When changing category.
• A deteriorating health of the driver is considered a serious reason for replacing the driver's license. This refers to a hearing or visual impairment. If the driver continues to drive his car under these circumstances, he will be subject to a significant fine.

• contact the traffic police in person, which will significantly shorten the replacement procedure. In this case, the entire process will take no more than 1-2 hours;
• use the service of the State Services website, where you can not only make an appointment, but also submit an application. The advantage of this method is that when using this service when replacing rights in 2021, you can achieve significant savings, since when paying the state fee through the State Services website, users are given an additional discount;
• at the nearest MFC office, which is not always convenient for citizens. It is worth choosing this application option only if the car enthusiast is not limited in time and can wait 7-10 days for the issuance of a new license. This period is due to the fact that the MFC is only authorized to accept and check citizens’ documents, while the functions of replacing driver’s licenses are still assigned to the traffic police.

It should be noted that the rule according to which the term of a new certificate, which was issued to replace the old one (if lost), always corresponded to the term of the original document, has lost its relevance. Now, in such situations, licenses are immediately issued for 10 years.

How to replace your license in 2021

Legislators also provided for the possibility of early replacement of certificates: if for some reason this needs to be done before the expiration of the deadline, it is enough to contact the traffic police, provide the necessary documents and pay the required fees.

I live in Moldova. A long business trip to Russia is ahead. How long can I drive with a Moldovan license? If I change them to Russian ones, how can I then get my Moldovan ones back so I can drive in my homeland?

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Stages of the procedure for replacing Ukrainian rights with Russian ones in 2021

The driver can make a replacement at any traffic police department. For citizens of Ukraine there is a separate requirement - you can only apply to the department at your place of temporary stay or residence. If a Ukrainian receives Russian citizenship, the procedure is simplified. In this case, perform the following steps step by step:

1. Find out information about the travel ban on the nevylet.rf service. The list of data includes information about debt for any debts - credit, housing and communal services, alimony, administrative fines. Information about a ban on flying abroad (if any) is also provided.
2. Provide the traffic police department with a package of documents necessary for re-registration of Ukrainian rights
3. Submit a Ukrainian driver's license. If its form does not comply with international standards, then it is necessary to provide a copy translated into Russian with the certification signature of a notary.

For residence permit holders, a copy of the registration certificate is additionally required . If everything is in order with the documents, the driver receives a referral to take the exam.

List of documents for the legal exchange of rights

Before submitting your application, you must prepare the following documents:

1. Original and copy of passport. The main page and the registration sheet must be photocopied.
2. Statement of the established form with completed lines.
3. A certificate from the driver's medical commission, which must indicate that the driver is approved to operate a vehicle of the required category. The commission must be completed only at a medical institution in the Russian Federation; if the certificate is issued in Ukraine, it is considered invalid. A certificate in the Russian Federation can also be issued by a private clinic with the appropriate license.
4. A driver's license that is subject to replacement. If the form does not meet international requirements, then simultaneously with a copy in Russian and a notary’s seal.
5. Confirmation of payment of the state duty in the amount of 2000 rubles.

Important! Although the document confirming payment of the state fee has no official expiration date, it is still recommended to reissue the driver’s license within the financial year.

When replacing a license on the Crimean peninsula, driving experience is taken into account. If it is more than 3.5 years old, then a certificate of passing the exam is not required.

Important! After the replacement, the driver is given a Ukrainian driver’s license back.

This requirement is stated in paragraph 43 of the Government of the Russian Federation Resolution No. 1097 of October 24, 2014.

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Rules for taking the exam

The examination procedure includes certain rules. Qualification tests include two sections:

• theoretical, during which knowledge of traffic rules is tested;
• practical, determining the candidate’s ability to apply knowledge on the race track and in the city.

When passing the practical part of the exam, the main attention of traffic police officers is aimed at identifying the applicant’s various skills - a sense of the dimensions of the vehicle, the ability to maneuver in heavy traffic, driving experience.

A candidate with a Ukrainian driving license may have several categories open. In this case, he takes the exam in the highest category. After successfully passing the exam, he receives a Russian driving license with the appropriate category.

Time frame for replacing a Ukrainian driver's license

For drivers who do not intend to work in the Russian Federation, an exchange of licenses is not provided . If a citizen of Ukraine plans to temporarily or permanently settle in Russia, then he cannot do without going through the procedure. The validity period of the documents depends on what documents the applicant has.

In addition to the fact that it is possible to exceed the established time limits, there are reasons for refusing to exchange the Ukrainian driver's license for the rights of the Russian Federation.

When is replacement needed?

To the question whether it is possible for foreigners to work in Russia as a professional driver, there is a clear answer. Citizens of the CIS are strictly prohibited from driving on Russian roads without the appropriate permission from the traffic police.

You can travel by personal transport. Labor and commercial activities are not allowed.

Any foreign driver can have 3 types of driver’s license “in the glove compartment”:

• Russian national rights;
• international law;
• driver's license of the state where the citizen is registered.

So, if a migrant is a citizen of another state and does not perform commercial tasks, which is easily confirmed by documents, he remains able to travel without registration with the inspectorate.

When stopped by traffic cops during execution, you must present an international or national license.

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Situation – a foreigner performs entrepreneurial or labor activity

Already in 2013, amendments appeared that do not allow employers to hire migrants without Russian rights and without Russian citizenship (temporary or permanent).

The same applies to the organization of an individual entrepreneur by a foreign citizen, the main area of ​​which is considered to be driving a vehicle.

Possible areas of activity:

• cargo transportation;
• passenger transportation;
• excavation;
• Taxi;
• management of special equipment during road works;
• control of machines when organizing construction work.

Situation – a foreign employee is registered temporarily and is engaged in activities related to driving a vehicle

Law 196 “On Road Traffic Safety” prescribes procedures for obtaining a certificate in the case where a foreign citizen plans to obtain permanent residence in the Russian Federation.

For those who temporarily live and work, it is enough to present documents of international standard.

The grace period lasts no more than 60 days. After 2 months, the employee should either leave Russia or arrange for Russian documents to be processed.

Only their new Russian rights will be valid for exactly as long as the migrant intends to live on the territory of our state.

On the other hand, a minimum of Russian citizens are employed in passenger transportation in the city of Moscow alone. Migrants allow us to compensate for the lack of professionals. And not only in this area.

Statistics show that the accident rate on Russian roads is increasing due to “foreign” citizens.

Considering that road accidents involving foreign citizens are not uncommon, Russian legislators decided to limit the number of people from the former CIS republics coming to Russia “to earn money.”

Legislative acts have been adopted since 2013, which contributed to the outflow of labor.

In order to preserve professionals who once received a driver's license in the territory of the former USSR, the Government is delaying the adoption of amendments regulating the receipt of a Russian-style driver's license.

The last date to which the deadline for taking action has been postponed is June 01, 2021.

Read about driving licenses after 60 years of age here.