Is it legal for a citizen of the Russian Federation to have a Ukrainian driver’s license?

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.

Is it legal to use Ukrainian rights in the Russian Federation in 2021?

In total, in world practice it is customary to rely on two documents regulating road traffic. These are the Geneva and Vienna Conventions. The first stipulates that to drive in a country that has signed this document, you need an international license. But the signatories of the Vienna Convention accept drivers with their native, national licenses on their territory.

Accordingly, in order to understand whether a Ukrainian driver’s license can be used in Russia, you should find out what international legal acts the neighboring country has ratified. And to the delight of motorists, it is a signatory to the Vienna Convention, just as the Russian Federation once joined this agreement.

Accordingly, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to drive a car in Russia with a Ukrainian license lies on the surface. When coming from this state, motorists can present their national identification card. True, we are talking about samples where the information is duplicated in Latin.

Work for drivers with a Ukrainian license

Often guests from neighboring countries come to the Russian Federation for the purpose of employment. Why not try your hand at activities that involve driving a vehicle, if you have such skills and legal grounds? But is it possible to work in Russia with Ukrainian rights in 2021?

The answer to this question is not simple. In June 2021, amendments were made to the law regulating aspects of road safety in the Russian Federation. Including those relating to the fact that you cannot work as a driver if a foreigner has a national driver’s license.

But it is immediately said that there are exceptions to the rule. For example, it is made for immigrants from Kyrgyzstan. You can also work with native rights for foreigners who come from states where Russian is considered the official language. Accordingly, Ukraine is not one.

However, there is one more amendment to the legislation. She assumes that it does not matter what rights a person has as long as he is a Russian citizen. In this case, with both a national and an international license, you can get behind the wheel for the purpose of carrying out professional activities related to driving a vehicle. So a foreigner can resolve the issue by initiating the acquisition of citizenship.

Read also: What an international driver's license looks like in Russia How to obtain an international license through the MFC

Will translation be needed?

Sometimes Ukrainians have problems when checking documents. But this happens most often when traffic police officers prefer to play it safe. After all, ID cards in this neighboring country have changed several times. So traffic cops are sometimes not completely sure whether it’s a fake, because they don’t know exactly what a Ukrainian license looks like.

In addition, one can argue whether such a document fully complies with the requirements of the Vienna Convention. Since it clearly establishes that all inscriptions in the rights must be duplicated in transliteration. On a Ukrainian ID, this is not fully observed. There are several inscriptions that are only written in the national language of a given state.

Therefore, a logical question arises: is a translation of a driver’s license needed in Russia? And for a competent answer, we should again turn to the legislation. The document regulating road safety states that rights are transferred when there are no agreements between countries. That is, relations with Ukraine are regulated by the Vienna Convention, so, in fact, translation is not needed.

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.

Are foreign rights valid in Russia?

Art. 25 of Federal Law No. 196-FZ establishes the possibility of driving a car on the territory of the Russian Federation under the following conditions. Foreigners can legally drive a car if:

• they have received a Russian driver's license;
• they have national and international licenses (presented together) that comply with international agreements in the field of road safety (Vienna and Geneva Conventions);
• they are the holders of a national license, the entries in which are made or duplicated in letters of the Latin or Russian alphabet, or a notarized translation into Russian is attached to the rights.

There is one important limitation - these provisions apply exclusively to the use of the car for personal purposes. If a foreigner plans to drive a car in the Russian Federation for the purpose of carrying out business or work activities related to driving a vehicle, clause 13 of Art. 25 of Federal Law No. 196-FZ.

It prohibits holders of foreign licenses from driving for such purposes, with the exception of:

• citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic;
• citizens of countries where Russian is recognized as the official language.

The latest list includes two states – the Republic of Belarus and Kazakhstan.

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 Ukrainian rights

However, you don’t have to worry about the legality of your national ID. After all, it is quite simple to replace it. But before changing Ukrainian rights to Russian ones, in 2021 a package of documents will have to be collected. However, it is small, preparing the papers will not be difficult.

When figuring out whether it is possible to exchange a Ukrainian license for a Russian one, the driver needs to prepare for passing the exams. Although the traffic police takes into account all open categories, the knowledge test is carried out according to the highest.

It is very convenient that driver’s licenses for migrants are issued not only at the traffic police department. You can also apply for them at the MFC. It must be emphasized that a foreigner must be registered in the Russian Federation so that he does not have problems with this procedure.

Read also: Checking a driver's license using the traffic police database

If a citizen of another country is thinking about the question of whether it is possible to obtain rights in Russia with a residence permit, you should not worry about this. The only requirement is put forward to him: he must have legal status, and what exactly it is does not matter.

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.

Are Ukrainian military licenses operating in Russia in 2021?

The legislation of the Russian Federation allows you to drive a car in the country with a Ukrainian license. However, it's not all that simple. The form of rights changed regularly, and in accordance with paragraph 15 of Art. 25 Federal Law No. 196 you can drive with them in the following cases:

1. If the Ukrainian driver's license complies with the Vienna Convention. That is, all entries in the rights must be duplicated in Latin transliteration.
2. If the rights are drawn up in Russian, or the entries in them are duplicated in it. We can talk, for example, about a Soviet-style identity card.
3. If the driver's license is written only in Ukrainian, but along with it the owner presented a translation into Russian, certified by a notary.

Besides this, there are other points. Thus, you can drive with a Ukrainian license in Russia only for 6 months after you have received a residence permit or Russian citizenship. When this period comes to an end, the license will be invalid, and you will need to obtain a Russian-style certificate.

IMPORTANT! This rule does not apply to Ukrainians who stay in the country on a visa-free basis or reside under a temporary residence permit.

Also keep in mind that only foreigners have the right to use foreign-style driving licenses. Russians cannot drive a car with them. When presenting such a certificate to the inspector, they risk being prosecuted in accordance with Article 12.7 of the Administrative Code. Judicial practice also confirms this.

More on the topic: What driver documents do you need to change when changing your last name?

One more thing. You can use Ukrainian rights in the Russian Federation purely for personal purposes. For entrepreneurship and other activities aimed at making a profit, a certificate obtained in Ukraine is not suitable. To work as a driver, you will have to exchange your Ukrainian license for a Russian one.

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.