How can a citizen of Ukraine obtain a driver's license in Russia?

02.02.2021

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Not only holders of Russian driving licenses, but also foreigners holding international or national licenses can drive a car in Russia. At the same time, for holders of foreign rights, including Ukrainian ones, there are certain restrictions on the scope of activity in which they can use the national license of another state. For this, as well as for some other reasons, holders of Ukrainian driver’s licenses have to exchange them for Russian licenses.

The legislative framework

The main regulatory legal acts that are important in the issue of the use of foreign rights and their replacement with Russian analogues are:

• Federal Law No. 196-FZ “On Road Safety”;
• Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1097 “On admission to driving vehicles.”

Federal Law No. 196-FZ establishes the procedure for using foreign rights in the Russian Federation and the restrictions that are imposed on holders of foreign licenses. The Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation determines the procedure for obtaining Russian national rights, including by foreign citizens.

Documents required for obtaining a driver's license for a citizen of Ukraine in Russia

To obtain a Russian driver's license, a foreign driver will need the following documents:

• a civil passport or other identity document that is listed in the country of the foreign person and is recognized as an identity document of a citizen of another state;
• foreign driver's license;
• a migration certificate confirming that the presence on the territory of Russia of a person arriving from abroad is legal;
• medical certificate of permission to drive vehicles;
• MTPL policy confirming the availability of compulsory motor insurance for foreigners;
• receipt of payment of state duty;
• photographs (except for those cases when the photograph is taken directly at the traffic police department)

All these papers are copied and, together with the originals, submitted for verification and registration to a traffic police specialist.

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.

Are they valid?

Ukraine, like the Russian Federation, belongs to the group of states that have joined the Vienna International Convention on Traffic Regulations.

This international act regulates that drivers on the territory of other countries (in our case, Ukrainians on the territory of the Russian Federation) must have with them their national and international driver’s licenses that are current at that time.

Information in an international document is transliterated in Latin alphabet.

Thus, the use of a Ukrainian motorist’s license is possible only if there is an international analogue, and there will be no need to issue a Russian license.

In 2021, the Russian government raised the question of the need to make amendments to the existing automobile legislation.

This is because national traffic police inspectors cannot check information about a foreign motorist through the Ukrainian database, so they cannot confirm their vigilance in detecting any document fraud.

The federal law “On Safe Road Traffic,” which came into force at the end of 1995, regulates the procedure for foreign motorists to drive a vehicle.

This is stated in Article 25. It contains provisions that relate to the admission of foreign drivers to drive vehicles on the territory of the Russian Federation on the basis of Russian national driving license when using a vehicle for commercial purposes.

If there is no issued Russian identity card, then paragraph 13 of the article in question imposes restrictions.

It concerns only business activities, for example, a ban on hiring a foreign citizen to work as a taxi driver, a truck driver, a representative car of a private individual or an entire company.

When using vehicles personally on the territory of the Russian Federation, Ukrainians can use an international driver’s license.

Is it possible to use Ukrainian driving license in the Russian Federation?

The Russian Federation has acceded to two international treaties in the field of road traffic - the Vienna and Geneva Conventions, Ukraine has ratified only the Vienna Convention. Accordingly, the provisions of the Vienna Convention regarding the mutual recognition of driving licenses apply between the two countries. Ukrainians can drive a car for personal purposes in the Russian Federation with a national license if they comply with the Vienna Convention, that is, the entries in them are duplicated in Latin.

Another important limitation concerns the validity of Ukrainian rights in the Russian Federation. It is equal to the period of legal stay of Ukrainian citizens in Russia, that is, 90 days. When leaving Russia and returning back, this period is “reset to zero” and begins to flow again.

If a citizen of Ukraine stays in the Russian Federation longer than this time, that is, draws up a temporary residence permit, and then a residence permit, his national license ceases to be valid in the Russian Federation. In this case, the Ukrainian will have to obtain a Russian ID.

Rights of refugees from Ukraine in Russia

In recent years, an increasing number of Ukrainian refugees have been arriving in the Russian Federation. The reasons for relocation vary, but many require the use of a vehicle for both personal and work needs.

Therefore, there is a need to obtain a Russian driver’s license if you have insurance.

Many refugees do not neglect the right to register in the Russian Federation in this status, because from 2021 they are entitled to many benefits. For example, it is easier for such motorists to obtain temporary registration or a residence permit.

If a Ukrainian refugee gets a job, then they are given more time not only to register or obtain a residence permit, but also to obtain a residence permit of the Russian Federation.

Refugees are not denied a Russian model of a motorist's license. The only requirement for them is to have a national driver's license with a translation. For personal purposes, you can drive without a Russian license for no more than 90 days, then mandatory re-registration is required.

Although Russian and Ukrainian driving documents do not have significant differences, to use a vehicle on the territory of the Russian Federation, a Russian or international driver's license is required.

This is necessary so that law enforcement officers, if necessary, can identify the motorist.

If a Ukrainian driver provides an old-style document, problems with translation may arise; when using a new license, such inconveniences will not arise.

From June 1, 2021, a Ukrainian driver’s license in Russia becomes irrelevant if you use a vehicle for commercial purposes or when hiring a driver.

Operation of motor vehicles for personal purposes is permitted if you have an international driver's license with translation and transliteration

Which article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the theft of a driver's license is explained in the article: theft of a driver's license. Whether you need a driver's license for a forklift, see the page.

Find out what category of rights is issued for an ATV in 2021 from this information.

Reasons for exchanging rights

Reasons encouraging Ukrainians to obtain Russian driver's licenses may be:

• non-compliance of the driver’s license with international standards (lack of entries in the Latin alphabet on the license);
• the need to carry out labor or business activities in the Russian Federation;
• obtaining official status in the Russian Federation (TRP, residence permit, refugee status);
• registration of Russian citizenship.

National Ukrainian rights can be enjoyed not only by citizens of a neighboring state, but also by persons who have received Russian citizenship. It should be taken into account that the provisions of Federal Law No. 196-FZ regarding the ability to drive a vehicle with national and/or international rights apply exclusively to foreigners.

Important

Ukrainians who have received Russian citizenship are required to obtain a local driver's license to drive a vehicle in the Russian Federation.

Is it necessary to change Ukrainian licenses to Russian ones in Crimea?

The need to exchange a Ukrainian driver's license for a Russian one is regulated by the provisions of paragraphs. 12-15 art. 25 196-FZ. Replacing Ukrainian rights with Russian ones in Crimea in 2021 is not mandatory if the following conditions are simultaneously met:

• The vehicle is not used for business and labor activities;
• the driver, including a Crimean who is not a citizen of the Russian Federation, has not only a national (Ukrainian) but also an international driving license.

In other cases, replacing a driver’s license in Crimea with a Russian one is mandatory.

Nuances of rights exchange

Replacing a foreign driver's license with a Russian equivalent is not much different from a Russian obtaining a license for the first time. Ukrainians, like other foreigners, will have to undergo a medical examination and pass traffic police exams. The only difference is that holders of foreign licenses do not have to undergo training at a driving school.

A feature of the exchange of foreign rights for Russian ones is the possibility of “offset” of categories. If several categories are open in Ukrainian driving licenses, then in order to completely replace the driving license with a Russian equivalent, you will have to undergo training or pass an exam in the highest of them (which includes more “lower” categories).

For example, if a driver has several categories of driving license (A, B, C and D), he only needs to pass the exam for category D for all other categories to be transferred to the Russian license. If he passes the exams only for category B, then only categories M and A will be additionally open to him in the Russian driving license.

Instructions for obtaining a driver's license for a Ukrainian in the Russian Federation

1. If an individual is a citizen of Russia and Ukraine (dual citizenship), and the driver’s license was obtained on the territory of Ukraine.

In this situation, a Ukrainian citizen simply exchanges his Ukrainian rights for Russian-style rights. The only thing a Ukrainian will have to do is pass a theoretical exam, since the traffic rules in Russia differ from the rules in Ukraine.

It is also necessary to prepare a package of documents that is necessary to exchange a driver’s license. Obtaining a Russian driver's license for a citizen of Ukraine, like any other foreign country, is not directly provided for by law. However, there is a way out of this situation.

1. If a Ukrainian citizen does not have Russian citizenship, obtaining a driver's license will be more difficult.

According to paragraph 46 of the same rules for passing qualification exams, foreign driver's licenses cannot be replaced with Russian ones for persons temporarily staying in the territory of the Russian Federation. Also, Russian licenses are not issued in replacement of lost or stolen foreign licenses.

In this situation, obtaining a Russian driver's license is carried out on a general basis, having passed theoretical and practical exams. Upon successful passing of all exams, a foreign citizen receives a driver’s license for the period of validity of registration of documents for the right of temporary residence in the territory of the Russian Federation.

1. If an individual came to Russia for permanent residence from Ukraine.

In this case, a driver’s license is exchanged from a Ukrainian to a Russian model. According to the law, a driver's license of a foreign country is valid for 60 days. This period begins from the moment of receipt of permits for permanent residence from the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation, or from the moment of entry into the territory of the Russian Federation, if this permission was obtained at a diplomatic mission or consular office in Ukraine.

How to change a Ukrainian license plate to a Russian one?

The exact procedure for replacing Ukrainian rights with Russian rights is regulated by the provisions of Art. 38 Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1097.

Passing a medical examination

The rules for conducting a medical examination are established by Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 344n. You can get examined in both a private and public clinic. The certificate in form 003-В/у must contain a positive opinion from the following specialists:

• therapist;
• ophthalmologist;
• psychiatrist;
• psychiatrist-narcologist.

To replace licenses of categories C, D, their subcategories, Tm and Tb, it is necessary to obtain a positive opinion from a neurologist and otolaryngologist, as well as an electroencephalography. A neurologist's opinion may also be needed for drivers of other categories upon the direction of a general practitioner.

Reference

From 2022, passing a medical examination will also include a laboratory test of urine for the presence of psychoactive substances.

Exams

Foreigners who exchange their national license for a Russian one take the same exams as Russians who receive a driver's license for the first time. The traffic police exam is divided into two stages:

• theoretical knowledge of traffic police rules;
• practical.

The theoretical exam consists of 20 questions, divided into 4 blocks. Each mistake increases the number of questions by 5 more. You are allowed to make no more than 2 errors in different blocks.

The practical part of the exam, in turn, is divided into two parts:

1. demonstration of initial driving skills on the race track;
2. exit onto the city highway.

You must score no more than 5 penalty points in both parts of the practical exam. Points are awarded for errors in driving the vehicle and are divided into small, medium and gross.

Reference

The planned change in the practical part of the exam (cancellation of the race track, change in the system for calculating penalty points) is postponed until 04/01/2021 due to the coronavirus epidemic.

Required documents

To obtain a Russian national ID, you must prepare the following list of documents:

• application for rights;
• Ukrainian passport or other identification document (refugee certificate);
• foreign driver's license;
• conclusion of the medical commission;
• notarized translations of documents and passports into Russian;
• a receipt for payment of the state duty and/or a document confirming the right to a benefit when paying it.

Obtaining a driver's license

To exchange your rights, you must make an appointment at the territorial division of the MREO traffic police, fill out an application and provide a package of necessary documents. The exchange procedure itself takes no more than an hour. The exchange of rights does not mean that the applicant will lose his Ukrainian ID - after receiving the Russian equivalent, the original document will be returned to him.

Costs for obtaining rights

Costs for exchanging a foreign driver's license for a Russian license include:

• payment of the state duty for issuing a Russian license - 2000 rubles;
• payment for a medical certificate in form 003-В/у.

The cost of obtaining a medical certificate depends on the driving category and the number of doctors whose opinions need to be obtained. You also need to take into account that in Moscow or St. Petersburg a certificate will cost significantly more than in the provinces. On average, you will have to pay from 1.5 to 4 thousand rubles for it.

How to get

To obtain a Russian document, you should contact the traffic police department for a place of registration or use the service of regional multifunctional centers.

For this purpose, a documentation package is provided, which includes:

1. National university and international (if any).
2. Medical certificate confirming permission to drive a vehicle (optional).
3. Matte photo cards with dimensions 3.5x4.5 cm.
4. Receipt for payment of state duty.

   

5. Document confirming temporary registration.

You may also be required to pass a qualifying exam to test a foreign driver’s knowledge of Russian automobile legislation and traffic rules in the Russian Federation.

The document is completed within a few hours, it all depends on the queue at the authorized authority and on the speed of verification of the provided data.

Please note that applying to the MFC does not speed up the process, because you must submit a document at the center, fill out applications, and government agencies consider applications on a first-come, first-served basis.

What age to obtain a driver's license is covered in the article: driver's license. Read about the administrative amnesty of a driver's license in 2021 here.

In what cases can an exchange be refused?

The exchange of Ukrainian rights for Russian ones may be refused in the following cases:

• the applicant applied for a replacement license in place of the lost foreign license;
• the applicant has not reached the age of obtaining a Russian license;
• non-compliance of the certificate with the standards of the Vienna Convention;
• expiration of rights;
• the applicant was deprived of the right to drive vehicles;
• forged, forged documents that do not comply with Russian standards have been provided, the plaintiff’s documentation has expired, or an incomplete package of documents has been provided.

Important

Also, the exchange of rights will be denied if medical contraindications to driving vehicles are revealed during the examination.

In what situations is it necessary to change permissions?

A Ukrainian who comes to the Russian Federation for a short period of time can drive a car with a Ukrainian license. However, in order to work in the country, you will have to change your ID. The rights of a country where Russian is the official language are suitable for employment. Ukraine is not included in the list of such, so Ukrainians who come to the Russian Federation to work must replace their licenses.

ATTENTION! The period during which Ukrainian rights will be valid on the territory of the Russian Federation is equal to the time of the foreigner’s legal stay in the country. Thus, the validity period for those who are guests in the country is 90 days. When obtaining a residence permit, it is necessary to replace your license.

What to do in case of refusal?

In most cases, not related to the provision of an incomplete list of documents or the presence of medical contraindications, a citizen of Ukraine can obtain a Russian license in the standard manner. This means that he will have to take a course at a driving school, take exams at the traffic police and obtain a license on a general basis. If the refusal to exchange is due to the provision of incorrect documentation, then after correcting the situation, you can again contact the traffic police MREO for an exchange of rights. If the refusal is related to the identification of medical contraindications, then you will probably have to say goodbye to the hope of driving a car in Russia.

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Replacing a driver's license: step-by-step instructions

Replacing Ukrainian rights with Russian ones when obtaining Russian citizenship, strictly speaking, is not mandatory, as follows from Art. 25 196-FZ, but judicial practice says otherwise. The driver will also need to carry out this procedure if he intends to conduct business or work activities while driving a vehicle. In other cases, you can exchange your foreign driving license for a Russian one on a voluntary basis. The procedure for replacing a driver’s license due to a change of citizenship or for other reasons is stipulated by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of October 24, 2014 No. 1097. It is performed in the following sequence:

1. The applicant applies to one of the traffic police departments of Crimea with an application to pass the exams and exchange the Ukrainian driving license for a Russian one, along with documents attached (a preliminary application can be submitted through the State Services portal, provided that the applicant has an account).
2. At the appointed time, he takes three types of exams in succession:
   theoretical;
3. on initial vehicle driving skills;
4. on driving a vehicle in traffic conditions.
5. Upon successful passing of the exams, he receives a Russian driving license, along with which the Ukrainian driving license is returned to him, which can continue to be used if necessary.

Required documents

To pass the exams and obtain a Russian driving license, you must submit the following to the Crimean traffic police department:

• statement;
• passport or other identification document;
• medical report;
• Ukrainian university.

The traffic police department requests information about payment of the state duty In this case, the applicant can provide a receipt in the set of documents.

Deadlines for replacing a driver's license

The timing of the procedures for exchanging foreign driving licenses for Russian ones is established by administrative regulations approved by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia dated October 20, 2015 No. 995. In accordance with this document, the issuance of a Russian driving license is carried out within a period of 5 to 30 days, which depends on the category of the vehicle. For example, for category B vehicles this period is 30 days (clause 17.2 of the administrative regulations). It is counted from the moment the applicant contacts the traffic police department with an application to pass the exams and issue a driving license.

Cost of replacement of the VU

The costs of replacing a Ukrainian VU with a Russian one consist of:

• the cost of a medical report;
• state duties.

The cost of a medical certificate varies depending on the medical institution and vehicle category. So, in Simferopol they can charge from 350 rubles to 3,000 rubles for it.

To obtain a temporary residence permit, the applicant must pay a state fee (Article 333.33 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation):

• 2,000 rubles (regular VU);
• 3,000 rubles (new generation device).