Renewing your driver's license in 2021 - step-by-step instructions

Replacement of rights no earlier than six months before expiration - is this true?

No. The most widespread information on the Internet is replete with this particular period - supposedly, a license can be exchanged only six months before the expiration of the 10-year validity period. And that's not true. But where did this myth come from?! Let's explain!

Several years ago, the question of how sooner you can change your driver’s license was not regulated by any legal act. But everything changed on March 23, 2021, when this rule was regulated by amendments to PPRF No. 1097 “On admission to driving a vehicle.” And since before this the period for replacing licenses in advance before their expiration was not regulated, the traffic police established their own rules, and most often it was about the fact that you can exchange a driver’s license only six months before the end of their validity.

Legal basis for admission to driving a vehicle and the timing of issuing driver’s licenses

Any adult Russian (from 18 years of age, sometimes from 16) can receive a document allowing him to drive personal transport. According to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated October 24, 2014 N 1097 (as amended on August 14, 2018) “On admission to driving vehicles” (together with the “Rules for conducting examinations for the right to drive vehicles and issuing driver’s licenses”), persons are allowed to drive vehicles who passed the exam and passed the medical examination.

The exam is carried out in the department of the State Traffic Inspectorate and includes three stages:

1. Testing theoretical knowledge of traffic rules, the legislative framework, rules of first aid in case of an accident.
2. Testing primary knowledge in the field of management of the type of transport whose category the examinee has chosen.
3. Road driving test.

If the candidate is a student of an educational institution that has permission to provide such services, then he takes the exams for the first two points there.
If a candidate driver’s medical report indicates any restrictions on driving a vehicle, then he is provided with a specially equipped car to pass the practical exam. If you have hearing problems, the presence of a sign language interpreter is required.

If the examinee does not pass any part of the exam, then the first time he is allowed to repeat it after a week, and the next time only after 30 days. After successfully passing the theory, the practical exam must be taken within six months.

Remember! A Russian driver's license can only be obtained upon successful completion of all stages of testing and after submitting a package of documents (passport, application and medical certificate in form 083/U-89.

The certificate is valid for 10 years from the date of issue, after which it is subject to scheduled replacement. In some cases described in the law, premature replacement of rights may be required, so it is worth knowing in what cases and how to do it correctly.

How long before the end can I change my license in 2021?

Today, motorists have the right to replace their driver’s license for any period before the end of their validity, at least six months, at least a year, at least 5 years, but there are 2 subtleties.

As we noted above, changes have been made to Government Decree No. 1097. They are established by another PPRF - number 326, and it is in it that paragraph 32 of the first document is replaced, in which it became regulated that drivers can change their license plate at any time, but with a big nuance - more precisely, two:

• if you simply contact the MREO of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate or the MFC to exchange your licenses before their expiration date without any documents (except for a passport and old licenses), then you will be given new ones for exactly the same period as the old ones were valid - that is, it will just be an update plastic driver's document,
• If, when replacing your license, you present a valid (not expired) medical certificate, then you will be issued a new license for a new period of 10 years.

The above is regulated by the same paragraph 32 of the regulations:

If the applicant submits a medical report, a Russian national driver's license to replace a previously issued Russian national driver's license on the grounds established by subparagraphs "b" - "d" and "e" of paragraph 29 of these Rules is issued for 10 years, unless otherwise provided by federal laws.

And these 2 conditions, in the presence or absence of a medical certificate, are relevant for replacing a driver’s license on the following grounds:

• if your full name or other data specified in your license has changed,
• if you have lost your old driver's license,
• if the device has deteriorated (got wet, rubbed, torn, etc.),
• if you contacted government agencies simply to replace this document without any reason.

Thus, you can change your license ahead of schedule at any time, but in order for a new driver’s license to be issued to you for a new 10 years, you must provide a medical certificate.

Replacement of a driver's license at the traffic police during a personal visit in 2021

Citizens of the Russian Federation can visit any branch in Russia, regardless of registration. Foreigners will have to go to the MREO at the place of registration. You need to be prepared in advance for the expiration of your rights. The procedure for replacing them at the local traffic police office requires the following package of documents:

• Application for replacement of the VU. As a rule, inspectors provide a form to fill out on site. What a sample of a completed application looks like can be found on the Internet;
• Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation or other document confirming your identity. Must be current at the time of submission;
• Confirmation of place of registration (mark in passport). If there is no registration, the driver can make a temporary registration and provide the corresponding certificate to the traffic police;
• Medical certificate (form No. 083/U-89). Valid for a maximum of 3 years from the date of issue for persons under 55 years of age and 2 years for persons over 55 years of age. The presence of a certificate is not necessary when replacing rights due to damage to the certificate or change of surname;
• Old rights. They are disposed of after their expiration date;
• Photos 3x4. Some departments require photographs, although they are increasingly being taken directly by the traffic police;
• Receipt for payment of state duty. You can pay it at any Sberbank branch or on the website gibdd.ru.

Some car owners complained that inspectors required them to provide some other certificates that were not required by official regulations. In this case, a formal written complaint should be submitted to the higher management of the authority. You also need to request from the traffic police officer a written explanation of the reason for refusing to issue a new driver’s license.

Nothing has changed in the order of changing the VA. If you collect all the necessary documents on time and manage to get to the traffic police department, you can complete the registration in one day. In exceptional cases, the procedure may take a maximum of a week.

To replace your license you will have to pay 2,000 rubles (state duty for a plastic card). Paper licenses will cost much less - only 500 rubles. From January 1, 2021, you can receive a 30% discount if you submit an electronic application through the State Services portal.

About the medical certificate

This is the most labor-intensive and time-consuming thing you will need to do when replacing your driver's license. It is advisable to allocate at least half of your working day for this.

A medical certificate can be obtained anywhere, not necessarily at the registration address, but the medical institution must be licensed for this. But there is also a possible problem in this matter - the traffic police may not accept a certificate if the drug addiction specialist and psychiatrist-narcologist were not examined at the registration address or in a commercial institution.

Replacement of a driver's license at the MFC in 2017

The possibility of replacing a driver's license in multifunctional centers became available on February 1, 2021. In addition to standard rights, you can also get international documents here. MFCs have significantly reduced the burden on the traffic police, since now visiting the final authority is no longer necessary.

The procedure for obtaining new rights at the multifunctional center lasts no more than five days and consists of four steps:

• Visit to the nearest MFC and select the required government service. To avoid waiting in line, make an appointment online in advance for a specific time slot;
• Providing a completed application and a package of standard documents for replacing rights;
• Receiving photographs on site (the service is free);
• Another visit in five days for a new driver's license.

All of the above is true for obtaining new rights after the expiration date. If the old “crust” is damaged or stolen, you will also need a certificate from the traffic police or law enforcement agencies.

How to replace?

The instructions for replacing rights before the expiration date are no different from the standard ones - if the license period had already expired.

You can sign up for the exchange of a driver's document through State Services. To do this, go to the appropriate service, click the “Get service” button (you must be logged in to your account) and fill out all fields of the form.

Next, you can pay the state fee for replacing your license directly through the portal. In this case, a discount will be provided. Thus, it will cost you to exchange your rights:

• 2000 rubles when paying by any method, except for State Services,
• 1400 rubles when paying through GU online.

About categories of rights

Of course, in the new license that you decided to replace before the expiration date, you will have the same categories to which you are admitted by the right to drive, which were in the old license, but only on the condition that during the medical examination and receipt certificates did not reveal contraindications to the management of certain (or all categories).

If you have studied for a new category

In this case, when undergoing a medical examination, it is imperative to ask to check these new categories and undergo appropriate additional examinations, if necessary, on the direction of a doctor.

And when you contact the traffic police to change your driver’s license before the expiration date, take with you, among other documents, a certificate of completion of courses for new categories.

In what cases can you change rights before their expiration date?

Documents allowing you to drive a vehicle are issued for 10 years. Replacement is necessary earlier than the date specified in the document in the following cases:

• loss of document. Restoring it is quite simple, you just need to contact the traffic police department with a package of necessary papers, write an explanatory note on the spot and pay the fine;
• damage that makes it difficult to read important information. The procedure is identical to that carried out in case of loss. You also need to write an explanation, pay a fine and provide all the necessary papers as with a regular replacement upon expiration;
• changing the driver's personal data. Most often, married women fall under this clause. Renewing your passport is a must, but your driver's license is often forgotten. It is not prohibited to show old licenses to traffic police officers, but then a marriage certificate must be attached to them;

  
  Sample of filling out an application for replacement of a driver's license due to a change of surname

• changes in health that affect driving ability. For example, deterioration of vision, hearing, problems with the musculoskeletal system;
• if, when applying for a license, the driver provided any certificate that turned out to be false. From the moment this fact is confirmed, the VU will be considered invalid;
• if you have completed training for a new category and it needs to be entered into the document;
• when changing citizenship.

If the replacement occurs with the provision of new medical examination certificates, then the document is issued for a period of 10 years, and if without updated health data, then the expiration date is transferred from the old sample.

Do I need to retake the exam?

No. Despite attempts by legislators to introduce a mandatory re-examination when replacing a license due to the expiration of a 10-year period, as of May 22, 2021, this rule has not yet been introduced, and drivers have the right to obtain a new license ahead of time or after its expiration without passing the exam.

However, there is common sense in replacing licenses right now, even if they have not expired, since the draft law on the traffic rules exam is under consideration.

There are no other reasons for exchanging your driver's license earlier than the deadline.