The ability to use the right to drive a car outside Russia and the document depends on the country where the Russian tourist is going. In countries that have signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (most countries in Europe and Asia), a new Russian driver's license issued from 03/01/2011 is sufficient. An IDP (international driver's license) will be required in the territory of states that have signed only the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (USA, Canada, Ireland, Iceland, Egypt, India, Cyprus, Paraguay, Serbia and others). Driving a car in these countries without an international license will result in an administrative penalty.
In 2021, you can obtain an international driver's license through the MFC. Making or replacing an IDP allows the applicant to apply for a license not at his place of registration, but according to his actual address of residence.
What does an international driving license look like?
The document must be identical to the sample received on March 1, 2011. What does an international driver's license look like:
- the driver's details are indicated in English;
- photo pasted;
- the category of the vehicle that he drives or can drive is indicated.
The foreign copy is not laminated and has several pages with translations into different languages. Provided for travel to other countries, issued if you have an internal one. Therefore, if the driver is deprived of his national license, then it will not be possible to use others; they lose their legality. If you don’t have internal ones with you while driving a car, but use others, you can be issued a fine of 500 rubles.
A few words about national rights
In the spring of 2011, a new document was adopted. It looks like a plastic card, where information is contained in Russian and English, and fully meets the requirements of the 1968 (Vienna) Convention, to which 68 countries are parties, and therefore can be used there. But in other countries, as well as in those that signed the 1949 Convention (Geneva), you should obtain an international driver's license document.
States where you are allowed to drive with a regular license can be found on the official website of the traffic police. Those wishing to travel abroad are advised to study this list, as some countries have their own requirements. For example, in Italy, which, although it has signed the Vienna Convention, requires an international driving license along with a Russian one. Otherwise, the driver will be fined approximately three hundred euros.
A similar document will be needed in the USA, Europe, India, Egypt and many other countries. The police treat Russian papers with distrust. Therefore, drivers risk getting into trouble even in those countries where, according to the Vienna Convention, driving with a national license is allowed.
Where to get an international driving license
Only an accredited department of the State Traffic Inspectorate can issue a license for driving a car abroad. Not all divisions of the subordinate body
and they are doing this, so it is wise to clarify the information. Submit your application in person, without intermediaries. It is worth noting that registration does not matter where you get your international license.
It’s very convenient to order an international driver’s license on the State Services website; you don’t need to waste time waiting or queue in front of the inspector’s office. To do this, you need to register on the site, then select the desired tab and upload scanned documents. They take it to the traffic police, arriving at the indicated time and day, and it is important to have the originals with you.
The MFC also allows you to obtain an international driving license. The application form is downloaded from the State Services website and then completed correctly. Next, you will contact the MFC with the necessary package of documents. But before that, they take a place in advance using an electronic queue. This can be done by phone or online.
Timing and cost
The electronic portal of State Services is interesting not only because it allows you to initiate the procedure while sitting at home at your computer. With its help you can really save money . If you pay through it, services will cost 30% less. The usual fee is one thousand six hundred rubles. However, if you make a payment directly on the site, it will cost only one thousand one hundred and twenty rubles. When replacing a certificate that has expired, the state fee for a national format license is two thousand rubles (or one thousand four hundred on the website), and for an international document – two and a half thousand rubles.
If national format licenses are issued for ten years, then for international certificates the maximum period is only three years. At the same time, one must understand that the latter are only additional confirmation of the ability to manage the vehicle to the main internal securities, and therefore cannot last longer than the corresponding Russian documents. Therefore, if the validity of internal rights expires in two years, then an international certificate will be issued only for two years, and not for three.
What documents are needed?
To obtain an international license, you do not need to take driving lessons again. Before obtaining a driver's license for traveling abroad, you need to submit your data to the relevant authorities. This is a standard set, only the photograph should be brought in advance, it is not taken at the traffic police department. So, you need to have with you:
- statement;
- actual driver's license;
- passport or other document that can confirm identity;
- 2 matte photographs size 45x35;
- receipt of payment of state duty.
The state fee is 1,600 rubles, but there is a 30% discount on the State Services website. Previously, before making an international license, you had to provide a medical certificate, but now there is no need to undergo a medical examination.
List of documents
Before registering international rights at the MFC, it is recommended to first prepare a standard set of papers. It includes:
- application of the established form (to be completed in the presence of an MFC employee);
- Russian passport;
- national rights;
- passport size photo;
- receipt for payment of state duty.
At the reception at the MFC registrar, the person provides the original documents. A specialist will make copies on site.
Replacement of international driving license
Renewal, as well as obtaining an international driver's license in Russia for the first time, is carried out according to the same scheme. It is important to have the necessary documents with you. Submit to the State Traffic Inspectorate office, through the State Services website or MFC. An international driver's license is replaced when the license is lost, the details (last name, first name, patronymic) are changed, it is damaged, or the expiration date has simply expired. There is no need to worry about not updating on time, as there are no penalties for this.
Having a document that allows you to drive cars opens up prospects for unhindered movement abroad. It is enough to contact the relevant authorities and collect a sample in a short time.
Applying for an international driver's license through the government services portal
In addition to the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate and the MFC, you can obtain international licenses through government services. When registering online, you will receive a 30% discount on state fees. You can use the site only after registering and confirming your account.
- Go to the section “Transport and driving” - “Driving license” - “Obtaining an international driving license”.
- In the proposed form, enter passport and personal data, information about the medical certificate, number, date of issue and validity period of the national driver's license.
- Specify the permitted vehicle driving categories.
- Select the traffic police department where you will personally obtain an international driving license.
- Pay the state fee.
- Consent to the processing of personal data.
- Wait for a message that your application has been accepted.
The procedures listed above provide an opportunity to significantly save time by ordering the necessary documents and receiving a queue ticket remotely. That is why the State Services portal is rightfully considered the most effective IT tool for interaction between citizens and the state. The presence of such a project clearly demonstrates the unconditional convenience of Internet technologies, which in this case work for the entire society as a whole.
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.
Application form
The application form for an international driver's license is provided at the examination department of the State Traffic Inspectorate at the place of registration of the citizen. Obtaining a driver's license is permitted in the following cases:
- After successfully passing the exams (when obtaining a driver’s license for the first time);
- Expiration of rights;
- Change of personal data of a citizen (full name);
- After the loss or theft of a document;
- Upon receiving an additional category.
The certificate is provided in paper form in A6 format. The form is equipped with protection against counterfeiting of printed products at level “B”.
Additional information about the IDP
International rights are valid for 3 years. During this period, the driver can freely move his car on the roads of other countries, as well as use car rental services there.
For information: driving a vehicle without a license will result in a fairly significant fine (for example, in Spain – 300 euros).
We recommend that you take care of the documents that may be needed abroad in advance and apply for an IDP in a way convenient for you (at the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate or through the MFC).
Last update: 04-09-2020
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.
International VU: when might it be needed?
For any traveler who travels abroad in his own car, an international driving license is a mandatory document.
In some cases, obtaining such rights will not be necessary, but in this case, in order to freely travel on the roads of another state, you will need to translate your national driving license into the language of the country in which you plan to drive the vehicle. For this purpose, you should contact not only a translator, but also a notary (to certify the translated document). This is a rather lengthy procedure, which is cheaper and faster to complete in your own country and go on the road with a ready-made document.
Regarding the international car license: it has been valid in the territory of 68 member states of the Vienna Convention since 1968. In these countries, the driver is required to provide a national driving license, the absence of which is punishable by a fine. We have already talked in more detail about the IDP in the article “What driver’s license can you drive abroad with?”
