Validity of a driver's license in Russia: how to get a new license, is it possible to drive with an expired one?

Validity period of driver's license

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, a person has the right to replace domestic passports in the event of their loss or natural wear and tear. This applies to a passport, birth certificate, identification code and any other personal documents.

But there are also certificates that indicate a certain period of validity, after which the citizen is deprived of his powers and privileges. These include: passes, medical certificates, foreign certificates and driver's licenses. Moreover, for the latter type of certificate, depending on whether it meets international standards or GOST of the Russian Federation, the duration period will differ significantly.

For Russian ID

After successfully passing the theoretical and practical exams at a driving school, each citizen receives a Russian-style driving license. There, under indexes 10 and 11, it is indicated when the validity of the driver’s license begins and when it ends. According to generally accepted standards, this period reaches 10 years. But under certain criteria (if the owner is retired or has health problems), the duration of the document may be slightly reduced.

For international rights

When applying for a license to drive a car or motorcycle outside the Russian Federation, a person receives an international certificate, which is considered valid in other countries for 3 years. Next, the driver should renew his foreign driving license, or replace it with a new document (if the application for an extension of the period was submitted too late).

Without fulfilling these requirements, a citizen has the right to travel in his personal car only in those countries that are parties to the Vienna Convention.

In the remaining territorial divisions, the police can issue him a fine for driving without the necessary documents.

How long is a driver's license valid?

A driver's license is a document that must be obtained before purchasing a car. It is evidence that you have completed the necessary training, successfully passed exams and know how to behave on the road. But a driver's license has a limited validity period, and for good reason. You can find out which ones, as well as the timing of replacing rights and possible consequences if this is not done, from this article.

What does a driver's license look like?

The new type of license is a plastic card of the following type:

They began to be issued in this form in 2014 and comply with all new standards and norms. The image above shows the map from both sides. On the front there is a photo and brief information about the driver, and on the back there is a list of categories assigned to him. Last year they began issuing a new type of ID card with a built-in biometric chip. Externally, they are the same as the 2014 model and differ only in the presence of a chip and their cost is higher - 3 thousand rubles.

Meaning of categories:

A – motorcycles;
B – passenger cars;
C – trucks;
D – buses;
BE – passenger cars with a trailer;
CE – trucks with trailer;
DE – buses with a trailer.

How to get a license

In order to obtain a driving license and become a full-fledged participant in traffic, you will need to collect the necessary documents and enroll in a driving school. For admission you must provide:

passport;
a certificate of no contraindications for driving;
3 photographs measuring 3 x 4 cm;
registration or military ID (for men).

Afterwards, sign an agreement with the driving school and pay for the training. You must complete the entire training to gain access to the exam. After admission, you will be informed about the timing and all the necessary documents.

The exam is divided into three stages:

theoretical;
practical on site;
practical in the city.

After successfully passing the exam, all you have to do is pay the cost of producing your driver's license and receive it.

For how long is the certificate issued?

If you think that, having received your license, you will forever give up the need to undergo tests or any other checks at the road inspection, then you are deeply mistaken. Even if there are no violations and you do not encounter problems requiring you to retake the test (deprivation of your license, for example), you will still have to appear at the traffic police office to renew your driver’s license.

A driver's license in Russia is valid for 10 years, and it is an offense to use the document after this time has expired.

There is no penalty for delay as such. But after the expiration of your driving license, it becomes invalid and does not give you the right to drive a vehicle. In this case, you are actually no different from a person who does not have a driver’s license, and you cannot drive a car. So you should carefully monitor how long your driver’s license is issued and renew it in a timely manner.

You can find out the expiration date of the rights period by looking at the reverse side. Next to each mark with a category available to you is the date of assignment and the expiration date of the document.

So you don’t have to go anywhere or figure out when you need to renew the document. It is best to make the replacement up to and including the date indicated on the certificate.

To extend your license, contact the nearest traffic police department and write a corresponding application. In addition, you will need the following documents:

passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
previous driver's license;
a certificate confirming the absence of serious offenses due to which you may be denied a license;
medical certificate No. 003-В/у;

Now you don’t need to bring photographs, they are taken on the spot, at the traffic police.

If you have no additional questions, you can pick up your new license on the same day.

When to change international DP

An international driver's license must be renewed when the license expires, that is, after 3 years from the date of issue. It must be remembered that the IDP acts only as an annex to national rights: if the validity of the national certificate expires earlier, the international one also becomes invalid.

For example, if you received an international license, and your national license expires in a year, then your international license will be valid for one year. And remember: international VU is valid only in countries that are members of the Geneva Convention. Check this information before traveling to another country.

How to replace rights after expiration

If you notice that your driver's license has expired, try to replace it with a new one as soon as possible. If this is not possible, it is better not to use the car.

If the delay is small, then most likely you will only receive a warning. But it’s still not worth the risk, so try to extend your Term as soon as possible.

Is early replacement possible?

Is it possible to change my ID early to avoid trouble? The answer is yes. Moreover, since 2021 it has become easier to do this. After all, now you can receive and use a new document on the same day, without waiting for the expiration of the old one. For early replacement, you need the same set of documents (indicated several sections above).

What happens if you do not renew your ID?

As we have already said, there is no penalty for an expired driver's license. But you shouldn’t put off replacing the document for too long. Since driving with an expired license and without one at all is the same before the law, you will be accused of driving without a license and will be fined from 5 thousand to 15 thousand rubles. So it’s better to remember what the expiration date of your license is and change them in a timely manner.

If you are stopped by traffic police on the road and your driving document is invalid, it is better to answer that you forgot it at home. In this case, you will receive either a warning or a fine of 500 rubles. However, it is possible that the car may be taken to the impound lot.

Instead of a conclusion - practical advice to all drivers

To prevent an unpleasant situation on the road one day, just now take your driver's license out of your wallet (or wherever you keep it) and look at the back of it. Check how long your driver's license is valid for and replace it if it's about to expire.

Practicing lawyer with 10 years of experience. Specializations: criminal law, insurance law, administrative offenses.

In what cases is the validity period of a temporary residence permit reduced?

In accordance with the law of the Russian Federation (namely, clause 35 of the regulations on the issuance of a driver's license), the validity period of a license for a car or motorcycle can be forcibly reduced. This happens in the following cases:

The owner of the document has changed his personal data (a striking example is the change of the maiden name through the registry office. Less often, the change of initials occurs at one’s own request);
The papers required to obtain a license were deliberately falsified (this applies to a certificate from a psychiatrist, ophthalmologist or narcologist, as well as a certificate of completion of a driving school);
The surface of the ID contains severe mechanical damage and abrasions, due to which identification of the person is not possible (the driver’s photo, his last name or first name are not visible);
The driver's license was lost or stolen, about which there is a corresponding statement;
Deterioration of the driver's health (loss of vision, development of mental disorders or other disorders in which driving is strictly prohibited).

For the listed criteria, the validity of a driver’s license may be reduced by several years (including up to the number indicated on the cover) or completely.

To renew the document, you need to take repeated exams at the traffic police and, if necessary, courses at a driving school.

Fine for expired licenses in 2021

In 2021, innovations entered into regular mode. Now, when replacing an expired license, you will have to retake the theoretical and practical exams. For this reason, the replacement of rights should be taken care of in advance. Namely, a couple of months in advance, contact the MREO at your place of residence or region of residence, find out the list of required documents, receive a receipt for payment, and also inquire about the days of admission. The document is issued for a period of 10 years, after which it must be replaced.

In general, the following package of documents should be prepared:

old ID;
fill out an application for replacement;
passport;
payment receipt for the form;
photographs 3 pcs., 3 by 4;
medical certificate of the established form No. 083/U-89;
a certificate confirming the absence of deprivation of the right to drive.

Those who studied before 2013 should also provide a driver’s card, but this document is not required.

If you have a full package of documents and there are no grounds for refusal, you must replace your license within one day.

Let's look at a couple of the most popular questions.

If a citizen’s driver’s license has expired, then in 2021 there will be no fine simply for not replacing it on time. In other words, traffic police officers impose penalties only if you drive a car with an expired license. If you do not plan to drive personal transport, then you don’t have to change your license at all.

You can apply for a replacement to the traffic police without any time limit. For example, the VU expired on September 15, 2021. You can come to the traffic police on any day in 2021, 2021, 2022, 2023, and so on.

Obvious ways to avoid fines for an expired driver's license:

just promptly change your license before its expiration;
Before transferring control of your car to others, always ask them to provide a driver’s license and look at the validity period (and also check the validity of the license through the traffic police website).

There is another way to avoid sanctions under Part 1 of Art. 12.7. in case a citizen’s rights expired in 2021, and for some reason he does not want to change them. You can simply ride in the passenger seat of your car and give control to relatives, friends or acquaintances, first checking that they have a valid driver’s license (and adding them to the MTPL policy if it is “limited”, or simply making “unlimited” insurance).

Not all fields are filled in

Where can I renew my license?

10-15 days before the expiration date of the license, the motorist needs to submit an application for its renewal. The following structures usually deal with this issue:

Traffic police department;
Multifunctional Center;
State services website.

We will consider below how to contact each of them with a request to increase the validity period of an expiring document.

traffic police

Before contacting the branch

traffic police, the citizen should collect a list of required papers and attach copies of his passport and medical certificate to it. Next, all this is submitted to the responsible traffic police officer, paired with an application, after which the person will be assigned an appointment date for the issuance of a new driving license.

Having arrived on time, you must be dressed in accordance with all the rules for a photograph for an ID (without a headdress, in formal clothes, with light makeup). After taking a photo, a police officer will process it within an hour and give you a ready-made ID.

At the MFC

If you notice that your license is valid until tomorrow inclusive and you do not have the opportunity to go to the traffic police, there is always a backup option - contact the multifunctional center. As in the first case, to create an application you will need to collect all the necessary papers and certificates. After this, an MFC employee will give you a ticket for an appointment with a consultant.

You can show up on the appointed date only after paying a single state fee (regardless of whether you are renewing your license for a moped or a small car, the cost of this service will be the same - 2000 rubles).

At the same time, they will be able to issue you a new driving license no earlier than 5 working days from the date of submission of the application.

Procedure for replacing a driver's license

The owner has the right to replace an expiring driver’s license with a new one no earlier than 6 months before the expiration date. Preliminary replacement of a document does not imply a fine and the presence of a training confirmation card. There is no fine for expired licenses.

However, you cannot continue to travel with documents whose validity has expired: the current fine is 5,000-15,000 rubles . In addition, the punishment also includes placing the vehicle in a impound lot.

List of documents for renewing a driver's license

Knowing for how long a driver's license is issued, a motorist can prepare in advance to receive a new one. To do this, he will need the following documents:

Old licenses with expired expiration dates;
Medical report;
Internal passport;
Driving school completion certificate;
Receipt for payment of state duty.

Having collected the listed certificates and papers, you can safely contact one of the three organizations responsible for issuing a new license.

Renewal cost

In order to exchange a used license for a new one, in addition to a one-time fee, the driver will need to pay the following expenses:

Medical certificates (from a narcologist and a psychiatrist inclusive) - will cost about 1000 rubles;
Photos - within 200 rubles.

If an inspector refuses to extend the validity period of a driver’s license without additional payment for services, then this can be perceived as a direct violation of the law.

For this, according to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, a police officer can receive a significant fine or even lose his position.

Possibility of early replacement of documents

Knowing how many years a driver's license is issued in Russia is sometimes not necessary. After all, over such a long period, the crust may get lost or become unusable, as a result of which it will need to be replaced with a new device. Moreover, this procedure also provides for the early replacement of an international certificate (for both citizens of the Russian Federation and foreigners). Therefore, if an old document wears out, you can immediately apply for a new one without waiting for its expiration date.

Obtaining new rights to replace outdated ones

Even without knowing how many years a driver’s license is issued in Russia, each driver can control the situation so as not to suddenly find himself without a document allowing him to drive a car. Because the cutoff date is indicated in the document itself. However, many owners of driving licenses seek to obtain new licenses ahead of schedule and are interested in when this can be done. Traffic police officers have set a period of six months before the expiration date of the document. There is no point in contacting the inspectorate earlier, since the replacement of the driver's license will be refused. But this period is not fixed in the regulations.

Therefore, replacing a driver’s license due to expiration long before this date may result in the citizen being issued a new license with the validity period of the previous ones. To avoid finding yourself in such a situation, before replacing, the right step would be to check with a specific traffic police department when you can apply for a new document. If the replacement of the VU occurs due to loss, damage, or change of personal data, then the expiration date remains the same.

Required documents for replacement

When your driver’s license has expired or other legitimate reasons arise for replacing the document, you must go to the traffic police department, fill out an application and attach the following papers to it:

previous rights;
the applicant's general passport;
the result of a medical examination;
confirmation of payment of the state duty for the holder of the license.

The photograph is applied to the new sample license using innovative technologies, so there is no need to bring it. You can take a digital photo right at the branch. You can pay the state fee there, using the payment terminal.

Checking for fines

It usually takes a little time to obtain a new driving license. After the driver submits all the necessary papers to the traffic police department, authorized persons must check them. In addition, the applicant or his car is checked for fines.

Before applying for a new license, the driver is recommended to clarify the information about the presence of unpaid monetary sanctions. To do this, you need to know how to check traffic police fines. You can find out more information online on the official traffic police portal. If it turns out that the car owner has unpaid fines, they should be paid off. Otherwise, when checking documents to obtain rights, this fact will certainly come up and will cause a delay in the issuance of a new document.

Responsibility for driving with an expired document

In accordance with the Code of Administrative Offenses (namely Article 12.27), the use of an expired driving license is equivalent to driving without a license, for which the law provides for an impressive fine of 5 to 15 thousand rubles. At the same time, if a driver applies to the traffic police department with an expired license, the Code of Administrative Offenses deprives him of all responsibility, since if a person was not seen with an invalid license while driving, he is not considered an offender.

One conclusion can be drawn: knowing how long a driver’s license is valid is not enough. The main thing is to remember their expiration date and submit an application for a new document on time. Otherwise, the citizen will face serious fines, which may increase even more by 2021.