Road safety largely depends on the professionalism of drivers.
A driving license is obtained from the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate after successful testing of traffic rules, other theoretical issues that the driver needs to know and testing of practical driving skills.
One of the mandatory documents that is submitted to the State Traffic Inspectorate along with an application for admission to the exams is a certificate of completion of a driving school.
Let's figure out what this document is, whether its validity period is limited, whether it can be restored in case of loss, and whether it needs to be kept for life.
What is a certificate of completion of a driving school and why is it needed?
According to the provisions of paragraph 1 of Art. 26 Federal Law No. 196, which regulates issues related to traffic safety, persons who have undergone professional training are allowed to take exams to obtain a license to drive transport.
Those wishing to obtain a license learn theory and driving skills in licensed driving schools, according to approved programs.
Testing of the learned material, as in any educational institution, is carried out by an internal exam, consisting of a theoretical and practical part.
For information!
A certificate of becoming a driver is issued only to cadets who have successfully passed internal exams, confirming completion of a driving school. The very concept of a certificate speaks of confirmation of completed professional education standards for a driver of a certain category of transport. Therefore, the document is valid no matter how much time has passed since its receipt.
A certificate of completion of a driving school is an official document that can be produced according to an approved sample or purchased.
Having legal force, the certificate entitles the graduate to apply for a driver's license.
In addition to the name of the educational institution where the person received professional driving training, indicate:
- full last name, first name, patronymic of the driving school graduate;
- educational subjects corresponding to the training program for a specific category of transport;
- results of certification and final internal exams;
- period of study and date of issue of the certificate.
Sample certificate of completion of a driving school
How to check the authenticity of your driving school certificate
The certificate form does not have multi-level protection against forgery, which is what fraudsters take advantage of. There is only one way to check the authenticity of such a document - on the Obrnadzor website. To do this, you must enter the following data in the appropriate field:
- last name of the graduate;
- series and number of the certificate;
- date of issue.
This determination method is only suitable for those who received a certificate after January 1, 2021. Those who graduated from a driving school earlier can check the authenticity of the document in two ways:
- contact the school itself;
- contact the regional office of the Ministry of Education if the driving school is closed.
Where can I get a certificate of completion of a driving school?
I would like to immediately note that educational institutions issue certificates, and not certificates, confirming the completion of a professional driver training course. The concept of a certificate in this case is used as it is often used in colloquial speech.
The document is issued at the driving school after testing theory and testing driving skills.
For your information!
Modern technologies make it possible to undergo theoretical training in traffic rules, cargo transportation and passenger transportation, and first aid techniques for victims online.
However, in any case, the required hours of car driving training must be completed practically under the guidance of an instructor.
Is it worth buying a driving school certificate?
It is no secret that there are individuals who are interested in the possibility of purchasing a certificate without attending classes and passing exams.
Demand creates supply. This situation is no exception. In our society, unfortunately, corruption is invincible. For the sake of selfish personal gain, officials, using their official position, commit various administrative and sometimes criminal crimes in exchange for bribes.
If desired, they find an opportunity to obtain a fake certificate for money via the Internet.
However, when taking this step, you should think about whether it is worth doing.
Not only his life and health depend on the person sitting behind the wheel, but also the passengers nearby in the cabin, strangers, road users, including pedestrians.
While the moral side of the issue is unlikely to stop those who believe that having money puts them above others, allowing them to circumvent generally accepted norms, there is another side of the consequences.
For a fake document, its bearer can not only be fined a significant amount - up to 80 thousand rubles, but according to Art. 327 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, upon a court verdict, subject to a more severe punishment in the form of:
- arrest for six months;
- restrictions on freedom or even deprivation of it and forced labor for up to 2 years.
Which driving schools issue certificates?
Educational institutions authorized to issue documents that have legal force on the receipt of driver qualifications by graduates can have any legal form of ownership.
Regardless of whether a driving school is public, private, or created on the basis of another educational institution, the main criterion for assessing the legality of its activities is the availability of a license to provide educational services.
So that in the future, after completing the driving course, there will be no problems if you want to get a license from the State Traffic Inspectorate, we recommend checking the legitimacy of the driving school before concluding a training agreement and making payment.
This can be done on the official website of the traffic police, at the same time specifying the location of the driving school, information about work training programs, the website address where you can find out all the details of the provision of services, and contact phone numbers.
Documents issued upon completion of training at a driving school
Since the main purpose of studying at a driving school is the desire to obtain a driver’s license, after completing the training, in order to pass exams at the State Traffic Inspectorate, the graduate may be given, in addition to a certificate:
- driver's card;
- examination paper;
- medical certificate.
Since 2000, driver cards issued by a driving school or at a driving course where driving was taught have lost their relevance.
Today, based on the requirements for obtaining a driver’s license given in Government Decree No. 1097 (as amended on December 20, 2019), this document is not required.
The purpose of such a card was supposed to be presented when replacing a driver's license.
The document states:
- name of the medical institution, number, date of receipt of a certificate confirming the suitability of health to drive transport;
- information about training in a driving school, according to the issued certificate;
- registration number and date of issue of driver's license;
- department of the inspection that issued the certificate for the right to drive transport.
Sample driver's card
Validity period for driving school completion certificate
This certificate, unlike a medical certificate, does not have an expiration date. Another question is that a situation often arises when a student who has been trained in a driving school relaxes after passing the exams and puts off taking the exam at the traffic police for a long time. After contacting the traffic police, the owner is perplexed why government officials refuse to accept this document and ask for its confirmation.
Also read: Form and sample application for a driver’s license
Accepting certificates with a long statute of limitations (from six months) is a risk for traffic inspectors. Recently, many scammers have appeared who sell fake certificates with a long statute of limitations. This complicates the work of traffic police officers and requires examinations. The function of establishing authenticity is not part of the work of traffic inspectors; it rests entirely with the unfortunate student who did not submit the document on time.
The driving school may not retain graduation information or may eventually simply close down. In this case, the educational institution is not responsible for preserving archival data. Therefore, to avoid problems, sign up to take the exam at the traffic police immediately after completing your studies: you won’t have to confirm a medical certificate, and they won’t find fault with your certificate of graduation.
How much time is given to pass the traffic police exam after driving school?
As a rule, having successfully completed a training course at a driving school, a group that has received the appropriate certificate takes the driver's license exam at the State Traffic Inspectorate on the agreed day.
Life situations can develop differently, and if it is not possible to pass the traffic police exams with everyone, this is not a reason for despair.
Without repeated training, you can submit an application with a medical certificate and a certificate of completion of a driving school at any time, that is, after a year, two or 10 years.
It is only important to successfully pass the theory and be admitted to the second stage of the exam - practical driving skills and performing the necessary maneuvers.
Deadlines for retaking exams:
| Test questions on theory on a computer | Driving practice using traffic rules |
| During the first 3 attempts to pass the test, if you fail, you can take the exam again after a week of preparation. | If the test is not passed, the candidate is not allowed to obtain a driver's license for the second stage of the exam. |
| You can get tested 4 and subsequent times in a month. | If you successfully pass the theoretical part, if you fail the driving test, you can repeat it in a week. If driving is not passed on the 3rd attempt, a retake is scheduled only after a month. |
The results of a successfully passed test are taken into account when retaking the driving test only within 180 days.
If during this time you do not master the basics of driving a vehicle to obtain a license, you will have to take the exams again.
Validity period of the certificate
Several dozen criminal cases have already been opened against such driving schools. Investigative authorities are looking for graduates who studied there.
Our hero, Sergei Ivanovich, decided 3 months ago to send his son to study at a driving school. My son is studying well and is already traveling around the city with an instructor. Yesterday it turned out that my son plans to take the traffic police exam only in a year.
Sergei Ivanovich immediately called me to find out what was best for him to do.
Example 1: Alexey studied at a driving school 10 years ago, but he did not pass the driving test. Recently he needed his license. It turned out that the driving school where he studied did not have the necessary license. Therefore, Alexey cannot take the exam now; he will have to undergo training again, or go to court and prove his training.
There are several options in this situation. I'll start with the most common one. If you get your license from a driving school that has been operating for a long time, then you are lucky.
These schools have long ago received all the necessary licenses. They also store information about their students.
This is very good for you. Even if you lose your certificate of completion, they can replace it for you. Traffic police officers treat graduates from these institutions much better. If you have the opportunity, go study here. The price for training may be slightly higher than that of competitors. But then there will be no problems.
The certificate of completion of these driving schools can be considered unlimited.
How is a certificate restored if it has been lost?
By and large, a certificate obtained upon completion of a driving school is only needed to be able to pass exams for a driver’s license of a certain category at the State Traffic Inspectorate.
If for some reason the license was not obtained immediately and after a while you decide to drive a vehicle, if you lose the document on the completed professional training, the document must be restored.
First of all, you can contact the driving school where you completed your training directly.
If the data is saved, the applicant is given a duplicate document. In situations where a fairly long period of time has passed or the school is closed, you should submit a written application and a passport or other identification document to the Ministry of Education, where all documentation, including student personal files, should be kept in the archives.
The cost of the service can be clarified on site, but most often the information is provided free of charge.
In the event that the driving school had the appropriate license to train drivers, but is not functioning at the time of submitting the application to the State Traffic Inspectorate, the candidate will be admitted to the exams regardless of the availability of the required documents.
As for replacing a license after the statute of limitations has expired or in other situations, a driving school certificate is not needed.
If you are unlawfully required to present a certificate of completion of a driving school, you can appeal the inspector’s actions by referring to clause 30 of Government Decree No. 1097, which lists an exhaustive list of documents for replacing a driver’s license.
Fraud driving schools
The worst option for you is to go to a driving school that simply hands out certificates to everyone. Tuition in it may cost the same as in a regular one. The main difference is that you are not taught anything and there are no classes.
As a rule, people who do not want to undergo training enroll here. They just need a certificate to go take exams at the traffic police.
I discourage all my clients from studying here. If law enforcement agencies find out about these frauds, then a criminal case will be opened against the school management. But this is not the worst thing. All students who studied here will be deprived of their driver's licenses.
As a result, you will have to look for a new driving school, undergo training there, and take all the exams again.
Certificates of completion from such institutions are semi-criminal. If you lose them, they will not help you restore them. Therefore, they also do not have an expiration date.
