Russian driver's license: in which countries are they valid?

Vienna and Geneva conventions

Two main international treaties defining the rights of motorists were adopted in 1949 in Geneva and in 1968 in Vienna. The Vienna Convention replaced the Geneva Convention and corrected a number of shortcomings of the latter. Namely, the need to obtain additional international rights in addition to national ones was abolished. Also, within the framework of the Vienna Convention, traffic rules of different countries were unified at key points so that motorists could move freely from country to country without the risk of creating accidents.

The list of countries where Russian driver's licenses are valid today is quite large.

Countries that recognize Russian VU

Russians can use a car in countries of all regions of the planet. These include European, African, Asian and American states.

However, it must be taken into account that, despite the signing of the Vienna Convention, any state may adopt additional legal acts to regulate road traffic. In this case, the permit to drive a car with a Russian license may be revoked. Therefore, when planning a trip, it is worth following the latest information about the legislative acts of each country on the route.

The entire list of Vienna Convention countries where Russian driving licenses are valid looks like this:

Austria.
Albania.
Azerbaijan.
Armenia.
Bahrain.
Bahamas.
Belgium.
Belarus.
Bulgaria.
Brazil.
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Great Britain.
Vatican.
Hungary.
Vietnam.
Venezuela.
Guyana.
Ghana.
Greece.
Germany.
Georgia.
Denmark.
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Zimbabwe.
Israel.
Indonesia.
Iraq.
Iran.
Spain.
Italy.
Kazakhstan.
Qatar.
Kyrgyzstan.
Kenya.
Costa Rica.
Cuba.
Kuwait.
Cote d'Ivoire.
Latvia.
Liberia.
Lithuania.
Luxembourg.
Macedonia.
Mexico.
Moldova.
Morocco.
Mongolia.
Monaco.
Netherlands.
Niger.
Norway.
UAE.
Pakistan.
Poland.
Peru.
Portugal.
The Republic of Korea.
Romania.
San Marino.
Saudi Arabia.
Senegal.
Seychelles.
Serbia.
Slovakia.
Slovenia.
Thailand.
Tajikistan.
Taiwan.
Turkmenistan.
Tunisia.
Türkiye.
Philippines.
Finland.
France.
Czech Republic.
Montenegro.
Chile.
Sweden.
Switzerland.
Croatia.
CAR.
Uzbekistan.
Ukraine.
Uruguay.
Ecuador.
Estonia.
SOUTH AFRICA.

In order to use Russian rights in these countries, all information in them must be duplicated in English, and all lines must be numbered. This is exactly how modern Russian plastic rights are designed. There is an older version - a laminated certificate issued before March 23, 2011. It must also be recognized in the listed countries on the basis of international law.

How to get an international driving license

A mandatory fee - the state fee for issuing an international driver's license - is charged for consumables.

Cost of state duty and services:

state duty 1,600 rub.
state duty through the State Services website with a 30 percent discount of 1,120 rubles.
services of commercial organizations intermediaries from RUB 2,000.
cost of IAA services from 1,200 to 5,000 rubles.

The validity of an international driver's license is 3 years. It has already been noted that foreign rights are in addition to Russian national ones, therefore, upon expiration of the validity period of the DDP, international rights must be replaced along with national ones. If personal data changes, the international driver's license should also be replaced.

Austria
Bahamas
Bahrain
Belarus
Belgium
Bulgaria
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Great Britain
Hungary
Venezuela
Guyana
Ghana
Germany
Greece
Georgia
Denmark
Zaire
Zimbabwe
Israel
Indonesia
Iran
Spain
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Costa Rica
Ivory Coast
Cuba
Kuwait
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Morocco
Mexico
Monaco
Niger
Norway
UAE
Pakistan
Poland
Portugal
The Republic of Korea
Republic of Moldova
Romania
San Marino
Seychelles
Senegal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Ukraine
Uruguay
Philippines
Finland
France
Croatia
CAR
Czech
Chile
Switzerland
Sweden
Ecuador
Estonia
South Africa
Yugoslavia

Australia
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Argentina
Bangladesh
Belize
Benin
Botswana
Haiti
Gambia
Guatemala
Gibraltar
Hong Kong
Grenada
Dominican Republic
Egypt
Western Samoa
India
Jordan
Ireland
Iceland
Cambodia
Canada
Cyprus
China
Congo
Laos
Lesotho
Lebanon
Mauritania
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Mali
Malta
Namibia
Netherlands
New Zealand
New Caledonia
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Rwanda
San Lucia
Swaziland
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Singapore
Syria
USA
Sierra Leone
Taiwan
Tanzania
Togo
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Türkiye
Uganda
Fiji
French polynesia
Jamaica
Japan

Here it is necessary to make a reservation that there is confusion within the given lists. For example, in the USA (which signed the Geneva Convention and, in theory, should only accept International Rights), neither the rental office nor the police have questions about Russian documents.

All other countries, by default, accept only their own documents. But other countries are Tuvalu and other island states, that is, the case is one in a hundred.

International Driving Permit is a 30 minute question. Here are the documents you will need for registration:

Russian driver's license
Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation
International passport
Medical certificate of fitness to drive vehicles
One photo (3.5 x 4.5 cm)
Receipt for payment of the duty through Sberbank (1000 rubles)

With a package of documents, you go to the central traffic police department of your city (not all offices can issue you an international license) and after 30 minutes you are ready for a road trip around Grenada and Malawi.

So, where are we going to fly?

Countries requiring registration of an international DP

Although most countries are governed by the Vienna Convention, there are some that have only signed the 1949 Geneva Convention.
Russians can also travel in these countries by car, but for this they need to obtain an additional international certificate. For 2021, the list of such countries includes:

Australia.
Algeria.
Andorra.
Argentina.
Bangladesh.
Barbados.
Benin.
Botswana.
Burkina Faso.
Great Britain.
Venezuela.
Haiti.
Ghana.
Guatemala.
Dominican Republic.
Egypt.
India.
Jordan.
Iceland.
Spain.
Cambodia.
Canada.
Cyprus.
Laos.
Lesotho.
Lebanon.
Madagascar.
Malawi.
Malaysia.
Mali.
Malta.
New Zealand.
Namibia.
Nigeria.
Papua New Guinea.
Paraguay.
Rwanda.
Singapore.
Syria.
USA.
Sierra Leone.
Togo.
Trinidad and Tobago.
Uganda.
Fiji.
Chile.
Sri Lanka.
Jamaica.
Japan.

When visiting these countries, obtaining an international driver's license is a mandatory requirement.

How to get an international driving license

Lately, wherever possible, I’ve been trying to use the State Services portal, it’s really convenient. Therefore (and also in order to save money - 1000 rubles for two), I applied for an IDP through government services . Now I’ll tell you step by step what and where to click. By the way, if I didn’t take screenshots, filling out one application and payment would have taken me no more than 5 minutes.

Countries of Europe:

Austria;
San Marino;
Albania;
Serbia;
Republic of Slovakia;
Russia;
Romania;
Italy;
Spain;
Portugal;
Estonia;
Poland;
Slovenia;
Belarus;
Belgium;
Bulgaria;
Ukraine;
Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Latvia;
Lithuania;
Uzbekistan;
Vatican;
Luxembourg;
Great Britain;
Macedonia;
Hungary;
Finland;
France;
Moldova;
Monaco;
Croatia;
Germany;
Greece;
Montenegro;
Netherlands;
Czech Republic;
Denmark;
Norway;
Switzerland;
Sweden.

African countries:

Kenya;
Seychelles;
Senegal;
Democratic Republic of the Congo;
Ecuador;
SOUTH AFRICA;
Ivory Coast;
Cape Verde;
Tunisia;
Morocco;
Ghana;
Zimbabwe;
Niger.

Asian countries:

Azerbaijan;
Kyrgyzstan;
Armenia;
Kazakhstan;
Korea;
Iran;
Bahrain;
Tajikistan;
Thailand;
Turkmenistan;
Philippines;
Guyana;
Mongolia;
Georgia;
UAE;
Israel;
Pakistan;
Indonesia.

Americas:

Bahamas;
Costa Rica;
Cuba;
Mexico;
Brazil;
Uruguay;
Venezuela;
Chile;
Peru.

Ratification refers to the final approval of an international treaty by the government of a country. Without an IDP, difficulties may arise when driving. Countries that have not ratified the Vienna Convention:

Vatican;
Venezuela;
Ghana;
Indonesia;
Spain;
Costa Rica;
Mexico;
South Korea;
Thailand;
Chile;
Ecuador.

These countries have agreed that national rights apply on their territory, but only at the same time the driver must also have an IDP (Geneva Convention, Article 24, paragraph 2). List of countries that have signed the Geneva Convention:

Australia;
Albania;
Algeria;
Andorra;
Argentina;
Bangladesh;
Barbados;
Benin;
Botswana;
Vatican;
Great Britain;
Haiti;
Ghana;
Guatemala;
Dominican Republic,
Egypt;
India;
Jordan;
Ireland;
Iceland;
Cambodia;
Canada;
Cyprus;
Congo;
Laos;
Lesotho;
Lebanon;
Madagascar;
Malawi;
Malaysia;
Mali;
Malta;
Namibia;
New Zealand;
Papua New Guinea;
Paraguay;
The Republic of Korea;
Rwanda;
Syria;
Singapore;
USA;
Sierra Leone;
Thailand;
Togo;
Trinidad and Tobago;
Uganda;
Fiji;
Chile;
Sri Lanka;
Ecuador;
Jamaica;
Japan.

What rights are needed in other countries?

Despite the large list of countries where Russian driver's licenses are valid, it does not exhaust all the countries on our planet. A number of states have not signed the Geneva and Vienna Conventions, and to use a car on their territory, Russians need to obtain a local driver's license. This is usually not an easy process. In some cases, obtaining such rights may be completely denied. Therefore, it is important to learn all the nuances of obtaining a driver’s license before visiting such a country.

States that recognize Russian driving licenses

Residents of Russia have the right to use the car in countries of all regions of the world. These include countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and America. But it must be taken into account that despite the signing of the Vienna Convention, each country has the right to adopt additional legal acts to regulate road traffic. In such a situation, permission to drive a car with a Russian driver’s license may be revoked.

That is why, when planning a trip abroad, you need to monitor new information about current legislative acts of each state on the route.

We list in which countries of the Vienna Convention a Russian driver’s license is valid:

Countries in which Russian driving licenses are valid

To use a Russian driver's license in the listed countries, it is necessary that all data in them be translated into English, and all lines are numbered. In this way, plastic Russian military devices of a new type are issued.

There are older rights. We are talking about a laminated certificate that was issued before March 23, 2011. Such a document must also be recognized in the countries mentioned above on the basis of international law.

Recommendations from experienced travelers

All drivers who often travel abroad are advised to apply for an IDP in any case, even if the person does not intend to rent a car. The fact is that most insurance companies stipulate in the contract a requirement to have such rights in order to receive compensation in the event of an accident. If the driver does not have this document, then he most likely will not receive compensation.

As for renting a car, there is another pitfall. Some services require that an international driver's license must be obtained at least a year before renting a car. Accordingly, drivers who issued this certificate immediately before traveling may be denied a car.

States requiring international certificates

Although most countries are governed by the Vienna Convention, there are also states that have signed only the Geneva Convention. Residents of Russia also have the right to travel in such states by car. However, for this it is important to draw up another license – international rights.

Let's list the countries where it is allowed to use a Russian driver's license from 2021, but with an additional international driver's license:

Countries that require an international driving license

When visiting these states, it is necessary to obtain an international driver’s license.

Some countries have not signed either the Geneva or Vienna Conventions. Therefore, to use a car in such countries, Russian residents need to obtain a local driver’s license. This is not an easy procedure. In many situations, the issuance of such rights may be refused altogether. That is why it is important to learn all the subtleties and nuances of obtaining a driver’s license before traveling abroad.

Driver's license for renting a car abroad

When renting a car in another country, even if it is a country that has signed the Vienna Convention, the rental company may require an international license. Such a requirement, along with other conditions (age limit, driving experience, deposit for a car) is allowed by law, since it is interpreted as a requirement of the company itself.

In a number of countries, only large companies will require an international license, but in Switzerland, Belgium or Norway, it is extremely difficult to find a rental service where a car will be issued without such a certificate.

Some countries have even legislated the requirement for car renters to have an IDP. In Greece, for the absence of such a certificate, a fine of 200 euros can be given, and some police officers even increase this amount to a thousand euros.