Is it necessary to retake a license if it is overdue for 5 years © Lawyer Hotline

Every driver must have a license. This is a document that confirms completion of training and passing an exam, and, accordingly, the presence of the necessary knowledge and skills for safe driving. If you ignore this requirement, you can get a fine, and if you are also a bad driver, it can also be dangerous for others. But today we will discuss a slightly different issue, which is related to replacing a driver’s license.

A driver's license has a certain validity period, after which it will be necessary to restore its validity. By the way, you will also have to replace your license for other reasons, including a change of name or damage to the document. Where to replace the rights and what is the procedure, what is their validity period, what documents are needed? You can find answers to all these questions in our article.

Validity of rights and their replacement

A driving license is issued for 10 years, after which they lose their validity and must be replaced. There may be exceptions. If a person is on the territory of the Russian Federation temporarily and does not have a national license, then a driver’s license can be issued for less than 10 years. This is justified by the fact that registration documents have a shorter validity period, since stay on the territory of the state is limited.

International driver's licenses are also an exception. They are issued for a period of 3 years, after which they must be replaced. It is also important that they cannot be valid longer than national rights.

So, if your rights are expired, then they will be restored. In order to do this, you will need to contact the nearest traffic police department. According to the current legislation, a driver’s license is replaced in the department that is responsible for the driver’s region of residence. That is, expired licenses must be replaced at the place of registration.

If the driver’s registration does not correspond to his actual place of residence, then the procedure is slightly different. In this case, the replacement of rights is carried out at the place of residence. In general, any option involves contacting the traffic police department either at the place of registration or at the place of residence.

Validity

The legal validity of a driver's license is 10 years. After this period has expired, the document can be received again. To do this, you do not need to re-train at a driving school or take exams. The only condition is passing a medical examination.

The fact is that over 10 years the driver’s health condition may become worse, and driving such a driver can be dangerous not only for himself, but also for other road users. (the most likely causes are deterioration of vision, hearing, general physical condition, etc.)

The established period of validity of rights of 10 years applies only to Russian citizens. If a Russian-style certificate is issued to a foreigner temporarily residing in the country (for example, a citizen of the Republic of Belarus or the Republic of Kazakhstan who came for seasonal work in Russia), then his rights are valid only for the duration of his stay in Russia.

ATTENTION !!! After the expiration of the period, the holder of the invalid certificate must apply for a new document. An application for replacement of rights can also be submitted by last name using the State Services portal. There is also the opportunity to pay the state fee for replacing rights, and in 2021, when replacing rights through the State Services website, this can be done with a 30% discount. Also, starting from February 2021, this procedure is carried out throughout the country, regardless of geographical dependence on the place of registration of the car owner.

It is also possible that controversial situations may arise regarding the validity of rights on the last day. Although in reality disputes are resolved very simply. Rights are considered valid exactly until the end of the day specified in the rights as the last. That is, until 23:59 of the last day, the driver has the right to drive with a license on a completely legal basis.

Replacement of rights is also carried out when changing the surname, and in the event of a serious illness, which, due to physical limitations in health, does not make it possible to drive any of the categories of transport specified in the rights.

Procedure for replacing rights

Expired rights do not need to be renewed immediately. You can do this even after a few years, but you will be prohibited from driving a vehicle. Many will also be pleased that they can replace their driver’s license without passing exams, and this greatly simplifies the whole process.

So, in order to restore your rights, you need to collect certain documents, the list of which includes:

Identity card (usually a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation).
Certificate from the place of registration at a specific address or from the place of actual stay.
A certificate from a medical institution confirming that you have passed an examination to determine your fitness to drive a vehicle.
Driver card (if training was carried out individually before 2013, then you can do without this document).
National rights.
A set of photographs in 3*4 format.
Receipts of payment of the state fee for a driver's license.
Standard application form.

Responsibility for expired rights

As mentioned earlier, it is not necessary to replace rights immediately after their expiration. However, this only applies to those drivers who do not continue to drive the car. If you drive a car without a valid driver's license and are stopped by an inspector, then you will be punished.

Article 25 of the Law “On Road Traffic Safety” states that if the license has expired, then driving a car will be regarded as driving without a license. For such a violation, a fine of 5,000 to 15,000 rubles is provided. In addition, there may be a more serious punishment, including the confiscation of the car and its delivery to the impound area. All costs associated with this event will be your responsibility.

If you decide to continue driving with an expired driver's license, you are putting yourself at serious risk. If you are stopped by a police officer, problems cannot be avoided. Of course, you can ask the inspector not to take the car, but to drive it to a garage or parking lot with the help of a friend, but this is a dubious option. The fact is that if the inspector turns out to be principled, he will still take away the vehicle. You can try to intimidate him if he somehow violated the procedure, but this is also unreliable.

In general, do everything on time and if you see that your driver’s license will soon be expired, then take care of replacing it in advance. Moreover, it is quite simple to do and does not require a significant investment of time and money. You just need to collect a package of documents, come to the traffic police department and fill out an application form. Within a few hours you will already become the owner of new rights.

From time to time, every driver is faced with the need to replace his license. The reasons for this need may be the following factors:

The validity period of the rights has expired (this period is ten years);

The licenses were washed, dented, torn;

Last name change. Although in this case you make the decision on the advisability of exchanging rights yourself.

Since the need to perform such a procedure arises quite rarely, drivers have many questions. And it’s better to know the algorithm of actions in such a case in advance, so as not to waste a lot of time later.

Where should a driver's license be replaced?

Firstly, you can make a replacement at your place of registration. To do this, you should come to the regional traffic police office. This method is considered the simplest and most hassle-free. Secondly, you can exchange documents where the driver is temporarily registered.

For example, you are assigned in Moscow, but temporarily registered in Krasnodar. In such a situation, you can take the application to the traffic police department, not only at registration, but also in the city of Moscow. But check whether the branch you choose has the right to issue a driver’s license. In addition, it will be useful to find out in advance the reception time of your traffic police department specifically on the issue of replacing your license. You can find out this information on the official website. On the same site you can easily download a sample application and a receipt form. Well, the amount of the state duty will be told to you at the Sberbank branch.

Validity period of rights

A driver's license is valid for ten years. The exact date when the driver's license expires is always indicated on the license itself. Upon reaching this period, the rights cease to be valid and must be replaced. Experienced drivers strongly recommend changing your license in advance - at least a month before it becomes invalid.

If you are late in renewing your driver's license, you will have to pay a fine. And, of course, as soon as your license expires, you can’t get behind the wheel - the law provides for administrative liability and, accordingly, punishment for this. And one more important nuance that deserves attention is that when you change your license, no one will require you to take theoretical exams.

However, there is a caveat - if the driver has not driven a car in the last 12 months, he will have to pass not only a theoretical, but also a practical exam for the full picture. Of course, no one can reliably check the last time you sat behind the wheel. But if your license is expired for a period exceeding 12 months, then it is quite logical that you could not drive the car. After all, you can’t drive without a license!

For persons who stay in the state temporarily, rights are issued for the duration of the registration. And every time you extend your temporary registration, you will need to change your temporary license. This, of course, causes some inconvenience, but the law is the law. International licenses are issued for only three years.

List of required documents

The exchange procedure will be as simple as possible only if you collect the necessary package of documents in advance - this is the best way to save time and nerves.

An application that must be submitted in writing only.

Passport or document that confirms identity.

A document that reliably confirms your registration of temporary actual stay.

Evidence that the driver actually graduated from a driving school - except in cases of individual training.

Driver card.

Medical certificate confirming passing a driver's examination.

Previous driver's license.

Photos. Although now more and more traffic police departments take photographs of the driver on the spot, it would not be superfluous to have a photo.

A receipt confirming the fact of payment of the state fee for issuing a new driver's license.

It is not necessary to provide documents confirming your training, although it is on the list of required documents. This can be explained simply - until 2013, it was possible to obtain a license externally, without undergoing training. But the fewer documents you provide, the longer the process of obtaining a new driver's license will take.

Immediately after the full package of necessary documents has been submitted, you can get behind the wheel. You will be ceremonially presented with a temporary permit allowing you to drive a car. It has full legal force, like ordinary rights, with one exception - you cannot travel with it outside our vast Motherland.

True, you will have to pay a state fee for a temporary certificate, but its amount is small. But its registration is a purely voluntary matter. And if you can do without a car for the period of obtaining your license - from one to two months - then you don’t have to issue a temporary permit.

Every driver sooner or later needs to replace his driver's license. The reason for this may be expiration, loss, and so on. At the same time, every car owner should remember that for driving a vehicle without a valid license, our country provides for administrative liability in the form of a fine.

Adverse consequences apply only to those road users who did not replace their driver's licenses on time, but nevertheless continue to drive a car. If the driver does not operate the vehicle until the actual moment of license exchange, then the competent authority has no grounds to fine.

What is the liability for delay?

After 10 years, the document must be reissued. If the driver neglects this responsibility, there are legal consequences. Replacement of expired rights in 2021 is carried out according to the same principle as in 2021. Let's look at how long you can expire your license, as well as what is the procedure for re-registering it this year.

Important! For driving a vehicle with invalid documents in Russia, punishment is provided in the form of a fine, which depends on the delay and the frequency of violations of traffic rules.

The Code of Administrative Offenses specifies the possible amount of penalties for driving with documents that have expired by at least one day. At the same time, traffic police officers will not take into account that this act was unintentional or the driver did not know about the validity period of the documents, because you need to comply with all laws, even those that you do not know about. A new license must be obtained in order to drive a car; before this, driving is strictly prohibited. This is stated in the Federal Law “On Road Safety”.

Attention! There are situations in which you must change your legal documents sooner than after 10 years.

Documents are changed in the following cases:

changes in personal data;
severe wear of the old license, which makes it difficult to read information about the driver;
obtaining a certificate using forged documents;
driver's license theft;
changes in the driver's health category.

A fine for violating the deadlines for re-registration of driver documents is provided as a punishment for evading the rules established by law. What is the penalty for expired licenses? Of course, financially, but only if you are stopped by a traffic police officer with expired documents. The punishment is intended as a deterrent that encourages motorists to comply with the law.

Sometimes drivers resort to tricks, presenting their passport and car documents to the traffic police officer, declaring that they forgot their license at home, so that they will not be fined. However, if an inspector runs your data through the database and sees a delay in re-registration, you will face a maximum fine.

Sometimes a change of license is possible only after retraining and passing repeated exams. This applies to foreign citizens who want to obtain a new license.

Attention! International rights, unlike Russian ones, are valid only for three years.

International licenses are renewed in accordance with the established procedure; for this you do not need to pass additional exams and you can carry out the procedure through the MFC.

In Russia, driving without compulsory motor insurance and with an expired license is subject to not only administrative liability. Depending on the consequences, a criminal case may be opened.

Regulatory acts that guide traffic police inspectors:

Code of Administrative Offenses - Federal Law No. 195, article Article 32.2 “Execution of the decision to impose an administrative fine”;
the Vienna Convention of 1968 applicable to road traffic;
norms of Federal Law No. 63 - the criminal code in the event of serious consequences, a threat to human life and health from such violations;
Federal Law No. 59 for the imposition of penalties.

If you are overdue for renewal and you are stopped for the first time, then strict sanctions are not applied. The maximum you face is an administrative fine.

However, in case of systematic violation of the rules and the law, the driver may be deprived of his driver’s license for a certain period. And obtaining new documents will be possible only after retaking the exams.

It is worth noting that in 2021 the size of fines has increased significantly. According to the clauses of the Code of Administrative Offenses, only students of driving schools at a special training ground can drive a car without a valid document.

In other cases, the person driving the car must have a real, not expired license.

In their absence, a fine of 5-15 thousand rubles is imposed. The amount may be higher if you have transferred control of the car to a person who does not have or has an expired driver’s license.

Cases of mandatory replacement of driver's licenses

Expiration of the document.
Change of personal data due to marriage or for other reasons.
Loss of information on the ID due to wear or other mechanical damage.
Rights lost or theft occurred
Changes in the driver’s health indicators that resulted in the inability to drive a vehicle of a certain category.
If a fact is revealed, licenses are issued on the basis of forged documents.

Thus, the application of punishment in the form of a fine is possible if two conditions are met simultaneously:

Availability of legal grounds for replacing rights.
Driving a car.

A driver's license that requires an exchange can be left the same, however, in order to avoid prosecution in the form of a fine, it is strongly recommended not to drive. You can change your license a year after the specified grounds arise, and no fine will be imposed if you do not drive a car.

Many, after changing their last name (first name, patronymic), naively believe that for some time they still have the right to drive with their old license, taking with them only an updated passport. However, this is a big misconception, since in this case the certificate is equated to expired rights and, accordingly, is invalidated. Therefore, you should not be surprised that you will be fined and your car will be sent to a parking lot until the reasons that served as the basis for the detention are completely eliminated, in other words, until you replace your license.

The application of administrative punishment in the form of a fine is regulated by the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.

In addition, the loss of the right to drive a car in the event of the expiration of the license is provided for in Article 28 of the Road Safety Law. This prohibition is valid until the certificate is replaced.

A driver's license in Russia is valid for 10 years. Towards the end of this period, you should consider applying for a replacement driver's license to prevent it from becoming expired.

If a driver is overdue for a driver's license replacement in 2021, he will need to pay a fine in a certain amount. After all, an expired certificate is not considered valid.

And if the owner of an expired license ignores this and gets behind the wheel, then an administrative penalty will be imposed on him. What to do if the rights are expired, how to change them?

The license is considered expired if 10 years have passed since it was issued to the driver. In addition, the last day of rights activity does not count. If the driver began driving a car even the next day after the expiration of the license, he will still have to pay a fine for late replacement.

The law does not provide for a monetary penalty from a motorist if he did not drive a car with an expired license:

Thus, when a driver drives with an invalid driver's license, he will be punished.
And if he does not use them for their intended purpose, then he is entitled to legally make a replacement without penalty.

But there are motorists for whom the law is not written, and they continue to drive a car with an invalid license. When

stopped by a traffic police officer, he pays a fine, and in the future bears more serious responsibility.

But there are also citizens who, as a matter of principle, do not drive, so as not to answer to the law, but keep their license for 5 or more years.

It will be more profitable and safer to immediately replace your driver’s license than to repeatedly pay receipts for fines.

In addition, it may even go so far that the car will be withdrawn from use if the driver is stopped for a second time with an expired license. After all, replacing an expired driver’s license with a person does not require much effort, and besides, the driver will not be seriously fined.

When a motorist forgets that the license is valid for a year, then if he comes across a traffic police officer, he will issue him a fine, the amount of which varies from 5,000 to 15,000 rubles.

If for some reason the car owner did not resort to driving a vehicle with an invalid license or he was simply lucky because no one stopped him, then he will not be fined.

If at the time of stopping and identifying a violation on the part of the driver, a citizen was sitting next to him in the car with his license in hand, the car will not be placed in the impound lot.

Otherwise, the vehicle will be sent to a paid impound lot. Therefore, you should not take risks and play with the law, so as not to incur even greater losses and get yourself into trouble. Restoring rights is much easier than having to explain yourself to the court for your violations.

The same fate awaits the violator if he does not renew his driver's license 6 years after the expiration of its statute of limitations. But, as in the previous situation, he will not be administratively liable if he has not driven a vehicle for all these years.

But this is a long time to forget your driving skills; do you need to retake the exams at a driving school again?

Russian legislation does not provide for re-taking the test for knowledge of traffic rules, even if the driver has overstayed his driving license for such a period.

You cannot go unpunished - a fine is imposed on the violator in any case if he does not have a written refutation of the words of the traffic police officer. Motorists resort to using a copy of the application to replace their driver's license.

An expired license will not be subject to an administrative sanction if the driver was not stopped at the time the license was invalid. It is worth checking out the permissible options for driving a car with an expired license if the driver was registered as an employee in any company and he physically did not have the opportunity to change documents.

It is extremely important to leave an application to the traffic police as soon as possible so that a driver’s license that is considered expired can be replaced.

To do this you will need:

bring past driving documents;
pay the state fee.

It will be necessary to issue a certificate for a specific period of time so that the state traffic inspector can be convinced that the document replacement process is active. This is relevant in big cities, because there is a large queue for issuing licenses.

The validity period of temporary rights is 2 months. Approximately this amount will be required to issue a new certificate. Then the driver will have the right to drive a car with an invalid license, but with a temporary one to confirm that a new document is expected to be issued.

It is also worth noting that any car owner can request a temporary driver’s license if he has reasons for doing so.

The driver has the right to renew a temporary license if the issuance of a new license is delayed through no fault of the citizen. But an extension is possible for a maximum of one month.

It will be important for any car enthusiast to know how to change an expired license and what is required for this process. Traffic cops can be sarcastic and demand such certificates and other papers of a legal nature that are not required by law to be presented at all.

So, there are traffic police officers who demand to see a document confirming that the citizen has passed exams at a driving school. In this case, the citizen must refer to the laws and categorically refuse such manipulations.

A card confirming the successful completion of traffic rules tests will be required only in cases where the law requires passing exams for the exchange of rights. Passing a medical examination and submitting a certificate to the traffic police department is considered a mandatory condition.

This requires a lot of time and nerves, respectively. Since you will have to visit doctors, wait for the certificate to be issued and then begin collecting basic documents.

The entire package of documents must be compiled along with their copies. But an identity document is now required to be photocopied in its entirety, including even blank pages.

So, below is a complete list of all the necessary documents to replace a driver’s license:

If any personal information is changed or the license is lost, the driver's license must also be changed. Foreign citizens are issued licenses only for the period that they will legally reside in Russia.

When the period of stay in the Russian Federation comes to an end, the rights of foreigners also end. Then you have to replace your ID.

The 2021 law provides for the mandatory replacement of national rights with Russian ones in the case when a foreign person enters Russia.

This requirement applies exclusively to foreign citizens coming to the Russian Federation in order to earn income from the profession of a taxi driver or to travel by car for personal purposes.

From the above it follows that proof of passing exams and other driving tests at a driving school is not needed. An interesting coincidence may occur in which, almost at the same time, your license was taken away for a gross violation of traffic rules, and at the same time, the period of its validity is coming to an end.

Innovations in automobile laws indicate the need to retake exams at the traffic police if a driver’s driver’s license was taken away when it was about to expire.

There are no difficulties in this process, however, you need to know it:

First, the driver submits an application, attaching to it the entire package of documents that are required for this, including a past license.
Then you need to pay the state fee receipt.
Present the paid receipt.
Come to the nearest traffic police department or MFC, sign for a new driving license and pick it up.

There is no specific traffic police department where every driver should go. This means that it is not necessary to come to the traffic police station at your place of residence.

It is not uncommon for the process of obtaining new rights to be suspended or stopped altogether due to the fact that the package of documents is missing a specific paper from the list or the medical examination certificate is invalid.

There are no clearly stated deadlines for obtaining new driving documents for foreigners.

If there is no queue, the procedure will end in one day. But this happens infrequently, so you should wait a long time, up to two weeks. But the maximum time it will take to issue a certificate is 2 months.

It is known how to restore an expired driver's license at the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, but what to do if there is no way to contact the traffic police department or the MFC? There is an alternative option for submitting an application online using the electronic government service portal.

This procedure requires registration on the portal. There is no need to know any high skills; the process proceeds in the usual way. If a citizen is already in the system, then you should go to the Personal Account and go to the page with the provision of services for replacing rights.

After clicking on the “Get service” button, a window with an agreement will appear in which you need to check the box. Next, a list will open with the region and district where you want to obtain the document, as well as for what purpose it needs to be done.

Obviously, you need to select the item that says the end of the validity period of the certificate. After this, the main tab will open, in which you will need to fill out fields with information about the driver, as well as his place of permanent or temporary residence. After entering information about your passport and data on your previous license, you need to enter the traffic police department where the new license will be issued.

Payment of the state fee is also provided on the government services portal. Upon completion of filling out the information, you will receive a notification in your personal account about when the new certificate will arrive at the previously specified traffic police department.

Obviously, this method of obtaining a new driver’s license is the simplest and least time-consuming. After all, there is no need to collect a package of documents and then submit them to the department.

In addition, this will not only save the citizen’s nerves, but he will also not have to wait in a long line while the license is issued.

In conclusion, it is worth saying that issues related to legal issues should be approached extremely responsibly, so as not to get involved in a lot of troubles with the law in the future.

After all, no one is exempt from liability, which means that you need to promptly check the validity period of any document that has one. Otherwise, violators will face not only administrative sanctions, but also loss of funds, as well as nerves and reputation in front of authorized persons.

How to change an expired driver's license in 2021, and what punishment the current legislation provides for in this case - we will consider in more detail in the material presented.

Expired driver's license: how and where to change it

It is impossible to extend expired rights - they are no longer valid and must be replaced with new ones - again for a ten-year period. To obtain them, you will need to undergo a medical examination (see Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1097 of October 24, 2014 (as amended on March 23, 2017) “On admission to driving vehicles”).

Re-examination is optional (except for the situation when you need to change a driver’s license that has been expired for at least 1-2 years - in this case you cannot do without exams).

If we do not consider extreme cases, the algorithm of actions will be as follows:

Pass the necessary medical examination in medical institutions with a license to provide such services. The conclusion is drawn up by a therapist (family doctor). An examination by a psychiatrist and narcologist is required in state specialized medical institutions at the place of residence (documented in the form of separate reports signed by doctors and heads of medical institutions). The certificate is valid for 12 months.
Before replacing an expired driver's license, you must ensure that all existing fines (if any) have been paid.
One of the easiest ways to find out is to go to the official website of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. On the website, select “Check fines”. In the new window, enter the vehicle license plates and certificates, click “Request Verification”.
Pay the state fee for issuing a new certificate.
Collect a complete package of papers.
Contact your local traffic police department in person or go to the State Services portal. Please note that the possibilities for remote document submission have expanded, since you can also restore an expired driver’s license through the MFC. Residents of Moscow can use the Autocode information portal for this. When submitting remotely, all papers are provided electronically, but before you receive a new driver’s license to replace the expired one, you must provide the originals in paper form to the traffic police.
Get new rights. With a direct visit to the traffic police, this can be done throughout the day. For remote submission - within 4-10 days. If additional verification is necessary, the traffic police may delay the issuance of a new license for up to 2 months.

Changing a driver’s license upon expiration means not just transferring all the marks and entries from the old one to a new document, but also reflecting possible changes. Thus, if doctors identify any deviations from the norm that may limit the ability to drive a car, adjustments will be made to previously open categories (or they will simply not be opened).

We invite you to read more about the procedure for replacing a driver’s license after expiration.

What documents are needed to replace a driver's license?

Here's what documents you need to replace an expired driver's license:

a statement of the established form about the need for replacement;
passport (original and photocopy);
certificate of residence (registration);
medical certificate and its photocopy;
three matte photos 3x4 cm. If you contact the traffic police directly, you do not need to provide photos - they will be taken on the spot;
confirmation of payment of the duty (the traffic police usually do not require a receipt - everything is reflected in a single database).

Please note that you must also provide an expired driver's license. Persons liable for military service may be required to have a military ID.

Read more about the document requirements for replacing a driver's license.

Is it possible to drive with an expired license?

Many legally significant documents have a number of mandatory characteristics, and they also include a deadline for the validity of the official form. Legislative acts regulate that a driver’s license has a ten-year validity period, after which the previously issued driver’s license loses its legal significance and must be replaced.

Let's consider what the Federal Law of the Russian Federation of December 10, 1995 No. 196-FZ “On Road Safety” says ( hereinafter

— Law No. 196-FZ) on expired rights. First of all, the right to drive any vehicle is considered lost when the following circumstances occur:

termination of the validity period of the form certifying the specified right;
the onset of medical factors leading to a ban on driving;
deprivation of the right to drive in accordance with the established procedure (for example, for a gross violation of traffic rules, the specified administrative liability may occur).

Expiration of the main driver's document does not mean that its owner loses his previously assigned driving privileges. However, failure to timely request a replacement form will result in adverse consequences in the form of established administrative sanctions.

As a rule, restoration of an expired license is an application procedure, i.e. Traffic police officials are required to replace the no longer valid form for each citizen who applies. To do this, you need to confirm that there are no grounds for loss of the right to drive a car - undergo a medical examination and submit the appropriate form along with the application, and also not have judicial acts on deprivation.

Since the completion of the regulated validity period entails the termination of the legal force of the document, the presence of an expired form during a possible check will be equated to its absence. This means that every driver has an obligation to contact the traffic police or MFC in advance to obtain a new driver’s license.

Fine

What punishment does the law provide for an expired license in 2017? Such driving is an unconditional illegal act, for which very significant penalties are threatened within the framework of administrative liability. This is due to the direct requirement of Art. 12.3 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, which establishes a warning or fine for driving a car without a mandatory list of documents.

An administrative offense will only include driving with an expired license. If the license has expired, but the driver does not drive the vehicle, he cannot be held liable.

Driving with an expired license in 2021 is punishable by a fine of 500 rubles. The basis for bringing to administrative responsibility will be a check of documents by an authorized traffic police official carried out while driving a vehicle. Revealing this fact in the absence of a mandatory feature in the form of driving a car will not have any legal consequences.

In addition to the specified offense, driving with an expired license will entail punishment under Art. 12.7 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation - driving a car by a person who does not have the right to do so. In this case, the culprit will face a fine in the amount of 5,000 to 15,000 rubles. Responsibility may arise for each detected fact of driving a car with an expired license form.

What to do if your driver's license is expired? It is necessary to contact the authorized traffic police service in advance to exchange the license, and during the period of replacement, if the validity of the document has actually expired, it is advisable to refrain from driving.

What to do if your driver's license is already expired

If it suddenly turns out that the validity period of the ID has expired, the question arises of what to do in this case. If you are at home, then nothing bad happened. There is no penalty for reinstating an expired driver's license. You just need to prepare your documents and go to the traffic police.

The worst option is for the document to expire while on the road. The main task in this case is to return home faster. It is not advisable to continue following the planned route, because big problems will arise in the event of an accident or when stopped by a traffic police inspector.

The fine in this case (according to Article 12.7 of the Administrative Code) can range from 5,000 to 15,000 rubles. - after all, your driver’s license has expired, which makes it invalid. In addition, a driver with an invalid document is punished by having the car impounded (with additional payment for impound parking).

If you manage to get home without incident (without violating traffic rules and without giving the traffic police a reason to check), this will be an ideal way out of the situation.

The problem of what to do if your driver’s license has expired will be solved for some time by the help of a friend with a license of the required category. He will take the wheel and you will continue your journey. But here you should remember that this person must be included in the insurance policy, otherwise you will have to pay a fine of 500 rubles.

Among the recommendations of “sophisticated” drivers, you can sometimes find advice not to present your license, citing the fact that you allegedly left them at home: such a violation (in the usual case) is punishable by a warning or a fine of 500 rubles (Article 12.7 of the Administrative Code). But know that the expiration of your license means that you no longer have it (see the Law of the Russian Federation “On Road Traffic Safety”, Part 1 of Article 28). A traffic police officer, having searched your database, may pay attention to this, and an attempt to deceive an official will not end in your favor.

An alternative option for what to do if your driver’s license has expired is to honestly explain that you are taking the shortest route home and preparing papers for exchange at the traffic police (especially if the delay is minor).

How to change expired licenses?

Replacement of an expired driver's license will be carried out in the application mode; for this, the driver must contact the territorial division of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate or the local MFC office. Replacement is carried out on the basis of the following set of documents:

a completed application form submitted to the traffic police or MFC;
the driver's general passport, as well as its copy;
an official form of a medical certificate issued by an authorized medical institution (it must be taken into account that the contents of the certificate may vary depending on the category of vehicle);
driver's card (if the citizen passed the driving test after 2013);
an expired driver's license form;
certificate confirming the absence of deprivation of the right to drive;
payment order confirming the transfer of state duty.

Currently, for replacement, it is not necessary to provide the traffic police officers or the MFC with personal photographs of the driver. The new sample forms involve photographing citizens directly during the production of the document.

What happens if the driver's license is expired and the driver does not apply for a replacement? If the vehicle is not actually driven, the driver may request a replacement at any time without incurring any liability.

Replacement period

In 2021, the replacement does not involve a long document review period of weeks or months. If the applicant has a complete set of documents in his hands, all necessary actions will be performed directly upon his application, i.e. The citizen will receive the updated form within one day.

It should be taken into account that the procedure for collecting documents will inevitably be delayed, primarily due to the medical examination. To avoid unpleasant situations on the road when checking documents, you must complete all steps to replace your driver’s license as early as possible.

Do I need to take an exam when replacing?

When applying to the traffic police for a replacement driver's license, a check will be carried out against the federal database to determine the availability of a valid driving permit. Previously passed exams (theoretical and practical parts) retain their legal force for registration of a new form. If the license exams were taken after 2013, the citizen must have a driver’s card form in hand.

Thus, with the standard procedure for replacing a form with a new certificate, there is no need to take any additional courses, and the obligation to pass the exam does not arise. Refusal to replace the specified document can only be caused by official deprivation of the right to drive for violating traffic rules (for this there must be a court ruling), or by a corresponding diagnosis confirmed by a medical authority.

If you have any questions regarding the replacement of expired licenses, we advise you to seek advice from our qualified auto lawyers.