Post by Admin on Apr 4, 2024 18:58:23 GMT
Foreign / Russian Driving Licence “Exchange”
Background:
I hold a United Kingdom Driving Licence, having passed my tests in the mid-1970s for both cars and motorcycles. These 2 tests entitled me to be licensed to drive many other classes of vehicles – tractors, road-rollers, vans, lorries up to 7.5 tonnes, vehicles with trailers, buses up to 16 passengers, etc.
As well as my British citizenship, I have Russian citizenship. Until now, I have ridden my motorcycle and driven my car in Russia while in possession of an International Driving Permit. The UK signed up to the (Geneva) Convention on Road Traffic of 8 November 1968, and UK IDPs are valid for 3 years from date of issue, or the expiry of the driving licence to which it refers, whichever is earlier.
On 1 April 2024, a new Russian law came into force - Federal Law 313-FZ. This law requires holders of non-Russian driving licences, who are resident in Russia – Holders of Russian passports or ВНЖ – to change them to Russian driving licences. There is a grace period of 12 months from the start of this new law for international licences to be exchanged for Russian licences without any further driving tests – both practical and theoretical. The relevant section of the above-mentioned law is on Page 13, Clause 2, which specifically states that no driving exam is necessary. If the licence isn’t exchanged within this period, you will be required to take the full Russian driving exam to continue to drive in Russia. This law does not affect HQS, TRP or other visa holders, only residents.
Much speculation, consternation and misinformation has been posted about this new law, including by experts and lawyers alike, as well as those affected by it. Special mention and credit should be made to Tony Pettie, who patiently, persistently and diligently quoted the law and assured people that further driving examination wasn’t necessary. Personally, I was only concerned about the language issues related to taking any further exams, rather than the exams themselves.
Current Situation:
Today, I received my Russian Driving Licence, valid for 10 years from date of issue (today), even though my UK licence expires sooner.
The only tests I was required to take were medical, including narcotics, alcohol, vision and psychiatric evaluation.
I applied for my Russian Driving Licence through Gosuslugi, which told me that I needed to be able to quote the certificate number of the medical examinations before I could book an appointment to collect the Driving Licence. I made the medical appointment through Mos.ru, attended the appointment, paid the fee (3,300 RUR), had the tests – narcotics and alcohol were deemed satisfactory by the doctor with only questions, as was the psych-eval, without separate blood / urine tests. The eyesight test was similar to going to an optician and reading out the Russian letters. During this time, my wife (translator) and the doctor discussed which categories of vehicles I was to be tested for. My wife explained that I wanted both cars and motorcycles on the Russian licence. The doctor (wrongly, as it turned out) explained to my wife that if I wanted any of the other categories on my UK licence transferring, I would need to take both physical and theoretical driving examinations. I was then given the medical certificate, went home and booked my appointment with the local GIBDD office, having entered the Medical Certificate number into the system. I was asked to pay for the appointment (2000 RUR).
When the appointment was confirmed, I was told by the system to bring the medical certificate, foreign driving licence, notarised translation of the foreign driving licence and Russian passport.
Глин, [04/04/2024 20:52]
At the GIBDD office, the lady looked at the categories on my UK licence and compared them with the categories I had requested. She told my wife that she could transfer ALL the categories from my UK licence to the Russian one, but the medical certificate would need to be changed. AS this would have necessitated a second visit to the appropriate medical clinic, we declined – I have no plans to drive buses, lorries and road rollers in Russia!
I was asked to provide my SNILS number, both Russian passports (internal and international) and evidence that I had paid for the appointment! Fortunately, I was able to provide these by showing scans on my phone. After keying in all the data for 15 minutes or so, the satisfying and familiar sound of multiple documents being stamped by multiple stamps – more than 10!!!! We were given a form to sign, and the passports, foreign licence and medical certificate were returned. They kept the notarised translation of the foreign licence. We were told to wait to be called for the photographing stage. We were called, by name, about 5 minutes later, my photo was taken (spectacles removed) and the new Russian licence was printed. I was asked to sign it and it was then laminated and given to me.
The time in the GIBDD office, from start to finish, was around 35 minutes. The time for the medical examination was similar.
Points to note:
The procedure might be slightly different for a ВНЖ holder. This is because you might not have full access to all the services within Gosuslugi.
My foreign licence was returned to me. This means that it was more of a “transfer” than an “exchange”. I was pleased that I still had my original licence!