The new rights are international. What kind of driving license can you drive abroad with?

This question probably worries everyone who is going abroad for the first time. own car. He worried us too, so I plunged into the Internet in search of an answer. And here's what I found out:

International driving license(MVU) is an additional document to our Russian rights, which is translated into foreign language. Without Russian rights it is invalid. An IDP is recognized as a document giving the right to drive a car in countries that have signed the Geneva Convention on road traffic 1949. These are the countries (list 1):

Australia, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Vatican City, Haiti, Gambia, Guatemala, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Grenada, Dominican Republic , Egypt, Western Samoa, India, Jordan, Ireland, Iceland, Cambodia, Canada, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, 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, Turkey, Uganda, Fiji, French polynesia, Jamaica, Japan.

In Russia, two types of rights are now in circulation - old style(a red plastic card the size of a credit card) and new sample(a pink plastic card, also the size of a credit card, with a barcode on the back, issued starting March 1, 2011).

The rights of the old model without an IDL are not valid abroad. Although people write that they rent cars without any problems and drive abroad on the old rights. In 2009, we ourselves rented a car in Crete under the old rights. But starting in 2010, some tourists complained that renting a car in Greece under the old rights had become impossible - rental offices began to demand an IDP.

But the rights that began to be issued in 2011 comply with the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of November 8, 1968 and are recognized in countries that have recognized this convention as an independent document, without an IDP. Here is a list of countries that have adopted this convention (list 2):

Austria, Azerbaijan (?), Armenia (?), 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, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, USSR, Russian Federation, Romania, San Marino, Seychelles, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Philippines, Finland, France, Croatia, CAR, Czech, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden, Ecuador, Estonia, South Africa, Yugoslavia.

According to the convention, the following are the documents that allow you to drive a car in the territory of another state:

Article 41. Validity of driving licenses

1. The contracting parties will recognize:

a) any national driving license drawn up in their national language or in one of their national languages or, if it is not in such language, accompanied by a certified translation;

b) any national driving license complying with the requirements of Annex 6 to this Convention, and
(c) any International Driving Permit complying with the requirements of Annex 7 to this Convention, valid in its territory for driving a vehicle corresponding to the category of vehicles for which the licence is issued, provided that said licence is valid and issued by another Contracting Party, or one of its territorial subdivisions, or an association authorized to do so by that Contracting Party or one of its territorial subdivisions. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to a student driver's driving licence.

Thus, when traveling to countries from the second list (Greece, Czech Republic, Germany, etc.), only a new type of VU is enough - pink, with a barcode. And when traveling to countries from the first list (Turkey, Egypt, USA), an IDP is still required. Well, if you decide to drive a car in a country that has not signed any of the conventions (for example, in the Cook Islands), you will have to attend to the legalization of your Russian rights on the spot. In some countries, you need to pass a mini-exam for knowledge local features traffic rules and pay the toll.

However, in our case, an MVA (or a new VU) was required, first of all, to obtain a Schengen visa, since we planned to cross the border in our car. Therefore, we were faced with a choice - either to make an MVA, or to change the old rights to new ones. I chose the second option. Why?

In many places, it is recommended to do an IDP in any case - then, they say, not a single policeman will get to the bottom of it. However, as the experience of most car travelers shows, the police are friendly to car tourists from other countries. And even in the event of an accident, the lack of an IDP did not prevent you from getting insurance. We are talking, of course, about the countries that adopted the 1968 convention. For example, all cases of accidents without an IDP in Greece, described on the site review.ru, ended successfully.

And when, before a trip to Europe, we faced the question - what rights do we need, we made a choice in favor of new ones, the model of 2011, pink.

Firstly, our route ran through Belarus, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria. And all these countries signed the 1968 Vienna Convention.

Secondly, the term of the IDP is 3 years, which is less than the term of the new type of Russian rights - 10 years.

Third, you will have to pay 400 rubles more for an IDP.

So I replaced my old color rights with new ones. The husband, however, kept his old rights and calmly traveled with them along the entire route.

p.s. I want to add that this year (2014) when applying for a Schengen visa, there were enough old rights, without an IDP!

One of the most common questions asked by car travelers who are planning to rent a car abroad “Do you need international driving license?”. Let's try to give a detailed answer to this question. If you have no time to read the details, you can scroll to the last two paragraphs. However, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the features in order to have a complete understanding and be prepared for all situations related to a driver's license when renting a car.

Are Russian driving licenses suitable for car rental abroad?

Over the past 10 years in Russia, driver's licenses, or as they are commonly called "rights", have been changed three times. But in all cases, the right is a laminated plastic card the size of a business card containing information about the driver. Until 2014, on the rights of the title "DRIVER'S LICENSE" was duplicated on French the phrase "PERMIS DE CONDUIRE".

Why French and not English? The fact is that in 1968 the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic was signed. According to it, the countries that are members of this convention agree to accept driver license, including allowing drivers from these countries to drive rental cars. Russia also signed this document, so Russian driving licenses must be accepted in all countries participating in the convention. And the inscription "PERMIS DE CONDUIRE" appeared because at that time French was considered international along with English.

List of countries that have signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Brazil, Great Britain, Hungary, Venezuela, Guyana, Ghana, Germany, Herzegovina, Greece, Georgia, Denmark, Zaire, Zimbabwe , Israel, Indonesia, Iran, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Morocco, Mexico, Monaco, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal , Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Romania, San Marino, Seychelles, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Philippines, Finland, France, Croatia, CAR, Czech Republic, Chile, Sweden, Ecuador, Estonia, South Africa, Yugoslavia.

Of those countries that have not signed the Vienna Convention, the most popular are the Netherlands, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta. In these countries, you need to present an International Driving Permit.

What is international law?

International law (IDP) in Russia is called a light blue booklet, which describes all the data on the driver in eight languages ​​of the world. In other words, this is something like a certified translation of your Russian driver's license with a signature and seal.

IDPs have at least two features that you need to be aware of. Firstly, the IDP not an independent document, but an annex to national laws. Therefore, IDPs are invalid without presenting a Russian driver's license. The second feature is that IDPs are valid for only three years from the date of issue. After three years, they must be received again.

How and where to apply for international law?

You can make an IDP at any traffic police department in your city. To do this, you need to provide them with the following set of documents.

• Application for an International Driving Permit
• national passport
• Medical certificate of the established form (form 083 / y-89)
• Russian national ID
• Receipt of payment of state duty in the amount of 1000 rubles
• Matte photo size 35×45 mm

It usually takes 20 minutes to an hour to make an IDP, and finished document will be handed over to you on the same day.

So do you need an international license to rent a car?

Against the background of all of the above, we can conclude that in countries that have signed the Vienna Convention, IDPs are optional and it is enough to present a Russian driver's license. Our experience, and the experience of our colleagues, shows that in 90% of cases this will be the case.

But in some cases, employees of rental companies may ask for something other than Russian rights. Explain to them that our VU in the form of a plastic card should be recognized in their country sometimes to no avail. And in the Netherlands, for example, it is not allowed, since this country only recognizes IDPs.

Some rental offices prescribe the need to own an IDP in. And the local police may also require you to present an IDL. In some countries, you may be fined for driving without an IDL.

New Russian driver's license without the inscription "Permis de conduire"

Since 2014, Russia has begun issuing a different type of driver's license with new categories. But, along with this, the line “PERMIS DE CONDUIRE” disappeared in the new rights, only the designation of the document in Russian remained. In other words, a person who does not know the Russian language may not even know what kind of document they are shown.

Rumor has it that this was done on purpose in order to increase the percentage of issuance of international driving permits. After all, for obtaining an IDL you need to pay a state duty, and this must be done once every three years.

Summary

Do you need international rights? Theoretically, in the countries-participants of the convention IDP is not needed. Although there is a small fraction of the likelihood that employees of rental offices will be asked to show something other than Russian rights. And if you want to rent a car in the Netherlands or Cyprus, then without an IDP you will not be given the keys. Plus possible problems with the police and the insurance company. Therefore, our answer to the main question of the article is as follows: it is better to issue an IDP and not take risks. Fortunately it is relatively inexpensive.

life hack

And finally, advice from the Rentcarus portal. According to Russian laws, an IDL is issued for 3 years. But those who will issue you a car on an IDP abroad are unlikely to look at the validity period. Therefore, you can issue an IDP, and every three years, carefully correct the figure with the year of validity of the document to a higher value. It is best to do this with a simple pencil so that the edit is not noticeable. For example, the numbers 0 and 5 are nicely converted into the number 8 🙂 This way you will not have to satisfy the greed of those who came up with a three-year term for the IDP. And why not make an IDP for the duration of national rights, right?

Going on vacation, many advanced tourists and travelers have long been using rented vehicles to move around a foreign country. It is really convenient, not very expensive (sometimes even cheaper than excursions) and allows you to be completely independent. In this case, the question always arises: is it possible to drive a car or motorcycle in a particular country under Russian rights, or is it necessary to have an international driver's license? This question has long been overgrown with a tangle of myths and misconceptions. In order to unravel it, we tried to deal with this problem ourselves and offer you the following information.

What are the types of rights?

There are only two types of rights: national rights and international.

National rights is a document issued government bodies and giving the right to drive vehicles on the territory of Russia. At the same time, all types of national rights, whether they are made in the form of paper, plastic, only in Russian or with duplication in English, from an international point of view, essentially the same thing.

International driving license There is only one type - in the form of an A6 book. This is how the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968 defines the international driving license (as amended in 2006).

1. The international driver's license is an A6 booklet (148x105 mm - 5.82x4.13 inches). It has a gray cover and white inside pages.

2. The front and inside sides of the first sheet of the cover are identical, respectively, to the attached sample pages N 1 and 2; they are printed in the national language, or at least one of the national languages ​​of the State in which the certificate is issued. At the end of the inner pages, two adjacent pages correspond to the attached sample No. 3 and are printed in French. On the inner pages that precede them, it is repeated in several languages, of which English, Spanish and Russian are mandatory, the first of these two pages.

Currently, in the traffic police of Russia, you can easily get real international rights. To do this, you must provide:

• receipt of payment of duty in the amount of 1600 rubles (2017 price);
• application for an international driving licence;
• national driver's license;
• medical certificate;
• Russian passport;
• photo 35×45 mm.

You do not need to retake exams, you will be given international certificate based on the national An international driving license will be valid for 3 years or until your national license expires. And by the way, an international driver's license is valid only in conjunction with national rights.

However, having an International Driving Permit does not mean that you can drive worldwide. Confused? Read on carefully, and then everything will become clear.

Attention! Some organizations offer a certified translation into a foreign language of your national rights for a certain amount. However, this is in no way a substitute for an International Driving Permit and may only be valid in certain countries.

Even the most "newfangled" plastic rights, and even those issued in 2012, ARE NOT INTERNATIONAL. It is a big misconception and myth that the new plastic rights are international. In fact, these are just national (i.e. Russian) rights, which, from the point of view of international law, do not differ in any way even from the old laminated paper rights, except perhaps only in that they meet the requirements of new international legislation, namely the “Vienna conventions on road traffic” (as revised in 2004).

But hurry up to run to the traffic police to get international rights. But the question is still whether you need an International Driving Permit. Confused? Read on and you'll understand.

What rights and where can I travel abroad?

All countries in this context can be divided into three groups:

Countries that have signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968; countries that have signed the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949; countries that have not signed either convention. Depending on which convention a particular state has signed, it depends on what rights you can drive vehicles there.

Countries that have not signed any of the conventions

These countries generally do not recognize any of the two types of rights, except for their own. Those. your international and national rights are just a postcard for them and not a document in any way. There are only a few exceptions - when the state recognizes in its internal regulatory documents valid rights of this or that state or international law. Therefore, you need to know about this in advance, studying information about a particular country.

In most cases, driving a car or motorcycle in such countries is subject to passing the relevant exams and obtaining local rights; after obtaining a special permit from the authorized body, by presenting a national driving license; or the use of national rights in conjunction with a certified translation. There are other options, but all this needs to be clarified for each specific country.

In general, it’s not worth “poking your head” on the roads in such countries with your international or national rights until you find out everything.

Countries that have signed the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic

So, these countries, having signed the Convention, recognize on their territory any national driver's licenses that meet certain requirements.

From article 41 "Driving licences" of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic:

2. a) The Contracting Parties shall recognize:

(i) any national driving license complying with the requirements of Annex 6 to this Convention;

(ii) any International Driving Permit complying with the requirements of Annex 7 to this Convention, provided that it is presented together with the relevant national driving license valid in its territory for the management vehicle, corresponding to the category or categories of vehicles for which the certificates were issued, provided that these certificates are valid and that they are issued by another Contracting Party or one of its territorial subdivisions or an association authorized to do so by this Contracting Party;

So, any national driver's licenses issued on the territory of the Russian Federation meet these requirements.

Here it is necessary to make a small clarification: on March 28, 2006, the format of the national certificate recognized in the territory of other countries was changed. The main difference is that the information (strings) on the driver's license should now be without fail numbered in a specific order. The countries-participants of the Convention were given 5 years (i.e. until 28.03.2011) to bring national certificates according to the new format. New driver's licenses issued in Russia fully comply with these requirements. Even if you have an old driver's license (issued before 03/28/2011), where the information is not numbered in accordance with the same Convention (Article 43, paragraph 1), it will be recognized by the contracting countries until their expiration date. I repeat for those who are confused: even your old-style driver's license (paper in laminate) issued before 03/28/2011 is valid in the countries from the list without any translations and international driver's licenses.

The Vienna Convention establishes different categories for vehicles. These are "A", "B", "C", etc. Category "A" in your rights gives you the right to drive motorcycles. Category "B" gives the right to drive a vehicle (with the exception of "A"), permitted maximum weight which does not exceed 3500 kg and the number of seats of which, in addition to the driver's seat, does not exceed eight. So, it should be noted that the fact that you only have category “B” or higher in the rights of an open category in the absence of “A” does not at all give you the right to drive a motorcycle in another country. This should be clearly understood. Fortunately, in most countries you don't need to show any driver's license at all in order to rent a motorcycle. Your license can only be requested on the road by police officers or other relevant traffic authorities. And again, fortunately, in many countries, the police are not too picky about this issue and are willing to turn a blind eye to it or turn a blind eye to it in exchange for a small "fine". It's just that you should not forget that formally you are wrong and break the law, so do not bring the situation to a serious conflict and "do not download the rights."

Countries that have only signed the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic.

Many of our compatriots who are going to go abroad are interested in the question: will it be possible to drive a car there with a Russian driver's license, and if not, what kind of document is needed for this and how to get it?

If your license was issued before March 1, 2011, then you definitely cannot drive abroad on it, even in countries that have signed the Vienna Convention (see below for what it is and which countries it includes). In 2011, the Vienna Convention received a new edition, which sets out new requirements for the national rights of all participating countries (the old Russian rights now do not meet these requirements), as well as requirements for new international laws.

Why do the old Russian rights do not comply with the Vienna Convention? Because its rules require that information about the driver (name, date and place of birth, place of residence, number, etc.) be numbered from 1 to 11. The meaning of the prescription is clear: the police must quickly find in the national driver's license (NVU) of a foreigner, the necessary information is precisely with the help of numbering, and not to sort out where everything is. However, when in 1999 the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia approved the form of the old NVU, the ministry for some reason forgot to look into the Convention. Because of this, the data in the certificate is not numbered. That is all necessary information, provided for by the Convention, in the old NVU is, but there is no numbering. A trifle, you say? But this trifle, strictly formally, gives the foreign police officer the right not to recognize the document as an NVU. Moreover, from the very first day of the appearance of the old form of certificate, the Convention does not give any concessions: the numbering should be a period. The exception is Ukraine, where you can drive under the old Russian rights until their expiration date.

If you received the rights after March 1, 2011, then everything is not so simple. On the one hand, under the new Russian rights, you can drive on the territory of countries that are parties to the Vienna Convention, but in reality, many Russians will often experience difficulties when renting a car, having only national rights. Therefore, in order not to have any problems, it is still better to get an international driver's license, and even more so if you are also going to visit countries that have not signed the Vienna Convention.

What is an International Driving Permit?

An international driver's license is an additional document to a Russian driver's license. In fact, they are translations of national rights into 8 main languages ​​(English, Portuguese, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic).

Please note that an international driving license (IDP) is considered valid only upon presentation of a Russian driver's license, the number of which corresponds to the number specified in the IDP. When traveling abroad, you must take both documents with you.
An IDL issued on the territory of Russia is not valid when driving vehicles on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Old and new international driving license

The new form of IDP was approved by the Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation No. 206 of April 18, 2011. Currently, the traffic police issues international rights of a new type. At the same time, old-style IDPs remain valid and are replaced gradually, upon expiration of their validity.
What does the new IDP look like:

New international law is an A6 booklet. The document can be filled out both by hand and using a printing device. All entries are entered in Arabic numerals and Latin letters.

On the front side indicate the date of issue of the IDL, the period of validity, the name of the authority that issued the document and the subject of the Russian Federation in which the issue was made. In addition, the series and number of the Russian driver's license are affixed on the front page. The entry is sealed with a round seal and signed by the traffic police officer.

The second sheet (inner page) indicates restrictions on the right to drive the vehicle (if any). The inner page of the third sheet is used to enter data about the driver (last name, first name, place and date of birth, place of residence or registration).
All permitted categories are marked with an oval stamp. The rest of the categories are crossed out.

How to get an international driving license

An IDP is issued on the basis of a Russian driver's license. You do not need to pass any exams to obtain the document. Validity international law- 3 years. At the same time, the validity period of the IDL cannot exceed the validity period of the Russian VU. That is, if your Russian rights are valid for another 2 years, international rights will be issued to you for a period of 2 years, etc.

To obtain an IDL, you should contact the regional traffic police department at the place of residence or registration.
You must submit:

• Original Russian driver's license.
• One matte photograph 3.5 x 4.5 cm.
• The original medical certificate in the form 083 / y-89.
• Application for the issuance of an IDL.
• Original identity document.
• Original document confirming registration (passport with registration or registration or other documents with a registration mark).

Usually the identity document is Russian passport. Military personnel (officers, midshipmen and warrant officers) present an identity card, military conscripts or contract soldiers - a military ID. Citizens permanently residing abroad and temporarily staying on the territory of the Russian Federation may present a passport.

Requirements for photography are established by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation No. 206. According to this document, a photo can be either color or black and white. Photos in a headdress are allowed only for persons whose religious beliefs do not allow appearance in public without a headdress. In this case, it is necessary that the headdress does not hide the oval of the face. Citizens who constantly wear glasses must provide a photograph in glasses with non-tinted lenses.

When submitting a package of documents, the traffic police officer will give you a receipt for paying the state duty in the amount of 1000 rubles. The state duty can be paid at the branches of Sberbank or through the terminal directly at the traffic police department.

Registration of the IDP is carried out immediately after the submission of documents. On average, the procedure takes from 20 to 40 minutes (if you do not take into account possible queues at the traffic police). The Russian VU is not withdrawn when issuing international rights.

When is an International Driving Permit required?

You need to get an IDP in all cases when you plan to drive a car in other countries, even if you have a new Russian driver's license.

Why draw up an IDP if the rights of the new sample comply with international requirements?

There is the UNN Vienna Convention (signed on October 8, 1968), which defines a single standard for documents for the right to drive a vehicle. From a formal point of view, a driver who has a license that meets all the established requirements can move around the territory of the countries participating in the convention without an IDL.

However, in practice the situation is different.

First, many countries have adopted legislative acts, according to which car rental companies can provide cars to foreigners only if they have an international certificate. Moreover, the obligatory presence of an IDP is prescribed in the insurance contract.
Secondly, national Russian rights can become a source of problems with the police. For example, in Italy, for driving a vehicle without international rights, a foreigner can be fined 300 euros. And finally, if you are going to travel abroad in your car, the embassies of a number of countries may require a copy of the IDL for visa processing.

Thus, it turns out that the presence of international rights is necessary even when driving a vehicle in the countries participating in the Vienna Convention. But we should not forget that not all states have signed this convention. Many countries, when determining the requirements for documents confirming the right to drive a car, are guided by the earlier Geneva Convention of September 19, 1949. In such countries, you can drive a vehicle only if you have both a Russian and an international driver's license.
If you intend to drive in countries that have not signed the Vienna and Geneva Conventions, you will have to pass an exam in these countries in order to be allowed to drive a vehicle.

The left column lists the countries that are parties to the Vienna Convention and formally you can drive in them according to national rights.

The right column lists countries that have signed the Geneva Convention and will need both national and international rights to drive a car.

For many Russians who are going to travel abroad, the question of the possibility of driving a car there with a Russian driver's license becomes relevant and is it necessary to obtain any other document for this?

According to Russian rights, which were received earlier than March 1, 2011, it is definitely impossible to travel abroad. This rule applies even to countries that have signed the Vienna Convention (we wrote information about what this convention is and which countries are signatories here).

Starting March 28, 2011, all states, including Russia, in accordance with the new amendments to the Vienna Convention of 1968, must bring their country's national driving licenses (VU) to a single standard.

In this regard, in March 2011, a new type of VU began to be issued on the territory of Russia. Appearance of this document, as well as its contents, are in full compliance with the latest amendments to the Convention on Road Traffic. For this reason (according to paragraph 2 of article 41 of this document), the Russian rights of the new type are valid in all countries that have signed the Vienna Convention. Therefore, it is not necessary to obtain an IDL (International Driving Permit) in addition to new rights.

These innovations seem quite logical, but in real life our compatriots are faced with some points that are worth considering in detail.

Do I need to get International in addition to my Russian driving license to travel abroad?

As practice shows, such questions turned out to be quite relevant. Even some of the MREO employees say that in the case when the old VU has not yet expired, you can go abroad with this document.

In addition, there is an opinion that in order to travel outside of Russia (having a new type of VU), it will be mandatory to additionally issue and obtain an international certificate for unhindered driving abroad. The reason in this case, for example, is the lack of a new sample of the French translation of their name on the VU, namely: “Permis de conduire”.

How to act more expediently?

Is it necessary to translate the name of the document "Driver's license"?

According to the international requirements for registration of a driving license (Appendix 6 of the last amendments to the Vienna Convention of 1968), it is quite enough to have an inscription in Russian on the document “Driver's license”.

Are our old Russian rights considered valid abroad now?

For complete clarity, it should be noted that full compliance with the requirements international standards VU of the old model never had. In accordance with Annex 6 of the latest amendments to the Vienna Convention of 1968. the norm is the designation in the WU in numbers, and not in words, of such information about the owner as the date of issue, place of birth, etc.

It was this discrepancy that caused the fact that in some European countries our compatriots could not rent a car.

We can not say that now the situation has changed radically. As a result, in those countries where the issue of whether a driver has an old VU was approached condescendingly, and today they will not particularly find fault. And where there was no special trust, it is not recommended to take risks. It is better to get a new type of VU or international driving license (you can get both documents for reliability).

Do I need to get International driving license?

To travel to countries that have signed the Geneva Convention, a prerequisite for drivers is the presence of an International VU (the list of these countries has not changed).

When do you need an International Driving Permit?

It is recommended to obtain an international driving license in all cases when you plan to drive a car in other countries during a trip abroad. This applies even to drivers with new Russian driving licenses.

Why apply for an IDP if the new Russian driving license meets the requirements?

The uniform standard of documents for the right to drive a vehicle (TC) is defined by the Vienna Convention, which was signed on October 8, 1968. If approached formally, then a driver who has a driving license that meets the requirements of this convention can move in a vehicle on the territory of all signatory countries (in this case, an IDL is not required).

However, it cannot be said that in practice the situation fully complies with this rule, since:

1. Many countries have legislation that determines the possibility of car rental for foreigners only if they have international rights. In addition, the presence of an IDP is a mandatory item when signing an insurance contract;
2. The presence of a Russian driver's license can cause problems in the proceedings with the police. For example, in Italy, a foreigner for driving a vehicle without international rights can be fined 300 €;
3. To travel abroad of the Russian Federation on your own car, the driver (when applying for a visa) may be required to have a copy of the IDP.

From the above information, we can conclude that the presence of international rights is necessary even in the case of driving a vehicle on the territory of the signatory countries of the Vienna Convention. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that not all countries have signed this convention. Some states, in determining own requirements To driving documents, are guided by the Geneva Convention, which was signed much earlier (September 19, 1949). In these states, the management of the vehicle assumes that the driver has both Russian and international rights.

Separately, it should be noted that if you intend to drive a vehicle in a country that has not signed either the Geneva or Vienna Conventions, then you will have to pass the corresponding exam on the territory of this country.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the presence of an international driver's license will not be an extra addition to either the rights of the old or the new model. This is especially true of today's transitional period.