How to renew an international driving license

International Driving Permit (IDP) is mainly relevant for those who work as an international driver or plan to work abroad as a driver. An international document is also necessary for those who prefer to go on vacation abroad in their own car or use a rented car there. The extension of an international driver's license as such is not provided: as in the case, for example, with a passport, we are talking about obtaining a new document.

The process of obtaining rights for the first time and replacing an international driver's license has no fundamental differences. The only difference is that the replacement is carried out under the condition:

loss or damage to the document;
name change;
expiration date of the document;
replacement of national rights.

Is it necessary to renew

With an international driving license, a driver can feel secure in more than 200 countries around the world. First of all, they perform the function of an identity card. In addition, such a document provides an opportunity to rent a vehicle and makes your stay in an unfamiliar country more comfortable, eliminating the need to travel by public transport.

To change or renew international rights is the decision of the owner himself. If they are not needed, then it is not at all necessary to issue them again, there is no penalty for this. If this document is necessary, then every 3 years you need to get a new one.

Replacement procedure

When the validity period of the rights comes to an end, the owner faces the question of the need to continue using this kind of document, and, consequently, how to renew the international driver's license. This procedure is regulated by relevant international agreements.

When issuing an IDP, you do not need to retake driving tests and present a foreign passport.

In addition, as of February 2016, there is no longer a need for a medical certificate.

The maximum period for which international rights are issued is 3 years. Since they are in fact a translation of the national driver's license, their validity cannot exceed the period of its validity. This means that if the validity of national rights expires in 2 years, then a new IDP will be issued only for 2 years. Therefore, you should be careful and do not miss this fact when applying.

List of required documents

For the first or for re-registration of an IDL, you will need to collect and submit to the traffic police department:

Statement.
National driver's license.
national passport.
Photograph.
Confirmation of payment of the state fee.

It should be noted that there is one exception - unlike a regular driver's license, an IDL requires a photo of a certain size and quality, which can only be taken in specialized photo salons.

ID photo

The photo for the IDL should be 35x45 mm in size. It can be either color or black and white.

Visit to the traffic police department

After the package of necessary documents has been collected, you can safely go to any traffic police department, regardless of the region and place of registration. The only thing you should know in advance is whether this department carries out the issuance of an international driver's license.

Thanks to the Internet, the availability of these public services has increased, so an IDP can be issued by registering an application online, so that you can then come at the appointed time and receive the document within half an hour.

You need to know that the procedure for issuing an international driver's license is carried out only by the traffic police. Do not fall for the tricks of enterprising Internet service providers who promise to issue such a document faster and cheaper.

The amount of the state duty

Today, the amount of the state fee for issuing international driving licenses for drivers is 1,600 Russian rubles. When replacing a lost or expired document, the price for the service does not change. If you resort to the help of the Public Services Portal, you can get a 30% discount on the total amount of the fee and pay 1,120 Russian rubles. It should be noted that the discount is valid from 01/01/2017 to 01/01/2019.

Features of the registration procedure

It is important to remember that an international certificate is valid for 3 years and only if a national certificate is provided along with it. Therefore, it is advisable to timely replace the international driver's license. In addition, they are valid as a confirmation of the right to drive a vehicle only in foreign countries, and on the territory of Russia they lose their legal status.