Russian rights - are they valid abroad and when do you need to get an international certificate

Hi all!

If you are going abroad on your own or a rented car, then you just need to find out how and where Russian rights work abroad.

In the article I will talk about which countries to visit should additionally issue an international certificate and where the usual national rights will be quite enough for movement. Go!

In accordance with paragraph 24 of Government Decree No. 1097, two types of driver's licenses are issued in Russia:

1. - are intended primarily for movement within the territory of Russia, but can be accepted as a driving document in a number of other countries. It is possible to drive abroad with a national driving license (NDL) in states that have acceded to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic 1968.
2. - represent the translation of NVU into the main 8 world languages. International driving licenses (IDP) are valid only in conjunction with national rights, they are not separately endowed with legal force. It is necessary to have an IDL with you in the states that signed the Geneva Agreement of 1949, which have not acceded to the Vienna Convention. It is impossible to travel in Russia with only an IDL.

Both of the above types of certificates comply with the requirements of international agreements. If you have both types of rights in your hands - both an NDP and an IDP - then you should not have problems with movement at all. Unless, they are not suitable for driving in territories where none of these conventions is valid - local rights are required there.

Despite the fact that NVU operates in many states, the question of necessity haunts many of our fellow citizens. After all, it is paid, it requires effort and it is not known whether the document will be useful at all.

So, let's figure out in which cases your DDP is enough for you and when you still have to do an IDP.

Is it possible to drive a car abroad without obtaining an IDL?

According to paragraphs. a) paragraph 2 of Art. 41 of the Vienna Convention, countries that have put this international document into force on their territory undertake to recognize NDPs issued according to samples that comply with Appendix No. 6 of the Vienna Agreement.

You can get up-to-date information about the states that have ratified the Vienna Agreement on the official website of the European Economic Committee.

Note! On the Internet, it is often advised not to travel abroad with an NVU, since it does not contain a translation of the name of the document into foreign languages, it is written simply: “Driver's license”. That is, there really is a risk of encountering a representative of the authorities of a foreign state who does not understand what kind of document you are presenting to him, although, of course, it is small - the NDPs developed on the basis of the Vienna Convention are similar.

So. If you are afraid to ride with NVU only because of the lack of a translation of its name, then in vain. In accordance with paragraphs. a) paragraph 1 of Art. 41 of the Convention, the parties undertake to recognize any DDP drawn up in the national language of the country of issue. That is, the Russian national certificate meets international requirements.

Are national laws of the old type international?

You may have more problems with this than with the new rights.

By itself, the NVU in paper or plastic form, issued before 2011, does not meet the modern requirements of the Convention. But the Transitional Provisions of the Vienna Agreement states that the old DDPs issued before the introduction of new certificates are recognized in other countries if there is a translation (paragraph a) of paragraph 1 of Art. 41, art. 43 of the Convention).

Thus, if you have an old-style NVU, you have two options:

• Get an IDP.
• Make an old certificate and certify it with a notary.

It's up to you to choose, but I still lean towards the first option, because an international certificate – a more versatile document, moreover, simple in . The transfer of an NDP will operate within a limited territory, and besides, it will cost you more in price than an IDP.

Important. A notarized translation can only be done for travel to countries that have signed the Vienna Agreement. The IDP also operates in other states.

What difficulties may arise when moving in the territories of states that have ratified the Convention, with DDPs without an international document?

Although, according to the law, a new type of NVU must be accepted from you unconditionally, in practice, tourists face a number of problems. Most often, troubles of the following kind occur.

Requirement of an IDL when obtaining a visa

Whether you will encounter this is difficult to predict. Usually, if a state has signed the Vienna Agreement, an international certificate is not required, but sometimes tourists write on the forums that the consulate of a country demanded an IDL and a copy of it from them.

Personally, I have not encountered this. I think that this problem is not so serious, because even in case of refusal to issue an entry permit, it will not be difficult to issue an IDP.

Car rental by IDL

Private organizations that rent cars set their own internal rules for the provision of transport. If you come across one of these offices, just contact another private trader who rents a car for use.

Attention! The Consular Information Portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation strongly recommends that you have an IDL to rent vehicles in Switzerland, Norway and Belgium. In these countries, it is difficult to find a car rental, wherever international rights are required.

In addition, according to the stories of one of my clients who recently made a trip to Europe, he had no problems with car rental in different countries. True, in Italy and Greece, finding an office that would entrust a driver from Russia with a car without an IDP did not work out on the first try. And in Spain, which never ratified the Vienna Convention, the car was rented out using an ordinary plastic certificate.

As you can see, international rights can really make your life easier, although it is quite possible to do without them!

Stop by the police to check documents

Now there are no problems with the police in the countries where the Convention operates. If you are stopped for a document check, then you just need to show your DDL, insurance and car registration documents.

If you don’t have a NVU, a considerable fine is issued for driving without a license, as in Russia, in other states.

You also need to be prepared for the fact that representatives of the authorities of a foreign state will not like your NVU. Such cases are rather an exception to the rule, but recently such a case happened to my friend in Italy. After stopping him for a check, the police demanded an IDP, which is generally not required in Italy.

The friend made an attempt to explain himself to the inspector, appealing to the requirements of the Vienna Convention. But there was a problem with the knowledge of the language. But when a friend decided to negotiate with the police in a different way (monetary), the issue was resolved by itself, as soon as a 100 euro bill was taken out of his pocket.

Getting paid in the event of an accident

Here everything will depend on the conditions of the insurer and the consequences of the accident.

If you are afraid of problems with processing the payment, it is better to solve the monetary issue with compensation for damage in private without filing an incident. Of course, how you can communicate with a foreigner will also play an important role here. So... learn languages.

Watch a video about what serious problems a driver traveling without an IDL can expect:

When is it necessary to obtain an IDP to the NDP of a new sample?

Valid in countries:

• Ratified the Vienna Convention, since both NVU and IDL operate on their territory. As I already wrote, you can drive a car in these countries without an international license, and if you have one – it's just a plus.
• Ratified the Geneva Convention of 1949 If a country is not at the same time a party to the Vienna Agreement, only an IDP is valid on its territory.

That is, if in the first case, registration of an IDL is not required, then in the second – it's already a necessity.

Note! With the adoption of the Vienna Convention, the provisions of the Geneva Agreement were repealed. But for the complete cancellation of the document, all the necessary procedures were not completed, so today many countries continue to be guided by the Convention adopted in Geneva.

In which countries do national driving licenses work only together with international ones?

We have already dealt with the signatories of the Vienna Agreement. Let's move on to the states in whose territory you will definitely need an international driving document in accordance with the requirements of the Geneva Convention.

Despite the fact that the IDP may not be useful to you there in the host country, the traffic police have the right to demand an international document, and in its absence – even fine you.

Are international laws valid without national ones?

No. In accordance with paragraph 2 of Art. 41 of the Vienna Convention, IDPs are recognized as valid only upon presentation of national rights.

Thus, when traveling outside Russia, you must have 2 documents: both NVU and IDL. The absence of a national certificate is punishable in the territory of any state.

How long are Russian driving licenses valid abroad?

There is no clear answer to this question. Usually this is from one month to one year, after which you will need to obtain a driver's license issued in the host country.

In almost all of Europe, the need to replace driving documents arises six months after arrival in a foreign country. The certificate does not need to be changed if you have a short-stay visa or your stay abroad does not involve moving to a permanent place of residence abroad.

To replace Russian rights with foreign ones, you will need to go through a procedure similar to the one you went through to obtain Russian rights. This is training at a local driving school, passing exams and a medical examination.

Attention! In countries where neither the Geneva nor the Vienna Conventions apply, you will not be able to use a Russian driving document at all. Therefore, if you cannot do without a car, immediately upon arrival you will need to enroll in a local driving school to obtain the rights of the host country.

Can they deprive Russian rights abroad?

Yes! According to Art. 42 of the Vienna Convention, local authorities punish foreigners in the same way as their fellow citizens.

In view of this, when driving outside of Russia, familiarize yourself with the laws of the countries in which you plan to drive a car. You will be responsible abroad no longer according to Russian laws, but according to the laws of the host state.

They can deprive both national and international certificates. In the latter case, a special note is made in the document about the country in which the violation occurred, which resulted in a driving ban.

Summing up

• Russian rights are of two types: national and international. They are issued in our usual MREO.
• National identity card 2011 developed taking into account the requirements of the Vienna Convention and is valid in all states that have ratified this convention.
• National certificate obtained before 2011, also valid abroad, but only with a notarized translation.
• International Driving Document necessary for independent movement by car in states where the Geneva Convention is in force and the Vienna Agreement has not been ratified.
• If none of the conventions is in effect, you need to get a driver's license from the host country.
• Russian law are subject to replacement with foreign ones if you plan to live abroad on a permanent basis. How long after arriving in a foreign country, the certificate must be replaced depends on local laws.

Conclusion

In most countries, Russian rights are unconditionally accepted.

To travel to countries where the Vienna Convention has been ratified, a national certificate is sufficient. To drive a car in territories where this agreement is not valid, an IDL should be issued.

If you are afraid of problems with local authorities that may arise due to the lack of an international document, I recommend that you issue it and take it with you on your trip. This will not only instill confidence in you on the roads, but also help to avoid a number of problems.

Thank you for your attention and see you soon!

I took the images for the article here: https://www.drive2.ru/r/acura/970578/.