An international driver's license (IDP) is a document confirming the right to drive vehicles outside the country that issued it. This is a kind of official multilingual translation of the national driving license. Russians abroad, in addition to international rights, need to have a valid Russian license with them. However, international driver's licenses are not valid in Russia.
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The concept of an IDP and why you receive a document
Each state has its own laws.
This also applies to road traffic: when entering a foreign country, you need to have documents recognized by the authorities supervising movement on the roads of that country.
Each state is a separate legal entity. But, according to international agreements, car licenses issued on the territory of partner states are recognized as valid.
Documents for vehicle management
Recognition of driver's licenses of other states occurs according to international agreements. The main ones:
- Geneva Road Traffic Convention 1949 (Geneva CRC). Ratification by 96 countries. Later, some joined the Vienna Convention.
- Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna Convention on Road Traffic) 1968. As of 2020, it has been ratified by 75 countries, including Russia.
On March 28, 2006, the requirements for the national certificate under the Vienna KDD were changed and transferred to a new format within 5 years. A European driving license - a national driving license - began to be issued in the Russian Federation on March 1, 2011.
You can learn more about how an IDP differs from a national driver’s license of the Russian Federation from the article “Difference between an international driver’s license and a regular one.”
IDP definition
The new Russian driver's license is recognized in countries that have signed the Vienna Road Traffic Act. Citizens who have old-style licenses or travel to the Geneva CDR states (for example, the USA or Japan, Andorra or Malta) in addition to their national license require an international driver's license, the so-called foreign license or international driver's license.
An international driver's license is a translation of a national driver's license (DDP) that confirms the right to drive a car.
The IDP is a brochure measuring 148 x 105 mm with a photograph of the driver, text in French and translation of identification data into 12 languages.
Why do you need to receive
Thus, foreign rights must be obtained when:
- You have a DDP issued before March 1, 2011.
- You have a DDP received after March 1, 2011, but are traveling to a country that has signed the Geneva CDA.
You will find an exact list of countries in the article “Which countries require an international driving license”.
An IDP and plastic Russian driving license can also serve as an international identity card. These documents, complete with a foreign passport and a credit card in a number of countries, make it possible to:
- to rent a car;
- rent a hotel room;
- open a bank account.
Validity period of international rights
The international certificate is valid for 3 years. However, it is worth remembering that if the validity of national rights expires before the expiration of 3 years, then the IDP will not be considered valid. In simple words, an international certificate can be called an annex to customary rights.
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An IDP is a necessary document for car owners who often travel abroad. You can find out about the details of obtaining a certificate, as well as its validity period, at the nearest traffic police department.
Where to order production of an IDP
The production and issuance of an international driving license are regulated by the following legislative acts of the Russian Federation:
- Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia No. 206 of April 18, 2011 “On the entry into force of the IDP.”
- Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1097 of October 24, 2014 “On admission to driving a vehicle,” where paragraph 3 talks about the procedure for issuing a document by the State Traffic Inspectorate at the place of application of citizens.
- Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 65 of February 4, 2020, regulating the procedure for issuing an IDP.
Only a person who has the right to drive a vehicle can obtain an international driving license.
The IDP is produced by the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
We also list the institutions that are intermediaries between the traffic police and the customer and where international rights can be made:
- State Services Portal,
- Multifunctional center “My Documents” MFC),
- Private companies performing this type of work
- , while you can get an IAA international driver's license and translation into 29 languages of the world.
What do you need to receive
The necessary requirements for registration can be found on the website of the State Services portal, having previously registered there.
List of documents for foreign rights:
- Application for issuance of an IDP,
- National driver's license of the Russian Federation,
- Passport or identity document,
- Color or black and white photograph 35 x 45 mm on matte paper.
What will replace an internal passport if you don’t have one:
- temporary identity card;
- a foreign passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation who has left for permanent residence abroad (permanent residence), with a note indicating deregistration at the place of residence in Russia;
- for military personnel - military ID;
- for employees of the prosecutor's office and sailors - a certificate.
From February 16, 2016, you don’t have to worry about whether a medical certificate is needed to obtain an international driver’s license: it is not required when obtaining or replacing such a certificate.
If it is necessary to replace an international driver's license, the necessary documents are submitted in the same list as during the initial production.
Failure to comply with the requirements may result in refusal to issue an IDP for the following reasons:
- there is information about the deprivation of the applicant’s right to drive a vehicle;
- providing false information or information that does not comply with the laws of the Russian Federation;
- documents show signs of falsification and are listed as lost or stolen.
How to apply
To obtain an international license, you do not need to pass exams. The basis for the production of a document is domestic rights . If a driver’s basic license expires, their international license expires along with it.
Receiving a document is carried out in two ways:
- At the traffic police department at your place of registration.
- Online through the government services portal.
To obtain rights in the first way, you must prepare:
- identification;
- application for the issuance of rights;
- registration certificate;
- photo;
- a receipt for payment of the duty, the amount of which is 1600 rubles;
- Russian rights.
Since the beginning of 2020, a doctor’s certificate is not a mandatory document when registering an international driving license.
The procedure usually takes place quite quickly, in less than an hour . After the expiration date of the document, its re-issuance is carried out in the same way.
Deadlines for production and receipt of an IDP
Let's take a look at how much an international driver's license is made by an organization where an applicant can apply:
- Traffic police: licenses are issued on the day of the visit if properly completed documentation is available. You can apply for an international driver's license at the traffic police quickly and without queues if you sign up through the portal. Registration is also possible at the branch itself. You can choose where to get your license from the list of traffic police departments, regardless of your place of residence.
- State Services portal: you need to register, create a personal account, fill out an application and pay the fee with a 30% discount. After 2-3 days, by visiting the traffic police department indicated in the application, you can pick up the finished certificate. You will need to take your passport, license and photograph with you.
- Multifunctional centers: since March 2020, MFCs have been accepting documents for national and international driving licenses. In this case, you must provide a standard package. The production time for licenses is from 3 to 7 days.
How to get an international driving license
In fact, obtaining an international driver's license is a fairly simple and quick process, plus, now I will describe everything in detail. There are two ways to get an IDP (actually three. You can also get it through the MFC)
- Pay a state fee of 1,600 rubles and contact the traffic police department (check the addresses of departments that provide this service in your city), fill out applications and receive an IDP on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Fill out an application through gosuslugi.ru, pay 1,120 rubles, go to the traffic police department at the appointed time (you choose the time convenient for you) and receive an IDP within half an hour.
Documents required to obtain an IDP:
- Application (when submitting an application via the Internet, it is generated almost automatically and you do not need to take it with you)
- Identity document (passport)
- National driving license (your license)
- Photo 35*45 mm (color or black and white, it doesn’t matter) on matte paper. As you can see, the photo requirements for an IDP are not very strict. An attentive reader might even notice that the photo on my IDP is the same as on my Italian visa.
- For some reason, the receipt for payment of the state duty is not indicated anywhere, but despite the fact that I paid online, they asked me for a receipt. Just after payment, print it out and take it with you.
- International passport - in general, this document is not needed, but you may be asked in what transliteration to write your name on your license. If you want it like in your passport, then take a copy with you so as not to get confused.
A medical certificate is not required to obtain an international license! You won't have to take any exams either!
State fee for obtaining an international driving license
In 2020, you must pay 1,600 rubles .
In the period from 01/01/2017 to 01/01/2019, when paying the fee through the State Services website, a 30% discount is provided. The cost of an IDP is 1120 rubles .
Obtaining an IDP through State Services
Lately, wherever possible, I’ve been trying to use the State Services portal, it’s really convenient. Therefore (and also in order to save money - 1000 rubles for two), I applied for an IDP through government services . Now I’ll tell you step by step what and where to click. By the way, if I didn’t take screenshots, filling out one application and payment would have taken me no more than 5 minutes.
Go to your Personal Account on the portal gosuslugi.ru Select the following service
Next click on
Select “electronic service”
We fill out the form. The application for an international driver's license literally consists of 5 questions, and at least 3 of them are already filled out automatically, because... The data is in your account. If you have previously entered the data of your national university, then almost the entire form has already been filled out. We check personal data
Checking passport details
Checking your residential address
Information about the medical certificate may not be entered, because it is not required. Leave the fields blank
We enter (or check) the data of the national driver's license
We choose a convenient traffic police department. In Yekaterinburg, in general, there is no choice, only the central branch “on Yasnaya”, which, it turns out, is located at “Chkalova, 1”
Select the date of your visit and a convenient time. This is the time at which you will be called and your documents will be accepted.
We confirm all entered information. Application completed!
A new line has appeared in the notification feed
Now you need to pay the fee. This can be done either from the government services office, or from a letter sent to your email. Click on proceed to payment
We pay by bank card. Payment accepted. Don't forget to print the receipt, it may be useful to you.
That's all for submitting an application. It took about 10 minutes at most. Now you need to go to the traffic police station at the specified time.
Those who did not come by appointment formed a separate (“live”) queue. Those who called by appointment minute by minute (I specially timed it!). After the call, they take your documents and within about 20-25 minutes they issue you with a ready-made license.
Total, half an hour at the traffic police and 10 minutes to fill out the application and pay the state fee. Obtaining an IDP through government services took only 40 minutes!
As you can see, nothing complicated! Apply for an IDP, rent a car, explore other countries by car (Prague attractions) – it’s interesting!
How much does it cost to make and receive?
A mandatory fee - the state fee for issuing an international driver's license - is charged for consumables.
Cost of state duty and services:
- state duty 1,600 rub.
- state duty through the State Services website with a 30 percent discount of 1,120 rubles.
- services of commercial organizations intermediaries from RUB 2,000.
- cost of IAA services from 1,200 to 5,000 rubles.
How to pay the state duty:
- By bank transfer through State Services using: plastic cards MasterCard, Visa, “Mir”;
- WebMoney electronic wallet;
- mobile phone (local telecom operators).
To renew the IDP, you will have to pay the same amount as when preparing the document.
