At what age can you study in Russia and take your driving license?

Types of driving categories

In total, there are 7 main categories approved by the provisions of Art. 25 of the Federal Law “On Road Safety”. , which are further divided into subcategories.

Having a driver's license of one category does not give the right to drive vehicles belonging to another.

How to open a new category in rights

The Law “On Road Safety” states that in order to add a new driving category to a valid driver’s license, the applicant must pass a qualifying exam at the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. However, depending on the driving category, the composition of the exam varies, as well as the number and types of exercises, the successful completion of which is counted in the practical part of testing at the race track. The rules for conducting exams and specific types of exercises, the successful completion of which is counted in the practical exam, are listed in the Methodology for conducting exams for obtaining the right to drive a vehicle; we will discuss this below.

Categories A, M, A1, B1

To open driving categories related to driving motorcycles (two, three and four wheels) on your current license, you must pass an exam consisting of two parts:

• theoretical part on tickets;
• practical driving on the circuit.

The driving test consists of three exercises:

• stops for boarding (disembarking) passengers;
• parking and leaving a parking space;
• maneuvering in confined spaces (“snake”, performing maneuvers at speed, braking, stopping, etc.).

Important

In this case, a city driving test is not conducted to open a new category.

Motorcycle transport is considered the easiest to drive, so having a valid license is a guarantee that the driver knows the traffic rules and is ready for city driving.

Category B

Opening category B while having a license of another category will require the driver to pass a full exam consisting of three parts:

• theoretical on tickets;
• practical in the form of driving a car on a race track;
• practical in the form of driving in the city.

Driving a car on a racetrack includes testing the student’s skills using the following exercises:

• “slide” (“overpass”) – the student’s skills in stopping and starting on an incline are tested;
• “Parking” – the student’s parking skills are tested (parallel parking, stopping to pick up/drop off passengers on an overpass);
• “entering a garage box” – the ability to maneuver and park in reverse;
• “high-speed maneuvering” - testing maneuvering skills, “snake”, “turn”, “90° turn” (two exercises at the examiner’s choice);
• crossing a controlled intersection.

Two minutes are allotted to complete each exercise. After successfully passing the exercises on the race track, students demonstrate their driving skills in urban conditions.

Categories C, D and subcategories

To pass the exam for driving freight and passenger transport to open a new category in your current license, you must also pass an exam consisting of three parts:

• theoretical part on knowledge of traffic rules;
• driving on a race track;
• driving in the city.

Exercises on the circuit for categories C and D are completely the same as exercises for passenger cars. The exam also consists of the student demonstrating proficiency in the skills of high-speed maneuvering, parking, reversing, etc. After passing, the examinee is allowed to take the exam in the city. If the driver successfully passes all three exams, he will be able to open a new category on his license.

Driving with a trailer (BE, CE, DE, C1E, D1E)

Passing the exam for obtaining a driving category related to driving a vehicle with a trailer also consists of three parts:

• theoretical exam on tickets for knowledge of traffic rules;
• exercises on the race track;
• driving in the city.

The exam at the race track consists of sequential performance of four exercises:

• coupling and uncoupling a trailer with a towing vehicle (assistance from other persons is allowed when producing the coupling);
• maneuvering in confined spaces, stopping to unload/load cargo (pick up/drop off passengers);
• entering the garage box in reverse;
• parallel parking, reverse parking on a hill.

Successful completion of the exercises on the race track is the basis for admission to the urban driving test.

Important

A condition for admission to taking the test to drive a vehicle with a trailer is the possession of a valid driver's license of the appropriate category, which is valid for at least one year.

Categories Tm and Tb

Driving trolleybuses and trams stands apart. Admission to take exams and obtain rights in the corresponding categories is permitted from the age of 21. The conditions for preparing and actually passing the exams also differ. The traffic police accepts only the theoretical part; practice at the race track and in the city is completed by the student in the training organization itself. Students of such schools have the title of cadets and even receive a scholarship.

As a rule, they are sent to training organizations by operating enterprises, so it is practically impossible to get into such a school from the outside. During training, drivers not only learn to drive passenger vehicles, but also learn their primary repairs, learn safety precautions when working with electric motor units, etc.

Exams: procedure and stages

In general, the examination process can be represented as follows:

1. Passing the theoretical stage of the exam. The trainee must solve the test on the training center computer in the form of one randomly selected ticket of 20 questions. All points of the ticket are devoted to traffic rules and operating rules for bus vehicles. The exam program contains 40 tickets. Questions are freely available on the Internet, which students can use to test their knowledge before taking the exam.
2. Passing a practical test at the training ground. The tasks usually do not cause difficulties for students: they are practiced more than once at the race track during lessons. However, when taking the exam at the traffic police site, it is recommended to first inspect the bus before driving. This is stated in the traffic rules and will undoubtedly cause a positive assessment of the student in the eyes of the inspector.
3. Driving a training bus on the city streets. This is the most difficult part of the exam. The trainee is given an examination sheet and sent to pass the final stage of the exam under real road conditions. During the entire test ride, an inspector-examiner is present in the passenger seat of the bus, who has the right to intervene in the process in the event of a dangerous situation.

Trainees who successfully pass all stages of the exam receive the coveted category D license on the same day. Cadets who have failed any stage of the exam have the right to begin retaking it no earlier than a week after the first attempt. If a student does not receive a driver's license within 6 months after training, he must take the exam in full again.

It is important to note that you must take your ID and medical record with you to the exam.

When opening a new category is not necessary

Clause 7 of Art. 25 of Federal Law No. 196-FZ approved a provision regarding the possibility of automatically opening certain categories of driving. Having a valid ID automatically opens “minor” subcategories in the following cases:

• A – to drive vehicles of subcategories A1 and B1 (with a motorcycle seat or steering wheel);
• B – to drive a vehicle of category B1 (not with a motorcycle seat or not with a motorcycle handlebar);
• C – subcategories C1;
• D – category D1;
• CE and DE are C1E and D1E, respectively.

Important

In all other cases, passing the traffic police exam is a prerequisite for opening a new driving category.

How to upgrade your skills from automatic transmission to manual transmission

Students who have undergone training and passed the exam in cars with an automatic transmission receive a certificate that allows them to drive only cars with an automatic transmission. A corresponding note about this is made in the license. Such drivers cannot legally drive cars with a manual transmission.

To obtain the right to drive a car with a manual transmission, you will also have to pass an exam. But such drivers are exempt from passing the theoretical and city driving exams - they just need to successfully pass the exercises on the race track. Having a valid license confirms that the driver has driving skills in the city and knows the rules of the road. Therefore, the only thing he must prove during the exam is his skills in driving a manual car, which are demonstrated on the race track.

Additional courses

In some cases, in addition to undergoing training to obtain a driver's license, citizens are required to take theoretical courses in certain disciplines.

If the driver’s car can run on both gasoline and gas, then in order to obtain the appropriate permit to drive such a vehicle, you need to take a 3-5-day course.

If dangerous goods are transported by vehicle, the duration of the courses that must be attended is 3–7 days.

Is it possible to prepare on your own?

In 2013, amendments were made to the Road Safety Law. Starting this year, self-preparation for the driving test for driving categories A, B and their subcategories has been cancelled. The same applies to obtaining other driving categories. Without providing a certificate of completion of a driving school, it is impossible not only to issue a completed certificate, but also to obtain admission to the traffic police exam.

Important

Independent study, preparation and retraining for passing exams is not allowed.

To get a license without attending lectures at a driving school, you can take online license training.

Category "D". Receipt procedure

To obtain category “D”, you need to prepare for a medical commission at the military registration and enlistment office:

• Before the start of the call, visit your doctor. Take from him all statements, tests, epicrisis and other documents confirming the presence of the disease, its degree and severity;
• receive a summons and undergo a medical examination at the military commissariat;
• hand over to the doctor of the specialization to which the disease relates all documents with seals and signatures of the medical institution;
• receive a referral for additional examination and undergo it;
• go through the draft board;
• get a military ID.

Our clients do not serve in the military

call me back

Get a free consultation by phone:

8

or request a call back

Documents for the new category

List of documents required when applying for a new driver's license. It includes:

• personal passport;
• valid rights;
• certificate of completion of a driving school and passing exams;
• receipt of payment of state duty;
• written application (filled out on site);
• medical report (if necessary).

Reference

Also, to open a new category in your license, you must provide a photo. If the applicant applies to the traffic police department, the photograph is taken on the spot by a staff photographer.

What if you drive without a license?

Some teenagers mistakenly believe that the fact of graduating from a driving school gives them the right to drive, even if they do not yet have a license. For driving a car without a driver's license, as well as for driving a vehicle of a category that is not included in the license, the same punishment follows - from 5 to 15 thousand rubles. A person who transfers a car or motorcycle to a citizen without a license will pay much more - his fine will be 30 thousand rubles.

( 2 ratings, average: 3.00 out of 5)

How much does it cost to open a new license category?

Despite the fact that the driver already has a valid license, when a new category opens, he is an ordinary student. He will have to pay for the entire training course at the driving school; the cost depends on the training organization itself and the region of residence and does not depend on the duration of training and the category of rights. Typically, training costs 20-30 thousand rubles.

Also, to obtain a driving license with a new category, you will have to pay a state fee for obtaining a driving license (2 thousand rubles). If you obtain a license to drive passenger and cargo transport, and the driver had a license in the passenger categories, he will have to obtain a medical report with the permission of doctors. The conclusion will cost 2-3 thousand rubles. (RUB 1,675 – in municipal clinics).

Training for category “D”: terms and cost

Category “D” is usually trained if there is an open category “C” or “B”. The duration of retraining from category “C” will be 30–40 days, and from category “B” - a little more time, approximately 40–50 days.

The cost of classes will depend on many factors:

• driving schools;
• region;
• what category you will be retrained from.

For example, in order to learn to drive a bus with category “B”, in many schools you need to pay a cost almost 2 times higher than with category “C”.

Replacement of driver's license

When replacing a driver's license due to its expiration (10 years), all current categories are automatically renewed, but only if the driver's health meets medical requirements.

How to transfer a category to a new VU

The introduction of a new type of driver's license has somewhat changed the very procedure for transferring categories from old licenses to new ones. The main difficulty lies in the presence of a separate category E in the old type of licenses, which allows you to drive any vehicle with trailers. Now this category has been abolished, and students are trained to drive certain types of vehicles with trailers (BE, CE, etc.). Sometimes the traffic police refuses to automatically open all driving categories if the driver had category E. This practice is illegal, and therefore has been repeatedly refuted in the courts.

Reference

If the driver had driving category E on his old-style license, his new license should automatically be marked with BE, CE, DE, C1E, D1E.

The remaining rules for opening and transferring from old rights to new ones are as follows.

Reference

Category M is automatically assigned if there is any other category in the license.

Documentation

When replacing rights after their expiration, it is necessary to obtain a medical certificate. If license categories not related to driving freight and passenger vehicles are being extended, you must obtain permission from the following doctors:

• therapist;
• ophthalmologist;
• psychiatrist and narcologist.

If the rights additionally include categories C, D, Tm, Tb and their subcategories, then you additionally need to:

• obtain permission from a neurologist and otolaryngologist;
• undergo electroencephalography of the brain.

Thus, if a driver has B and C open at the same time, then he needs to go through all the doctors, which will cost significantly more.

In addition to a medical report, to replace your license you will need to provide the following to the traffic police:

• personal passport;
• old rights;
• receipt of payment of state duty.

How to close an unnecessary category

According to the Rules for passing vehicle driving tests, there is no provision for closing driving categories that are unnecessary for the driver. All marks about open categories are automatically transferred to the new certificate. Therefore, the driver does not have the opportunity to save money and refuse to undergo additional doctors if he previously had open categories related to driving passenger, cargo and cargo-passenger transport.

Exclusion of driving categories is allowed solely for medical reasons - if the driver is unable to successfully pass a medical examination for driving freight or passenger transport, these categories in his license will be closed, and categories of other types of transport will remain valid in his license.

If, over time, the driver’s health allows him to again drive vehicles of categories C, D and their subcategories, then they will again be included in his license without passing additional exams. To do this, the driver will have to undergo a medical examination again and submit its results to the traffic police.

Reasons for refusal to transfer

Transfer of rights to new rights may be refused for the following reasons:

• an incomplete list of documents is provided;
• the documents provided do not comply with legal requirements (for example, the medical report does not contain permission from some doctors);
• the information provided by the driver contradicts information from the internal traffic police database.

Other reasons cannot be considered grounds for refusal to open categories when replacing rights. An unmotivated refusal can be appealed administratively by filing a complaint with a higher official, or by going to court.

The opening of new categories in the current license requires the driver to undergo new training at a driving school and pass all types of exams - the theoretical part, driving on a race track and driving in urban conditions. An exception is the opening of a category for driving a motorcycle. You will also have to pay a state fee of 2 thousand rubles for issuing a new license.

Share on social networks:

More useful on the topic

Price and methods of paying the state fee for obtaining a driver's license in 2020

21.05.2020

How driving schools operate during quarantine and self-isolation

14.05.2020

Car driving

Passenger transport in the Russian Federation is divided into categories according to the number of passengers and the weight of the vehicle. If the total weight of the vehicle does not exceed 3.5 tons, and the total number of people transported does not exceed 8 people, then you can begin training to drive such a vehicle at the age of 16. Practical classes are carried out with the installation of mirrors and pedals for the instructor. Students are only allowed to take exams if they are 17 years old. In this case, the deadline for completing training at a driving school does not play any role.

ATTENTION !!! A driver who has received a license will be able to drive a passenger car only after reaching the age of 18. You can drive before, but there must be an instructor next to the minor driver. If earlier the management of light transport required the opening of category “B” or “C”, now there are a lot of other subcategories, which include “B1”, “B1E”, “C1”, “C!E” and “E”. All these categories and subcategories will be available to the future driver only after reaching the age of majority.

The last type of category opens to driving a car with a heavy trailer or semi-trailer. In addition, the opening of the “BE” category, which allows you to drive a tractor-trailer, “C1E” or “CE” will become available for opening only from the age of 19.