In which countries are Russian licenses valid, and where do you need an international driver's license?

Vienna and Geneva conventions

Two main international treaties defining the rights of motorists were adopted in 1949 in Geneva and in 1968 in Vienna. The Vienna Convention replaced the Geneva Convention and corrected a number of shortcomings of the latter. Namely, the need to obtain additional international rights in addition to national ones was abolished. Also, within the framework of the Vienna Convention, traffic rules of different countries were unified at key points so that motorists could move freely from country to country without the risk of creating accidents.

The list of countries where Russian driver's licenses are valid today is quite large.

Temporary restrictions on the use of Russian rights in Europe

Having figured out what kind of driver's license is needed in Europe for residents of Russia, let's move on to the second, important issue: time restrictions. In most countries that are members of both conventions, you can drive with a certificate that meets the regulations of the Russian Federation for six months. The exceptions are:

Belarus, Czech Republic and Norway - in the listed territories, the Russian crust is valid for only 90 days;
Bulgaria, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, France and Sweden - in these countries you can drive without a foreign driver's license for a year.

This information is especially useful for those citizens who cross the European border not for travel purposes, but with permanent residence permits.

Countries that recognize Russian VU

Russians can use a car in countries of all regions of the planet. These include European, African, Asian and American states.

However, it must be taken into account that, despite the signing of the Vienna Convention, any state may adopt additional legal acts to regulate road traffic. In this case, the permit to drive a car with a Russian license may be revoked. Therefore, when planning a trip, it is worth following the latest information about the legislative acts of each country on the route.

The entire list of Vienna Convention countries where Russian driving licenses are valid looks like this:

Austria.
Albania.
Azerbaijan.
Armenia.
Bahrain.
Bahamas.
Belgium.
Belarus.
Bulgaria.
Brazil.
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Great Britain.
Vatican.
Hungary.
Vietnam.
Venezuela.
Guyana.
Ghana.
Greece.
Germany.
Georgia.
Denmark.
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Zimbabwe.
Israel.
Indonesia.
Iraq.
Iran.
Spain.
Italy.
Kazakhstan.
Qatar.
Kyrgyzstan.
Kenya.
Costa Rica.
Cuba.
Kuwait.
Cote d'Ivoire.
Latvia.
Liberia.
Lithuania.
Luxembourg.
Macedonia.
Mexico.
Moldova.
Morocco.
Mongolia.
Monaco.
Netherlands.
Niger.
Norway.
UAE.
Pakistan.
Poland.
Peru.
Portugal.
The Republic of Korea.
Romania.
San Marino.
Saudi Arabia.
Senegal.
Seychelles.
Serbia.
Slovakia.
Slovenia.
Thailand.
Tajikistan.
Taiwan.
Turkmenistan.
Tunisia.
Türkiye.
Philippines.
Finland.
France.
Czech Republic.
Montenegro.
Chile.
Sweden.
Switzerland.
Croatia.
CAR.
Uzbekistan.
Ukraine.
Uruguay.
Ecuador.
Estonia.
SOUTH AFRICA.

In order to use Russian rights in these countries, all information in them must be duplicated in English, and all lines must be numbered. This is exactly how modern Russian plastic rights are designed. There is an older version - a laminated certificate issued before March 23, 2011. It must also be recognized in the listed countries on the basis of international law.

Countries requiring registration of an international DP

Although most countries are governed by the Vienna Convention, there are some that have only signed the 1949 Geneva Convention.
Russians can also travel in these countries by car, but for this they need to obtain an additional international certificate. For 2021, the list of such countries includes:

Australia.
Algeria.
Andorra.
Argentina.
Bangladesh.
Barbados.
Benin.
Botswana.
Burkina Faso.
Great Britain.
Venezuela.
Haiti.
Ghana.
Guatemala.
Dominican Republic.
Egypt.
India.
Jordan.
Iceland.
Spain.
Cambodia.
Canada.
Cyprus.
Laos.
Lesotho.
Lebanon.
Madagascar.
Malawi.
Malaysia.
Mali.
Malta.
New Zealand.
Namibia.
Nigeria.
Papua New Guinea.
Paraguay.
Rwanda.
Singapore.
Syria.
USA.
Sierra Leone.
Togo.
Trinidad and Tobago.
Uganda.
Fiji.
Chile.
Sri Lanka.
Jamaica.
Japan.

When visiting these countries, obtaining an international driver's license is a mandatory requirement.

What rights are needed in other countries?

Despite the large list of countries where Russian driver's licenses are valid, it does not exhaust all the countries on our planet. A number of states have not signed the Geneva and Vienna Conventions, and to use a car on their territory, Russians need to obtain a local driver's license. This is usually not an easy process. In some cases, obtaining such rights may be completely denied. Therefore, it is important to learn all the nuances of obtaining a driver’s license before visiting such a country.

How to get an international license?

International Driving Permit is a 30 minute question. Here are the documents you will need for registration:

Russian driver's license
Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation
International passport
Medical certificate of fitness to drive vehicles
One photo (3.5 x 4.5 cm)
Receipt for payment of the duty through Sberbank (1000 rubles)

With a package of documents, you go to the central traffic police department of your city (not all offices can issue you an international license) and after 30 minutes you are ready for a road trip around Grenada and Malawi.

So, where are we going to fly?

Recommendations from experienced travelers

All drivers who often travel abroad are advised to apply for an IDP in any case, even if the person does not intend to rent a car. The fact is that most insurance companies stipulate in the contract a requirement to have such rights in order to receive compensation in the event of an accident. If the driver does not have this document, then he most likely will not receive compensation.

As for renting a car, there is another pitfall. Some services require that an international driver's license must be obtained at least a year before renting a car. Accordingly, drivers who issued this certificate immediately before traveling may be denied a car.

Obtaining and using an international driver's license

If you have a new Russian license, such a certificate fully complies with the requirements of the Vienna Convention, and you can drive a car with it abroad in countries participating in the convention.

And then drivers face different situations. Most often, a Russian driver’s license is enough to resolve all issues on the road. But sometimes there are situations when problems arise on the roads abroad with such a certificate - for example, the police refuse to register an accident or the rental office does not register a car for rent.

An international driver's license can be changed both before it expires and after it expires. This is the case when no one will be fined for late replacement.

To replace an IDP that has expired, you will need to submit the same package of documents to the traffic police and pay a state fee in the same amount as when receiving an IDP for the first time.

You can drive in Russia without an international driver's license. If you do not carry it with you, do not have it at all, or drive a car with an expired IDP, there is no liability.

Is it possible to drive abroad without a national license?

Even if you have a valid international driver's license, you will still need a Russian license.

Issuance of an IDP is a public service. Such a certificate is issued only by traffic police departments. There are many offers on the market from private companies that offer to buy an IDP in the form of a plastic card or one that looks similar to a certificate issued by the traffic police. But these are nothing more than beautiful printed products - they have no legal force. For their use, you will have to answer according to the laws of the country where the driver tries to drive the car.

Driver's license for renting a car abroad

When renting a car in another country, even if it is a country that has signed the Vienna Convention, the rental company may require an international license. Such a requirement, along with other conditions (age limit, driving experience, deposit for a car) is allowed by law, since it is interpreted as a requirement of the company itself.

In a number of countries, only large companies will require an international license, but in Switzerland, Belgium or Norway, it is extremely difficult to find a rental service where a car will be issued without such a certificate.

Some countries have even legislated the requirement for car renters to have an IDP. In Greece, for the absence of such a certificate, a fine of 200 euros can be given, and some police officers even increase this amount to a thousand euros.

Features of the use of Russian rights in some countries

Knowing which driver's license is valid in European countries is not enough. Indeed, due to certain circumstances, the following additional conditions may apply to the driver of the Russian Federation:

In addition to the internal civil certificate, you must have with you a translation into the state language, signed by a notary;
Driving on the roads of countries that signed the Vienna Treaty is only permitted if you have a new type of license.

Where exactly such measures are applied, and in what cases, we will consider below.

Italy

According to current legislation, Russians do not need international rights in Italy. But if we are not talking about personal transport, but about a rented car, then the above-mentioned crust will not be enough to obtain it. After all, many Italian rental car companies often deviate from the Vienna Convention for the sake of their own safety. The only exception in such cases may be motorists with extensive driving experience.

Spain

If you believe the Vienna Treaty, then a Russian driver’s license in Spain has the same legal force as an international driving license. But when it comes to renting a vehicle, new requirements arise for a resident of the Russian Federation:

The rights claimed must have been obtained in a country that is not a member of the European Union;
When paired with a Russian driver's license, the car enthusiast is required to provide rental car representatives with an official translation into the domestic language;
If you have a short experience, a certificate of international format is added to the listed rules.

Such requirements are supported by the general regulations and cannot be challenged in a local court.

Cyprus

Unlike the first two countries, Cyprus has a completely opposite system. If, according to the Geneva Treaty, a Russian driver must have two mandatory certificates with him: a Russian Federation driving license and an international certificate, then he can only get a car for rent on the territory of this state upon presentation of the first document. The only thing that the legislation is really strict about is temporary restrictions on the rights of the motorist.

Greece

The most difficult situation regarding Russian drivers, as well as citizens of the old USSR, is observed in Greece. After all, it is here that in order to rent a car you will be required not only to have a valid Russian Federation document and an international driving license, but also a foreign passport. And the reason for such tightening of rencar rules was the disappointing statistics of road accidents over the past 2 years, when tourists refused to compensate for losses.