Driving licence

Replacing a foreign driving licence

A foreign driving licence stops being valid in Russia after one year. The year runs from the date the holder received a residence permit or Russian citizenship. For a Russian citizen holding a foreign licence, it runs from their first entry into Russia after the licence was issued. This is clause 12.1 of article 25 of Federal Law 196-FZ of 10 December 1995.

Work is treated separately and more strictly: you may not work as a driver on a foreign licence at all, with no one-year grace period. That is clause 13 of the same article. An exception is made for citizens of Kyrgyzstan and of states whose law establishes Russian as an official language — they may work on the licence of their own country.

The year without exams is over. Those who received a residence permit or citizenship before 1 April 2024 were given one year to exchange the licence without sitting exams, under law 313-FZ of 10 July 2023. That period ended on 1 April 2025. The exchange now goes through an exam.

Work out your own dates

What is known for certain

What you sit depends on the category.

M, A, B, BE and subcategories A1, B1 — the theory test only. No vocational training is required (clause 18.3 of article 25 of law 196-FZ).
C, D, CE, DE and subcategories C1, D1, C1E, D1E — theory and practical, preceded by compulsory vocational training at a Russian organisation with a qualification exam (clause 18.4).
Citizens of Kyrgyzstan and of states with Russian as an official language sit the theory test only, even for C, D, CE and DE (clause 18.2).

If the licence carries several categories, the exams are taken for the highest of them, or for any one of them at the holder's request.

Who does not need to exchange anything. Citizens of Russia and citizens of Belarus holding licences issued in Belarus: their licences do not become invalid, and a Russian licence is issued without exams (clause 40(1) of the Rules approved by government decree 1097 of 24 October 2014).

And who will not be issued one. If the licence was issued in a state that is not a party, together with Russia, to the international road safety treaties, no Russian licence is issued on its basis at all (clause 18 of article 25). Nor is one issued to replace a lost or stolen foreign licence (clause 9).

How this is checked

What the theory test covers — the list from clause 12 of the Rules:

the Traffic Rules of the Russian Federation;
the Basic Provisions on the admission of vehicles to service;
the law on drivers' criminal, administrative and civil liability;
the fundamentals of safe driving;
first aid for people injured in a road accident.

How many questions a ticket holds, how many mistakes are allowed and how many minutes are given is now known: the ministry's order has been read. The government decree does not state these figures — it hands the content of the set of tasks to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. We found and read the order itself, No. 80 of 20 February 2021, clauses 130 to 139, and the whole structure of a ticket is set out on the trainer page. The important part there is not "20 questions" but two things almost nobody knows: two mistakes inside ONE topic block already mean a fail, and a skipped question counts the same as a wrong one.

What we still do not state is how many questions the whole set holds: the regulation does not name it, the ministry maintains the set, and a figure from someone else's website remains a figure from someone else's website.

Re-sits — the figures come from clause 11(2) of the Rules, and they matter more than they look:

failed the theory — the re-sit is held no earlier than 7 and no later than 30 calendar days later;
failed on the third or any later attempt — no earlier than 6 and no later than 9 months later;
the practical is scheduled no later than 60 days after the theory is passed;
fail to pass the practical within 6 months of passing the theory and the theory has to be taken again.

Six months of waiting after a third failure is six months without the right to work as a driver. That is why sorting out your mistakes beforehand is the cheaper path.

What documents to bring

The documents for issuing a Russian licence — clause 39 of the Rules:

an application;
a passport or other identity document;
a medical certificate confirming there are no contraindications;
the foreign national driving licence;
a notarised translation into Russian of any documents drawn up in a foreign language;
a qualification document — for those sitting theory and practical for categories C, D, CE, DE and the subcategories.

A translation is needed in one more case: a licence not issued under an international treaty is recognised as valid only if it is presented together with a certified Russian translation, or if every entry in it is made in Russian (clause 15 of article 25).

The theory test is sat in Russian, and people fail it for reasons that have nothing to do with knowing the road. A driver of fifteen years stumbles over the wording: "give way", "priority", "insufficient visibility" are terms with an exact legal meaning, not everyday words.

The Traffic Rules trainer has 30 questions, and every wrong option is explained, not just the right one. Each question carries the clause number and a word-for-word quotation from the Rules: you can argue with a trainer, but not with the text of the law.

Test yourself

Frequently asked questions

Exactly when does my licence stop being valid?

One year from the date you received a residence permit or Russian citizenship. If you are a Russian citizen who obtained the licence abroad, one year from your first entry into Russia after that.

I have a Belarusian licence. Do I have to change it?

No. Citizens of Russia and of Belarus holding Belarusian licences are issued a Russian licence without exams, and their licence does not become invalid.

I work as a driver. May I drive on my own licence during that year?

No. The ban on working on a foreign licence applies immediately and does not wait out the year. The exception is citizens of Kyrgyzstan and of states where Russian is an official language, driving on the licence of their own country.

I hold category C. Is the theory test enough?

Not unless you fall under the exception for Kyrgyzstan and states with Russian as an official language. Categories C, D, CE and DE require vocational training at a Russian organisation, then theory and practical.

How many times may I re-sit?

The law sets no limit on attempts, but it does set intervals: after the third failure and every one after it, the next attempt comes no earlier than 6 months later.

Do the documents need translating?

Yes. A translation of documents drawn up in a foreign language must be notarised. That is stated in clause 39 of the Rules.

The rules were verified on 22 September 2026 against the texts of Federal Law 196-FZ of 10 December 1995 (articles 25 and 26), Federal Law 313-FZ of 10 July 2023 and government decree 1097 of 24 October 2014 as amended on 22 June 2026. We hold the extracted text of each document, and every figure on this page is checked against it.