‘Overwhelmed with work’: foreigners in Kazan rush to renew their driver's license

Foreigners are required to obtain a Russian license

Starting from April 1, 2025, foreign driver's licenses for foreigners who acquired a residence permit or citizenship of the Russian Federation before April 1 last year will cease to be valid in Russia. Similar rules apply to Russians who have acquired licenses abroad. For them, the starting point will be the first entry to their homeland after obtaining a foreign driver's license.

The foreign rights of citizens who have obtained a residence permit or citizenship after April 1, 2024, will be valid for a year. The same applies to Russians who have obtained driver's licenses abroad. They will have to take an exam to exchange their foreign rights. It is enough to confirm knowledge of the theory for those who need Russian certificates for driving vehicles of the following categories and subcategories:

• M — mopeds, scooters, light ATVs;
• A — motorcycles;
• B — passenger cars;
• A1, B1 — light motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles.

In turn, the exchange of foreign national driver's licenses confirming the right to drive buses and trucks, as well as vehicles (categories C, D, CE and DE and subcategories C1E and D1E) is possible provided that the driver has mastered the basic program of professional training, as well as theoretical and practical exams.

There are a number of exceptions. The theoretical exam will be enough for citizens of states whose legislation stipulates the use of Russian as an official language: Abkhazia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and South Ossetia. It concerns the drivers “who have foreign national driving licenses confirming the right to drive vehicles of all categories and subcategories and issued by the competent authorities of these states," the documentation says. Similar rules apply to Russian citizens who have obtained driver's licenses in these countries.

Those who have been granted Belarusian rights will not have to take the exam at all — this applies to both Belarusians and Russians.

Most foreigners in Kazan have Russian rights

“The state removes them (foreign drivers) from the “gray” field of our society. We will see these citizens," Mikhail Savin, the head of the Kazan State Traffic Inspectorate, commented on the innovations.

Thanks to the new mechanism, work with foreign citizens will become transparent, he is sure.

According to Mikhail Savin, the situation with the replacement of licenses is good in Kazan. Most of the foreigners have received Russian driver's licenses. “I would like to hope that more than 90%," the head of the State Traffic Inspectorate of the city emphasised. However, he warned that it should be taken into account that illegal migrants also live in Kazan.

In this regard, a heavy burden fell on the personnel of the registration and examination units. “Foreign citizens who have become legitimate Russians have simply overwhelmed us with work," Mikhail Savin admitted. Inspectors are working non-stop to ensure that documents are entered into the federal databases of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia on time.

In the future, competent motorists will not have any problems passing exams for obtaining Russian licenses, Mikhail Savin is sure:

“If a person studied at a normal driving school and fulfilled all the conditions for obtaining the right to drive vehicles, I do not see any difficulties, regardless of which state he studied in.”

“Here, a person is registered in a drug treatment dispensary, but not in the Customs Union”

In recent years, it has become extremely difficult to buy a license in Russia. In this regard, some citizens began to travel abroad to obtain certificates, Jan Heitser, the vice president of the Russian Automobile Union, told Realnoe Vremya.

Jan Heitser recalled that in many countries, after three months, Russians will not be able to drive with their “native” rights.

“Some citizens took advantage of this lapse in legislation and began to obtain their rights abroad. Some of it is difficult, some of it is simple. What do I see as a danger? The cost of obtaining the rights will not cost three kopecks," he said. “Travel abroad, registration, accommodation, study at a driving school...”

Why do drivers need this? For example, in order not to encounter problems when obtaining the necessary certificates.

“Here a person is registered in a drug treatment dispensary, but not, for example, in the Customs Union. He goes through a medical examination, he has no history, gets his license, comes here," explained Jan Haitser.

He recalled that in many countries with which Russia has agreements, after three months our compatriots cannot travel on their “native” rights. They need to pass exams and obtain a national driver's license from the country in which they live.

“[In Russia], not even for three months, but for a whole year, we can travel on [foreign] rights. It seems that this was done so that taxi drivers would quickly change their rights at least after a year, but in any case, this also applies to those who want to circumvent certain rules and laws. This is exactly where the danger lies — when a person who is forbidden to drive drives here on a foreign license. This legal conflict needs to be closed," the expert believes.

There are no illegal driving schools in Kazan

But drivers can be confident in the knowledge gained in Kazan driving schools. There are no illegal schools in the city, said the head of the State Traffic Inspectorate. Today, about 68 such educational institutions operate in the capital of Tatarstan. One can check whether a particular driving school has a license on the website of the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic.

According to Savin, last year the licenses of four driving schools were cancelled, which did not fulfill the necessary requirements.