How to change permissions? The fastest and cheapest way

Replacement of rights - where?

As of 2021, you can:

obtain new rights after the expiration of the term by registering through State Services and contacting the traffic police without waiting in line,
obtain a new driver's license by personally submitting an application to the traffic police,
do this through the MFC.

All 3 options have their pros and cons. But it’s better to decide where you want to get a new driver’s license in advance. Just keep in mind that payment of state duty online through the State Administration website is carried out in the amount of 70% of its full cost - this is a kind of discount from the portal.

Is it possible to change it not according to registration?

Yes. The legislation clearly defines that you can replace your license after the expiration date and in any other case at your place of residence, and not necessarily at your registration address. On State Services you can even choose any department of the traffic police MREO that is convenient for you throughout Russia.

Obtaining a license outside of your place of registration

After completing the training and collecting all the certificates, the driving license is issued at any traffic police department without reference to registration. A driving school can also be selected in any place convenient for the driver.

What is your registration?

Registration at the place of residenceRegistration at the place of stay

Required documents

To register rights, a small package of documents is collected and a state fee is paid in the amount of 1,400 to 2,000 rubles (if paid through State Services, the amount is less).

Interesting article: Employment without registration: is it possible?

To obtain internal rights, prepare:

application (sample can be downloaded here);
passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
medical certificate No. 083/u-89 (sample here);
certificate of completion of training at a driving school;
A license issued earlier (if a new category is issued);
parental consent for a minor candidate (usually aged 16-17);
receipt of payment of state duty.

For international rights you will need:

passport;
Russian national driver's license;
photo;
receipt of state duty.

If the license is not issued at the registration address, you will need a document confirming the place of residence or stay. Usually this is a passport, where a registration stamp is affixed, and in the case of temporary registration, a registration certificate (a certificate issued by the Main Department of Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia).

Parental consent for a child who wants to drive a vehicle will need to be certified by a notary.

How much does it cost to change the V/U?

The cost of replacing rights consists of 2 main expenses:

payment of the state fee for obtaining a new driver's license,
payment for the cost of medical examination services.

The amount of state duty is fixed, and for 2021 it is 2,000 rubles. It is regulated by clause 43.1 of article 333.33 of the Tax Code of Russia. At the same time, it also mentions the state duty for issuing a new generation vehicle in the amount of 3,000 rubles. But a new generation of rights has not yet been developed, so it is not yet possible to obtain them anywhere in Russia.

But the cost of a medical certificate varies depending on the specific medical institution issuing such a certificate, as well as on the city and region. Getting a certificate to replace your license in Moscow and St. Petersburg is the most expensive - the price can reach up to 3-4 thousand rubles, and in remote regions and cities it is cheaper - on average from 1,200 to 2,200 rubles. As you probably already understood, the cost of the certificate, unlike the fee for replacing a driver’s license, is not regulated by law.

Thus, the average cost of replacing a driver’s license in total will cost about 3-5 thousand rubles in Moscow and St. Petersburg, 3-4 thousand in the regions.

Three roads

From 2021, a driver's license can be replaced in three ways. Two of them will lead us to the traffic police department, and the third - to the state multifunctional center (MFC). Let's start with it.

It is better to worry about replacing your driver’s license two weeks before its expiration date.

What documents are needed?

The standard package of documents for replacing rights is as follows:

an old driver's license whose 10-year validity has expired (if it is lost, it is not needed),
a recent medical certificate (its expiration date is below),
passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation,
corresponding application for replacement,
receipt of payment of state duty.

This exhaustive list of documents is regulated by paragraph 30 of the Russian Federation Regulations No. 1097 “On admission to driving a vehicle.”

What's not needed?

Contrary to popular belief, the following documents and requirements are not needed, and if you hear somewhere that they are required by the traffic police, then this is either fake and untrue, or the employees of the registration department (MREO) of the traffic police are acting illegally:

documents for the car (STS, PTS and others);
OSAGO insurance policy;
certificate from driving school;
photographs for a driver’s license - they are rarely required, since photographs are taken directly at the traffic police MREO;
a certificate of no deprivation - according to the law, they have no right to demand it, but a traffic police officer always has the opportunity to check the driver for deprivation using the database;
pay all existing traffic police fines - although very often such a requirement is practiced when replacing a license; we have a special article on how to deal with this;
taking an exam on knowledge of traffic rules is not practiced anywhere, legislators simply tried to change the rules for issuing licenses.

Replacement of driver's license in 2021

Persons admitted to driving vehicles may be faced with a procedure to replace their driver's license. The reason for this is:

expiration date of the document;
change of personal data (full name, place of registration, etc.);
opening a new category;
loss, theft or damage;
deterioration of health.

Multifunctional centers received the right to replace driver's licenses only in 2021. But already in this short period of time, many drivers began to give preference to the MFC, refusing to visit the traffic police. Center employees deal with all the nuances that arise in the process of replacing a license on their own, including transferring documents to the State Traffic Inspectorate.

The legislation of the Russian Federation establishes a unified list of documents required to replace the VU, regardless of the circulation authority. It is affected only by the reason for replacing the rights. Thus, no matter where the applicant applies, to the traffic police or the MFC, the list of papers will not change. It includes:

Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation or other document confirming your identity.
Medical certificate received no more than a year ago (form No. 003-B/u).
Completed application according to the established template.
Old ID (if available).
Receipt for payment of state duty.

The list of documents may expand depending on the basis for replacing rights. So, if the reason was a change in personal data, then the application must also be accompanied by a certificate of marriage/divorce, a certificate of change of name, etc.

Several years ago, the issue of introducing new rules for the exchange of expired IDs was actively discussed. The basis for this assumption was the opinion that after 10 years, some nuances of traffic rules are forgotten, not to mention annual changes in legislation. However, the changes remained only at the proposal stage, which was not properly considered.

Every Russian driver can replace his driver’s license directly at the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, at the MFC or through State Services. The last option still involves a visit to the State Inspectorate, since otherwise it will not be possible to pick up the document.

Many drivers prefer to change their license at the MFC, not wanting to once again encounter employees of the State Traffic Inspectorate. In this case, it is recommended to go to the official website of the center and check whether the desired service is provided in the selected branch. The following is information about replacing rights through the MFC in Moscow, the Moscow region and St. Petersburg.

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First we get a medical certificate

Before registering or contacting the traffic police in person to change your license, you must undergo a complete medical examination and obtain a certificate.

This is perhaps the most time-consuming procedure and involves waiting in queues. Although, there are 2 options for undergoing a medical examination for driver candidates: at a municipal and paid medical institution. The latter is more expensive, but most often there will be no queues. The first option is also not free, but significantly cheaper. But when choosing a paid clinic, psychiatrist and narcologist, by law you will still have to go to a government institution (clause 3 of Order No. 344N).

Be sure to clarify an important detail - the medical institution must issue a certificate of approved form No. 003-B/u. Only such a certificate is real and is suitable for replacing a certificate.

This is what it looks like (color and edging pattern may vary):

The procedure for undergoing medical examination is regulated by Order of the Ministry of Health No. 344N. You will need to see the following doctors:

psychiatrist,
psychiatrist-narcologist,
therapist (or general practitioner),
Laura,
ophthalmologist,
neurologist,
as well as in the direction of one of the above doctors: neurologist,
do electroencephalography.

Please note that according to the law, you can undergo a medical examination at a medical examination in the city and region of your choice, regardless of registration (registration in the old way). But in practice, in 99% of situations, the traffic police may refuse to replace a license if a narcologist or psychiatrist was not seen at the registration address. Alas, this is the reality of life. And the only way out here is to demand a written refusal along with the video recording and appeal it.

The instructions for obtaining a certificate are simple - just contact the clinic closest to you that suits the cost and conditions/queues. This can also be done through municipal (regional) State Services websites in most cities. As part of the medical examination, you simply go through all the doctors step by step. This takes no more than one day (usually several hours).

The main thing is that there are no contraindications to management. Their exhaustive list is contained in RF PP No. 1604.

But I already have a medical certificate!

If you have already undergone a medical examination after deprivation of your license, then such a certificate will also be suitable when replacing your driver’s license after the expiration date.

In this case, look at the date of issue (point 4 on the form). From this time no more than a year should pass, since according to the new rules, the expiration date of a medical certificate is exactly 12 months. If this time has expired, you will have to go through the medical examination again.

How to replace a driver's license through State Services? Instructions

Exchange of expired 10-year rights online through the official website of the State Services is quite simple. But to do this, you first need to register on the site if you don’t already have an account. This procedure is simple, we described it here.

Please note that you can only submit an application to the State Inspectorate and go to the traffic police without a queue. It is impossible to obtain new rights for 2021 completely automatically.

So, the instructions for submitting an application to exchange a driver’s license are simple.

1. Go to the main page of the portal and log in, then go to the sections Transport and driving → Driver's license → Replacement of a driver's license upon expiration.

2. On the page that opens, there is a list of documents required to use the registration form, the cost of replacing a license in the form of a state fee, and then click on the “Get service” button.

3. You will see a public service form in which you will need to fill in the following fields step by step:

your data – the field will be filled in automatically from your profile,
passport data – the field will be filled in automatically from the profile,
residential address – the field will be filled in automatically from the profile,
basis for replacing rights - if you change rights long before the end of their validity period, you will not be able to
number and date of the medical certificate, as well as the license and full name of the medical institution that issued it,
categories of vehicles permitted by a medical certificate (not to be confused with the categories specified in the old licenses),
old data - if you have lost it or it has become corrupted, check the box indicating that it is impossible to enter data due to this,
categories that were in the old licenses before the replacement, which are 10 years old,
in the last step you will need to select a convenient MREO unit where you want to change your driver’s license using the card, and then the date and time of the visit (only the free date and time will be active),
All that remains is to click the checkbox indicating consent to the processing of personal data and submit the form.

4. After a few hours, it will be possible to pay the state fee, about which a notification will be sent to your email address, and a notification will also appear on all pages of the State Services website. If you pay online, you will receive a 30% discount on the cost of state duty. Thus, instead of 2,000 rubles for replacing your license, you will pay 1,400 rubles.

Please note, despite the fact that the portal will say that you do not need to bring either an application or a receipt for payment to the traffic police, be sure to print both documents - the traffic police will most likely still require them.

5. That's all. All that remains is to arrive at the chosen time at the chosen MREO of the traffic police and skip the queue (if the queue begins to be indignant, the inspectors will take your side). And don’t forget to take the following documents:

old licenses that have expired 10 years (if any),
medical certificate,
passport,
printed application,
printed receipt for payment of state duty.

Beware, scammers!

For the query “Help in replacing a driver’s license,” there are a lot of options on the Internet. They promise to change your license in an hour for just 4,000–5,000 rubles. You should not fall for such offers. You can do everything yourself not only cheaper, but also faster, and most importantly, without the risk of running into fake licenses.

You will find comprehensive information about all legal aspects of automotive life in our Document Park.

How I changed my license and was almost left without them - a true story

How to submit an application in person without State Services?

In this case, the general principle of filing a procedure for replacing rights is the same with only 3 differences:

you write and submit the application not electronically or online,
waiting for your turn at the traffic police MREO,
pay the state duty without a discount (and with an additional commission) at the bank.

You also need to come to any MREO department, take a coupon with the required service at the terminal and wait in line with the same set of documents and a completed application.

– DOCX format for filling out on a computer,
– PDF format for filling out by hand.

An alternative to queues is paid MREO

One of the best options is a commercial registration office that is authorized to change rights. They are available in many large cities, but you will have to pay extra, in addition to the state duty and the replacement service itself.

Something else useful for you:

Is it necessary to change the registration certificate when changing the registered address?
What diseases are prohibited from driving under the new law?
New rules for passing a driver's medical examination and obtaining a medical certificate

How to change V/U via MFC? Instructions

To replace your license through the Multifunctional Center, you must go through a procedure similar to a personal application to the traffic police.

The advantage of this method is that there are much smaller queues, and with online registration there are no queues. But there is also a minus - this is the deadline for replacing a driver’s license through the MFC. It is 7-10 days.

1. Choose a branch of the MFC in your city that is convenient for you. Their complete list with sites in the regions with the services provided. Please note that not all MFCs provide the service of exchanging credit cards upon expiration.

2. Go through a medical examination and receive a certificate according to the instructions above, and also pay in advance the state fee for replacing the device.

3. You can make an appointment directly on the MFC website without queuing. Select a convenient date and time to record.

4. At the selected time, contact the center with the same list of documents from the instructions above and submit them.

5. After the expiration of the specified period, visit the MFC again to obtain new rights with a new validity period of 10 years.

Online registration procedure and terms for issuing rights

A driver’s license is issued quite quickly, on the day of application, and when submitting documents through the MFC (“My Documents”) it can take up to several weeks. The state duty for domestic licenses is a maximum of 2,000 rubles, and for international licenses - 1,600 rubles. When restoring rights, the tariffs are the same.

Interesting article: Do I need to change my PTS when changing my registration?

But these are not the only expenses. You will have to pay:

cost of training in a driving school (from 20,000 to 30,000 rubles);
medical certificate (from 1300 rubles).

To register rights remotely:

Go to the State Services website gosuslugi.ru in the “Driver’s License” section.
Fill out the online application form and pay the state fee.

After submitting the online application, you will receive an invitation to an interview at the traffic police in your personal account. By this time, a package of documents must be prepared and submitted in person.

Online submission facilitates the procedure for obtaining rights, since an initial check of the applicant’s data is carried out. The chances of getting your license on the day of application are quite high.

When paying the state fee for a driver’s license through State Services, the amount will be 600 rubles less (1,400 in total instead of 2,000).

After replacement

On the list of documents that must also be changed after receiving new rights, there is only one - a valid MTPL policy. It indicates the series and number of the old expired license, so you need to contact the insurance company and make changes. It is impossible to make such changes online.

There is only one consequence of failure to comply with this legal requirement – the possible loss of the CBM. According to the 2021 law, there are no other risks in the form of recourse or denial of compensation in the event of an insured event.

Common questions and answers and useful links

So, let's now answer the most popular questions that arise when replacing a driver's license due to its expiration.

Question	Answer
I lost my old expired license, what should I do?	Nothing. The obligation to hand them over to the traffic police is optional - if they are damaged or lost, then simply do not indicate their details in the application, and when contacting the traffic police, report the loss.
What about category M in the new license?	According to the Federal Law “On Road Safety”, any existing license category confirms the presence of category M. This means that the corresponding mark in the column on the back of the license is not required - in any case, you have the right to drive scooters and mopeds.
Will I be charged a fine for late replacement?	No. There is no penalty for expired licenses. There is only a fine for driving with an expired license.
How sooner can I exchange my rights for new ones? Can it be changed in a few months?	You can get a new driver's license at least every day. The 2021 legislation does not limit this right of motorists. But only upon presentation of a valid medical certificate, after replacement, you will be given a new license for 10 years.
I lost my driving school certificate, what should I do?	Nothing. By law, you are not required to present this certificate when replacing your license. According to the law, it is needed only in one case - when you first receive a license (for the first time in your life). But such a certificate can be restored.
Do I need to change the STS after replacement?	No. The registration certificate does not contain registration details, so there is no need to change it. There is also no need to make changes to the PTS, diagnostic card and other documents. It is only necessary to make changes to the insurance policy.
My license is 10 years old and my last name has changed - how can I change it?	Exactly the same as in the instructions above. Only in the application also indicate changes in the applicant’s personal data.

Does registration affect obtaining rights?

The presence of registration does not affect the procedure for submitting an application, subsequent registration and receipt of a driver's license (VU). A citizen has the right to take an exam on knowledge of the Traffic Rules at the traffic police department in any locality where he is currently located - the law does not prohibit this.

This procedure has been in effect since 2014. It is provided for by the Traffic Rules and Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 995. A driver's license can be obtained at your residence address or in any other place in Russia.

Features of obtaining a medical certificate

To obtain a driving license, a medical certificate is submitted in form 083/u-89, which was provided for admission to a driving school. For category B licenses, you will need reports from a therapist and an ophthalmologist, which can be issued in any clinic.

But certificates from psychoneurological and narcological dispensaries are still issued only at the place of registration (temporary or permanent). This is due to the fact that registration in these institutions is checked specifically at the applicant’s address.

The certificate states:

What type of transport is a person suitable for driving (passenger cars, public transport, freight, etc.);
blood type and Rh factor;
when the examination was completed.

Interesting article: Can you be admitted to a hospital if you don’t have a registration?
It should be remembered that fluorography (it will be needed for reference) has a shelf life of 12 months. After a year, you will have to undergo the examination again. You can apply for 083/u-89 at any district clinic. You need to have your passport, outpatient card, fluorography result and photograph with you.

When preparing a certificate, you will need to sequentially visit all doctors from a psychiatrist to a therapist and obtain a signature from each. Only at the very end is the certificate certified with a seal, which indicates its final readiness.

If there is no registration, it is impossible to obtain a conclusion from a mental health and drug dispensary. In this regard, the market for fake certificates that are purchased to obtain a driver’s license is very developed.

Procedure for registration and issuance of rights

There are two types of rights: national and international. The first are issued for 10 years, and the second - for 3 years. To obtain them, you need to collect documents, learn to drive and successfully pass exams at the traffic police. This is an indispensable condition for successfully obtaining a university degree.

Step-by-step procedure for obtaining rights:

Take training at a driving school.
Obtain a medical report after the examination.
Pay the state fee and collect the remaining documents (identity card, photo, etc.).
Sign up for the traffic police test.
If successful, you will receive a driver's license.

For international driving licenses you do not need to pass a qualifying exam. It is enough to provide your package of documents and present your internal ID. Basically, this category of rights is obtained by those who want to drive a car abroad.

If the category increases (for example, the driver wants to switch to freight transport), the corresponding exam is taken.

Please note: from April 1, 2021, new rules for passing the license test will come into force - practice at the race track will no longer be required.