Is an old driver's license valid?

Old style driver's license

A driver's license is a document that gives the right to drive a certain type of transport, confirming that its owner has completed training and also passed the appropriate exams at the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. The rights have such legal force that, in the absence of a passport, they can be used as identification.

The emergence of a new type of rights

Despite the fact that since the spring of 2014, updated licenses began to be issued on the territory of the Russian Federation, an old-style driver’s license is valid until the end of the validity period. Unless other statements are included in the document, they are valid for ten years. The legislation does not require the replacement of driver's licenses; they are valid and are also recognized by the relevant services throughout Russia.

Interestingly, today car owners have three types of licenses. These are certificates that were issued from 1999 to 2011, the first plastic licenses, which appeared in 2011, as well as a new driver’s license.

One of the main goals of producing an updated driver's license was to create a driver's license that meets international standards. The form of the new document meets all the requirements and allows drivers to use it in the territory of member states of the Convention governing road traffic standards.

What does the old type of ID look like?

The old-style license is a laminated form, the size of which was slightly different from the new driver’s card, 7.5 by 10.5 centimeters. Their issuance on the territory of the Russian Federation has been carried out since 1999. They contain all the necessary data entered in Russian and English.

The certificate was issued in five categories. This:

• amateur “A”, “B”;
• professional “C”, “D”, and also “E”.

To obtain these categories, the following age criteria were established:

1. Citizens over 16 years of age could obtain a motorcycle license;
2. to pass the test that allows you to become the owner of category “B” or “C” you must be 18 years of age;
3. Obtaining a driving license category “D” or “E” requires the applicant to be 20 years old.

As for the age of potential drivers, changes to the Traffic Rules did not affect them.

Serious changes have occurred with categories. Every holder of a new driver’s license can see that there are now 16 of them.

What is written on the old license?

The old type of IDs had the following data:

• number and series of the document;
• owner's personal data;
• information about date and place of birth;
• driver's registration location;
• date of issue and expiration date;
• stamp of the traffic police department that issued the license;
• driver's signature;
• special marks.

On the front side there was a photograph of the driver on the left, and on the right all the information about the owner of the license.

Type certificate 2011

Since the spring of 2011, a new type of license began to be issued on the territory of the Russian Federation. This is a plastic card whose size is 85.6 by 54 millimeters. The edges of the card are slightly rounded.

Experienced road users are accustomed to the existing categories. Now, instead of the familiar “E”, the following appears in the license:

1. “BE”, which allows you to get behind the wheel of category “B” vehicles, the total weight of which will not exceed 750 kg;
2. “CE”, which gives the right to drive a vehicle belonging to category “C” with a trailer, provided that the total weight of the road train is 0.75 - 3.5 tons;
3. “DE” for citizens transporting passengers on vehicles where the number of seats exceeds 8 with a trailer;
4. “tram” for drivers of this category of equipment;
5. “trolleybus” for those who operate this type of transport.

The first three subcategories are a kind of decoding of the previously known category “E”, which gave a general definition and made it possible to manage road trains consisting of equipment of categories “B”, “C” and “D” with a trailer.

Additional notes in rights issued since 2011

The document, which drivers began to receive in the spring of 2011, contains a number of additional marks. For example, a “duplicate” mark is required on lost or stolen driver’s licenses.

If the vehicle is driven by a driver who has some limitations due to health conditions, a corresponding note is made on the license.

The holder of such a license can only drive if he has a permitting medical document.

The legislation allows drivers with vision problems to drive vehicles. In this case, a corresponding note is made on the license, indicating that the holder of the document is required to drive, always wearing glasses or contacts.

A special note “manual control” is made in the documents of the driver who has the right to drive manually controlled vehicles.

In addition, in the rights of this sample there is a column for special notes. Data about the driver’s length of service, blood type and a number of other special data can be entered there.

In case of traveling abroad by car, owners of both types of old licenses will have to obtain an international document.

Replacing rights

Old-style driver's licenses are subject to mandatory replacement after their expiration date. A modern driver does not necessarily have to immediately go to the nearest traffic police department.

The development of new technologies makes it possible to submit the documents necessary for the procedure online. It is enough to fill out a certain form and attach a scanned copy of the specified documents, and the system will check the information provided, and then offer to determine a convenient date for visiting the nearest branch.

These innovations made it possible to relieve the maximum load on the road inspection offices where documents were issued. The day and time of visiting the traffic police department are known to the driver in advance. The procedure usually takes no more than 30 minutes.

Exchange of a document does not require passing a re-examination. The driver will have to write an application in the prescribed form, provide a certificate confirming completion of training and passing the exam, an identity document and an old license.

Documents are subject to mandatory exchange if the driver’s personal data changes. This procedure is usually necessary for women who get married and change their last name.

When exchanging your driver's license, you should carefully study it. The certificate contains a considerable number of new categories and subcategories. Driving equipment without the appropriate category is equivalent to driving without a license. And for this, Russian traffic participants are punished quite severely - with a fine of 5 to 15 thousand rubles.

Is it possible to drive a car with a license from the USSR? Traffic police comment

Is it possible to drive a car with a driver's license issued in the USSR? This question arose from a retired driver after another check of his license by a traffic police inspector. “I learned that such rights will soon be considered invalid,” says the man. — At the same time, I read in other sources that with such a document you can travel around the country without problems, but you cannot travel abroad. So is it worth changing the rights?

For now, driver's licenses of the Soviet Union type can be used in Belarus, the traffic police department of the regional executive committee said. At the same time, it is planned that from January 2020, driver’s licenses issued during the Soviet era, as well as those without an expiration date, will be declared invalid.

“It is proposed to enshrine such a norm in the bill “On Amendments to the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Road Traffic,” ” said Andrei Tsydik . “This is due to the fact that such documents are poorly protected and are often falsified. In addition, difficulties arise when checking such rights, and sometimes it is difficult to identify a driver from a photograph taken many years ago.

It can also be difficult to control whether the driver has undergone a medical re-examination: the traffic police note that holders of permanent licenses sometimes ignore the mandatory passing of a driver’s examination. Despite the deterioration of their health, they get behind the wheel. It is their fault that accidents happen.

The replacement of “perpetual” driver’s licenses, according to the traffic police, will create equal conditions for all drivers and increase safety on the roads. And the owners of such certificates will no longer be able to ignore the mandatory medical re-examination.

What is the replacement procedure?

— To replace your old license with a new driver’s license, it is enough to contact any division of the MREO traffic police at your place of residence with a corresponding application. You need to take with you your old driver’s license, passport, medical certificate of health and a receipt for payment of the fee,” the traffic police said.

It can take up to five days to exchange your driver's license. The reason for its replacement is the expiration of the document.

— A driver’s license is issued for a period of ten years. You cannot drive with an expired license. If for some reason the driver did not exchange his license and got behind the wheel with a document that had expired, then this is classified as a lack of driving privileges, and not as a lack of documents, the traffic police emphasized.

Such forgetfulness puts the driver on a par with those who were deprived of the right to drive or who never had it at all. Inattention is punishable by a fine of 5 to 20 basic units.

What new and old samples of driver's licenses look like and what licenses are currently issued in the Russian Federation + photos with examples

Hello everyone, this is Ilya Kulik! Surely among your relatives and friends there are those whose driver’s license looks completely different from yours. This is not surprising, because Russian driver certificates come in four different types, and all of them are valid.

Do you want to know what driving licenses look like for different generations and what kind of document you will be issued these days? Then go ahead!

Valid driver's license

In Russia, at different times, four different types of driver's licenses were issued. Since the document is valid for 10 years, and the earliest sample was issued before 2011, drivers can now find all four types:

• Paper licenses of the old form.
• Old plastic ones
• New sample , but outdated edition.
• New form of rights updated in 2014

What rights are currently issued?

Currently, you can only obtain a driver’s license in the latest edition, adopted in 2014. The form of the document is established by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 365, issued on May 13, 2009, as amended. I will talk about them in the subtitle “Current edition of the driver’s license.”

Old style driver's license - what it looks like

Until 2011, it was possible to obtain two types of licenses: paper and plastic, the form of which was dictated by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 120 of February 19, 1999. They differed in design, but their content was the same.

Paper ID: shape and size

The official name is "Sample No. 1". The document has the shape of a rectangle measuring 74x105 mm. The necessary information is printed on a sheet of special pinkish paper, which is folded in half and laminated during production. You can see a photo of such rights in an “expanded state” below.

Sample No. 1

The form is coated with a protective pink mesh, RUS watermarks and interspersed with red fibers, including those that glow in ultraviolet light, similar to those found on banknotes. In addition, there is a special monogram on both sides. Other measures to protect against counterfeiting are also used, for example, a special font and printing method, paint that glows in ultraviolet radiation.

Front side

At the very top is the title of the document translated into French “PERMIS DE CONDUIRE”. In certain places on the form it is indicated what information about the driver should be written:

• Full Name.
• Date and place of birth.
• Region of residence.
• signature .
• Location of the traffic police department that issued the document;
• Start and end dates of validity.
• Signature of the traffic inspector who issued the document.

At the bottom right there is a place for a photograph measuring 30x40 mm, on top of which a round stamp of the State Traffic Inspectorate is placed. In the lower field - the series and number of the document, and in two copies - one printed when preparing the form, the second - when filling it out.

Reverse side

The header on the reverse side is occupied by the name of the country that issued the document and its international designation - RUS.

The main place on the back is occupied by a table with the categories of vehicles that the license allows you to drive. There are five of them in total, which corresponds to the real state of affairs at the time of issuance of this type of rights. The table consists of three columns:

• Designation of categories.
• Brief description of vehicles.
• Marks confirming permission.

At the bottom there is a column “Special notes”, where various notes were placed, such as:

• Year of starting driving experience.
• Number of the previous certificate.
• Permission to drive a trolleybus or tram.
• Restrictions , for example, the need to wear glasses.

Even lower, just like on the front side, there is a series and number, but only in one copy, printed at the factory. The manufacturer's name is also indicated in small print at the bottom left.

Plastic card

This type of ID, which is called “Sample No. 2,” is made of synthetic material, also with a pink protective mesh applied. The top is covered with a special film that acts as protection against counterfeiting. Card size – 85×55 mm.

Front side

On these licenses, all information about the driver is placed on one side. In the middle of the form you can see a shield with the inscription “State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs”, made with glowing paint. At the top left is the name of the state and the “RUS” sign (the latter glows in ultraviolet radiation), on the right is the name of the document with a translation into French.

Sample No. 2

Immediately below it is the series, number and cells in which the permitted categories are marked with the corresponding letter. In the remaining graph-cells, asterisks are placed. Just below is the full name of the owner of the rights, date and place of birth, place of residence. On the left is a place for photography. Drivers who are forced to wear glasses to correct their vision while driving must have their license photographed while wearing them.

The place of issue of the certificate is indicated by a hexagonal stamp with the inscription “Staff Police” in the center. The two numbers above the letters are the number of the electronic system in which the document was drawn up, and the two numbers below the number are the traffic inspector code.

The date of issue and expiration date, as well as the owner’s signature, are written to the left of the stamp. The last column is occupied by special marks. They are filled out in the same way as on paper licenses.

back side

On the back there is only the title of the document in Russian and French and a table with a breakdown of the categories.

Sample No. 2. Reverse side

In ultraviolet light, the “RUS” icons applied over the entire area become clearly visible.

New driver's license

In 2011, new certificates began to be issued. The innovation was made to bring the driver's document into a form that complies with international standards, which makes it possible to drive with a Russian car license in other countries.

In 2014, in connection with the introduction of new categories in Russia, the table on the back was modified.

Sample of an old driver's license

Rights with this design were issued from 2011 to 2014. I will not dwell on them in detail, since all the differences from the current document, which I will talk about a little further, lie in a different table of categories.

New rights with old version of category table

In this edition of the rights, the plate on the back looks like this photo, 9 types of vehicles are highlighted.

Current version of driver's license

The certificate consists of laminated paper forms between which a plastic plate is glued, which makes it possible to classify it as “made on a plastic basis” and charge the appropriate state duty for their issuance.

Document size – 85.6×54 mm, corners are rounded. The color is pink, gradually turning into blue from right to left on the front side and vice versa on the back. The form has several types of protection against counterfeiting, including watermarks, a protective grid, inscriptions applied with luminous paint and some others.

Driver's license of the 2014 model - the current version for today

The title is “Driver’s License” – only in Russian. At the top left is the obligatory “RUS” icon. Below, along the entire width, there is a stylized depiction of a road with intermittent markings.

Photo on the left, size 21x30 mm. The sections in the document are not signed, but are only marked with numbers. In general, all the same information is contained as in the old rights. But there is an important innovation - all records must be duplicated in Latin.

On the back

The reverse side of this document contains important information. Firstly, this is a table of categories with permitting marks, which, in accordance with modern legislation, includes 16 types of vehicles with corresponding designations.

Secondly, this is section 14 - “Special notes”. When filling it out, new symbols are used that are understandable to foreign traffic inspectors. Thirdly, the series and number, which are duplicated on the front side in column 5. Fourthly, a special barcode that allows you to check your rights with an electronic device and is an additional protection against counterfeiting.

Designations on the license

In accordance with the Vienna Convention of 1968, the requirements of which are met by the modern Russian driver's license, icons depicting a typical vehicle must be drawn next to the categories on the license, as if deciphering the letter designation. Sample pictograms are defined by the Convention. They look like this.

In the table of categories for new rights, icons appear in the first column next to the letter designation.

Let's sum it up

• Four types of driver's licenses can currently be found among drivers in Russia.
• Until 2011, both paper and plastic driver’s licenses with the same content were issued;
• Only one type of rights can now be obtained.
• The modern Russian ID meets all international requirements.
• In 2014, the table of categories in the rights of a new model was revised.

Conclusion

These are the types of driver's licenses in the Russian Federation. So far there are four types, but in 2021, due to the expiration date, all old-style documents will no longer be valid. And there will only be one form of identification left, which allows the document to perform the function of an international one.

What rights do you have now? Already new, or “old school”? Many drivers note that the old “plastic” looks more reliable in terms of wear resistance than the new model. Which ones do you like best? You can share your opinion on this matter and ask questions in the comment form. Welcome.

I also suggest sharing the article on social networks and subscribing to the blog if you have not already done so. See you again!

P.S.: In the title photo of the article are Alfa Romeo 156 and Volkswagen Phaeton. I took it from here: drive2.ru/r/alfaromeo/4062246863888260495.