Absolutely any Russian citizen who has reached the age of majority has the right to change his surname. This procedure does not cause difficulties and, as a rule, does not last long. However, if a person changes his last name in his passport, he is obliged to make corresponding changes to all his other documents (for example, a work book, education diploma, ownership documents, driver’s license, etc.).
It should be noted that replacing a driver’s license (hereinafter referred to as the driver’s license) is most difficult if the driver decides to change his last name.
Content
- When to change permissions
- Cost of a driver's medical examination
- How to get a medical certificate to replace your license
- Where to find sample applications
- Replacement of rights in the traffic police
- Replacement of rights in the MFC
- Replacing rights through the State Services portal
A driver's license is issued for ten years and then renewed. Those who permanently live in Russia can obtain it at any traffic police department. Those who are temporarily in the country can change their rights within the region of their stay.
To replace your license, you need to obtain medical certificates and pay a state fee and a medical examination. How much will it all cost? In what other cases is it necessary to replace the water supply? Where to order the service and what documents are needed to obtain it, we tell you in the material.
Where and how can a foreigner change his driver’s license?
If you are temporarily in the country, then you have the right to reissue a driver’s license only in the subject of the Russian Federation in which you are registered and permanently reside or are staying.
In addition, you need to know that replacing a driver’s license is only available to foreign citizens with a residence permit in Russia .
For a foreign citizen residing in Russia on a permanent basis, the following documents will be needed:
- passport or other identity document + its copy;
- document confirming registration at the place of stay or residence;
- a foreign ID or a copy with a notary stamp;
- matte photo cards size 4 x 6 (2 pcs.);
- receipt of paid state duty;
- medical certificate of the established form.
When to change permissions
Driving with an expired license is considered a violation. If an inspector is stopped on the road, the driver faces a fine of 5 to 15 thousand rubles.
Expiration of the term is not the only reason for replacing rights. The procedure will be needed if:
- The driver's personal information has changed. If previously a driver’s license was not replaced when changing a surname, now the document is considered invalid, and driving with it is perceived as driving without a license.
- Your driver's license has been lost or stolen.
- The document is damaged or worn out.
- The driver received a new category.
- The car owner’s health status has changed: indications or contraindications for driving have appeared.
You can change your rights six months before their expiration date. If you turn ten years old in July, you can start changing them in January. After receiving a new license, you are allowed to drive with your old insurance.
Also read: State program “Family car 2021”: conditions and nuances
Why is it necessary to replace a driver’s license when changing your last name?
Let's consider paragraph 35 of the new rules for issuing driver's licenses:
35. A Russian national or international driver's license is considered invalid and subject to cancellation in the following cases:
a) if the driver’s license has expired; b) if the personal data of its owner contained in the driver’s license has changed; c) if the driver’s license has become unusable for further use due to wear, damage or other reasons and the information specified in it (or in part of it) cannot be determined visually; d) if a driver’s license was issued on the basis of documents that were duly recognized as forged (falsified) or issued in violation of the procedure established by these Rules; e) if an application has been received regarding the loss (theft) of a driver’s license; f) if a new driver’s license has been issued; g) if it is confirmed that the driver of the vehicle has medical contraindications or previously undetected medical restrictions to driving a vehicle.
Please note that a driver's license is invalid if the personal data of its owner (last name, first name or patronymic) has changed.
Let me remind you that previously a driver’s license could be used for 10 years and was subject to replacement only after this period had expired. Women who change their surname after marriage may not have to change their rights. In 2021, this option is not possible. Rights are considered invalid from the moment the surname is changed.
In practice, this resulted in thousands of women's driving licenses becoming invalid on 5 November 2014 and having to be replaced.
Cost of a driver's medical examination
When passing a medical examination at the traffic police clinic, the cost of the service is almost 2,000 rubles. Private licensed medical centers ask from two to five thousand rubles.
The cheapest way is to undergo a medical examination at a state clinic, which has the right to issue certificates in form No. 003-B/u. Here the price will be approximately 1,300 rubles.
To pass the medical commission you will need a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. Some clinics also require military ID.
There is no need to prepare specially for the medical examination, but if the validity period of fluorography has expired (12 months), it is better to undergo it in advance.
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Algorithm of actions
Changing your last name first requires updating your passport. While this document is being replaced, you can safely use your old rights.
After the new passport is issued, the countdown of the validity period of the driver’s license begins. Ten days are given for this.
A driving license is issued after successful completion of a driving school and passing exams, and is valid for 10 years. Obtaining updated rights does not shorten this period - it continues to run. In other words, the specified period covers the combined validity of both certificates. You can change your rights when changing your last name in different ways. The main options include:
- Filing a complaint with the traffic police.
- Submission of documents through State Services.
- Use of MFC services.
When applying for a driver’s license, you should remember that from February 1, 2021, multifunctional centers began to replace such documents. In these cases, you will not need to visit the traffic police.
In practice, MFCs help reduce the load on the registration and examination units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The service is used by up to 3 million people a year. To change the license through the multifunctional center, the driver must perform simple steps:
- Visit the nearest MFC, find the appropriate service and stand in line. Or pre-enter an appointment in the appropriate function on the website and show up at the specified time.
- Take a photo and pay the state fee.
- Provide the same list of documents required by the traffic police.
- Sign using the stylus on the tablet. This will be the driver's personal record in electronic form.
- Come back in 15 days to receive a new driver's license.
You can pay the state fee for a document from January 1, 2021 through the State Service website with a 30% discount.
The choice of organization lies entirely with the driver. He can contact any institution convenient for himself at his place of residence. Replacement of rights when changing a surname after marriage occurs along with updating the data in an identity document. Once you receive a new national passport, you should begin collecting papers to replace your driver’s license. First of all, you need to write a statement stating the reasons why you need to get new rights. A form for this purpose can be obtained from the department where the citizen applies.
Many drivers are interested in whether it is necessary to retake the exam when obtaining a certificate. This procedure is not provided. It is enough to bring your old license. There is no need to worry if they are lost, since all the necessary information is contained in a single database. Department employees can review the relevant information at any time.
The document will require a photograph. It is advisable to take several of your images with you. Many centers have their own cameras. For services you will have to pay 2000 rubles to the treasury. When depositing amounts through State Services, there is a system of discounts. In any case, you should check whether there are any indications of unpaid fines, and if there are any, pay off the debt. According to the law, the violator is given 2 months to pay the fine. In addition, there are another 10 days to appeal and the same number to send materials to the court. In any case, these amounts must be paid on time. The presence of debt can be checked at each traffic police post.
How to get a medical certificate to replace your license
The certificate required to replace a driver’s license due to expiration can be obtained from private and budgetary medical institutions. It costs from six hundred rubles, and in order to be issued, you will need to undergo an examination by an ophthalmologist and a therapist. To obtain a final signature from a therapist, you must also submit certificates from a narcologist and a psychiatrist. These specialists can be visited at your place of residence.
Truckers, in addition to the above specialists, will need to visit an ENT specialist and a neurologist, as well as have an electroencephalography done.
You can see doctors in a private clinic in half a day, in a public medical institution - within one or two days.
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How much does it cost to re-register a license?
When changing your driver's license, you will have to incur certain costs. These primarily include state duty . If before 2015 it was only 800 rubles, now its cost has increased to 2000 rubles. You will also be charged an additional fee if you pay the fee through a bank branch.
If you do not have a valid medical certificate, then the cost of going to the hospital and dispensaries must be included in the list of costs.
If you decide to undergo an examination quickly and go to a paid institution, then the costs will be correspondingly higher. On average, a certificate will cost from 1000 to 2500 rubles.
Completing the application may also include some costs. If, for example, you cannot or do not want to fill out an application yourself, a traffic police officer can help you with this. This service will cost approximately 150 rubles.
Where to find sample applications
Sample applications can be obtained from the State Traffic Inspectorate, a multifunctional center, or downloaded from the government services portal. In the first two cases, the driver will have to fill out the forms himself, in the third, they will be filled out automatically. You can also download the application and its completed sample on our website.
As a basis for replacing the plastic, you must indicate one of the reasons: “due to expiration”, “due to loss”, “due to damage” or “due to a change of surname”.
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What's the penalty if you don't change it?
Please note that in the interpretation of the PPRF above there is no talk about the obligation to change a driver’s license. It only says that it is declared invalid. Therefore, there is no penalty for the very absence of the fact of changing rights. But that is until you get behind the wheel and are stopped by a traffic police officer.
And if I get behind the wheel, is my current license valid?
And in this case, according to the law, a sanction must be applied under Part 2 of Article 12.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses in the form of a warning or a fine of 500 rubles for the fact that your current rights are invalid.
Why are we talking about legality? Because in practice, there are often situations when an employee is charged a larger fine - under Part 1 of Article 12.7 as for lack of management rights (remember, we already read about the difference above and therefore understand why this is illegal?). And in this case, the amount of liability is already 5-15,000 rubles. But such fines can be easily appealed.
Is there a way to avoid a fine?
Yes. Let's say you changed your last name and, in connection with this, replaced your passport, where you have new personal data. But clause 2.1.1 of the traffic rules requires, at the request of the traffic police inspector, to present and submit for inspection 3 documents:
- driver's license,
- car registration certificate,
- OSAGO insurance policy.
Looking at these documents, he will see your old last name, if you have not yet changed your registration name after marriage, for example. But the employee does not know about the fact of marriage, which is registered in the passport, which, in turn, you have no obligation to present - even at the request of this employee.
Thus, if you yourself do not inform the traffic police officer that you did not have time to replace your license due to a change of name, then he will not find out about the violation - driving without a valid license and will not issue a decree with a fine.
But this way to avoid a fine is impossible if:
- you managed to change your MTPL insurance (and are entered there with a new last name as an approved driver, or as an owner or policyholder in the appropriate columns),
- if you forgot your license at home, in this case the inspector has the right to demand your passport if you violated something.
Replacement of rights in the traffic police
This is the traditional way of replacing rights. You come to the traffic police, take a ticket and get in line. When you are called, you will give the documents and wait until they prepare a new plastic (an hour and a half).
From the documents you will need:
- statement;
- passport;
- the plastic that you will change (if any);
- medical certificate in form No. 003-В/у;
- medical certificates from a psychiatrist and narcologist;
- receipt of payment of duty.
The state duty for re-issuance of rights is 2,000 rubles.
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Procedure for replacing a car license
In principle, the procedure for exchanging rights when changing a surname is similar to the standard procedure for restoring a holder’s license due to their loss/theft. The only difference is the list of documents that must be provided to exchange old rights for new ones.
Documents for replacing rights when changing your last name
To submit an application to the traffic police for the exchange of rights due to the driver changing his last name, he must collect the following set of documents:
- Applicant's civil passport (original + copy). Since this document is the main document confirming identity, a new passport must be provided for presentation to the traffic police (indicating the new personal data of the owner).
- Old VU. This document, which has lost its validity, must be submitted to the traffic police as having become invalid. In addition, the old license is precisely the document that confirms that the driver has successfully passed the exam for the right to drive a vehicle.
- An application for the exchange of driving license completed by the driver in his own hand. The application form is issued by the traffic police and consists of 2 pages, where all the personal data of the applicant must be entered in the appropriate columns, as well as the reasons why the license needs to be replaced. Separate columns (service) will be filled in by a traffic police officer.
- A certificate confirming the change of surname or change in other personal data of the applicant (for example, a certificate of divorce/registration of marriage).
- Photos of the driver. You will need color photos (quantity - 3 pcs., size - 3.5x4.5). You should clarify in advance whether the traffic police department where the application is submitted issues licenses automatically. If this is the case, then photographs will not be needed.
- A receipt confirming payment of the state duty for replacing the driver's license. The receipt form is issued to the driver at the traffic police department, and it must be paid at the Sberbank branch. From January 1, 2015, the state fee for this service is 2,000 rubles. You can generate a receipt for payment yourself (automatically on the traffic police website gibdd.ru.). To do this, you need to select the traffic police department on this website where the driver's license will be replaced. After this, a receipt with the relevant payment details will be displayed.
It is important to know that previously the set of documents also included a medical certificate of the established form. Since mid-2015 This rule has been abolished for the procedure for replacing rights due to a change in personal data, loss/theft of rights, as well as their damage. Additionally (before submitting an application to replace the driving license), you should check in the traffic police database to see if the driver has any unpaid fines. If there are such fines, then you need to pay them off.
When receiving a new document, it is important to immediately check all the information included in it (the correct spelling of personal data, as well as the presence of the necessary seals, stamps and signature of the person who issued the document).
Replacement of rights in the MFC
When replacing a driver's license at the MFC, you will have to wait from one to two weeks. The documents submitted are the same as those submitted to the State Traffic Inspectorate, plus a photo in electronic format will be required. The state duty for this replacement method will also be 2,000 rubles.
First, you will need to come to the MFC, take a coupon, wait until you are invited, then submit documents and photos. The staff of the multifunctional center will inform you about the readiness of the license and the date of its receipt.
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Changes to the MTPL policy
Figure 4. OSAGO policy.
Source: Drive2 website After changing the last name, a person must change all personal documents, including the MTPL policy. If the driver does not contact his insurance company in a timely manner, he may lose benefits in the event of an accident.
You need to change your insurance information as quickly as possible. For this:
- The person should visit the insurance company and provide documents indicating a change of name.
- Provide new documents: passport and driver's license.
- Make a written statement.
Company employees are required to verify the information provided and issue valid insurance within five business days.
Replacing rights through the State Services portal
This method is the most convenient and most profitable: for the state fee you will pay 30% less - 1,400 rubles. To order the service, you will need to register on the “Government Services” portal and fill in all the data in the “V/U replacement” section through your personal account. The same documents are needed, except for photos. There is no need to write an application, since, as mentioned above, it will be processed automatically.
You will receive your new license from the traffic police. In theory, you don’t need to sit in line: inspectors should issue them at the time indicated in the site’s LC. In fact, queues sometimes accumulate at the State Traffic Inspectorate, since the reception scheme for motorists itself is poorly thought out.
Author: Irina Sapunova
Expiration date of rights
First of all, after changing their last name, citizens are required to replace their general passport. The state has authorized the MFC, divisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, as well as the Unified Portal of State and Municipal Services to provide this service. The legislation sets a deadline of 30 days for submitting documentation. The countdown begins from the day of marriage registration. Within 10 days after submitting the package of papers, government agencies will replace the passport.
Attention! The period is extended to 30 days if the person applies at a location other than his place of registration.
In case of failure to timely perform the above actions, the person will be held accountable. He is subject to a fine of 2,000 to 3,000 rubles. In accordance with Rules No. 1097, the VU is considered invalid and canceled if the owner’s personal information has changed. At the same time, legislative norms do not determine the period for applying to government agencies in order to obtain new rights.
Penalties for late exchange
What fines can be imposed on the driver for late exchange of documents? The current provisions of the Code of Administrative Offenses provide that the standard fine will range from 2 to 5 thousand Russian rubles.
Very often, drivers begin to get into altercations with the police, proving that they are right. This should not be done, since the fine in this case will be from 10 to 15 thousand rubles.
It is clear that some motorists expect that the protocol will be issued under the old name.
Believe me, there will be no problems with finding a person’s place of residence when changing a surname, since all the information will be in the registry office.
Details on how to get an international driving license are written in the article: international driving license. Don’t know what a sample petition to the court for not depriving a driver’s license looks like? Read about it here.
About what deprivation of a driver's license for non-payment of child support is, it is written here.
Where to go
If any personal data changes, the motorist is obliged to change his license. This applies to last name, first name, patronymic. In addition, the driver is required to obtain a new license if his health condition has deteriorated and the changes are reflected in the control of the vehicle. The new license will indicate the validity period of the previously issued license.
There are several ways to replace a driver's license:
- Contact the traffic police. This is the most common and simplest option. After visiting the traffic police department, the motorist writes a statement and pays the state fee. If there are no problems with the documents, the applicant receives a new driver’s license on the day of application.
- Submit documents through the MFC. Multifunctional centers are good because there are practically no queues. However, the processing time for documents increases, because MFC employees need to send documents to the traffic police and then receive a ready-made certificate.
- Sending a request online through State Services. This option is the most convenient because the applicant does not have to leave home. However, to obtain a completed document, you need to visit the traffic police department.
A motorist can contact any branch of the MFC or traffic police, regardless of his place of residence.
