The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation has allowed Russians permanently residing abroad to drive in Russia using foreign driver's licenses, no longer limiting their validity to one year after arriving in the country. The decision was published in a court ruling.
Previously, law enforcement practice limited the use of foreign licenses in the Russian Federation only to foreigners. Russians, on the other hand, were required to have a driver's license issued in Russia.
The reason for the review was the case of a Russian citizen, Sergei Shakhov, who permanently resides in Estonia. In 2019, he was fined 5,000 rubles for driving without a Russian license, despite having a foreign one.
The courts upheld the fine, but the Constitutional Court pointed out that this practice violates the rights of citizens. The ruling noted that Russians living abroad were in a worse position compared to foreigners.
Taking into account the 2023 law amendments, which allowed Russians to use foreign licenses for one year after entry, the Constitutional Court recognized the restriction as unconstitutional.
Until amendments are made to the legislation, Russians permanently residing abroad can drive in the Russian Federation with foreign licenses without regard to the length of stay.
