The Constitutional Court has put an end to the strange situation where foreigners can drive in Russia with their driver's licenses obtained in another country, but Russians cannot with national licenses issued by other countries. Now, citizens of the Russian Federation who live abroad can safely drive in Russia with foreign driver's licenses – without any restrictions on the length of stay.
The story has been dragging on for years and looked absurd: if you have a Russian passport but live permanently abroad, you could be fined for driving with a foreign license. This is exactly the situation one of the applicants faced – he was punished despite having a valid license from another country. The courts supported the formal logic: a citizen of Russia means they must have a Russian license.
The Constitutional Court reversed this approach. It pointed out that temporary trips to Russia do not mean a change of residence, and therefore should not automatically deprive a person of the right to use a legal document issued abroad. Moreover, the court drew attention to the one-year restriction that came into force in 2023. It effectively trapped people: even if you live abroad and come for a short time, after a "formal year" you are already outside the law.
The Constitutional Court recognized this as a contradiction and removed the restriction. Now the rule is simple: if a person permanently resides abroad, they can drive in Russia with a foreign license without regard to the length of stay. The main thing is that the license is valid and meets the requirements.
In essence, the court not only corrected the law but also removed one of the most illogical barriers of recent years. For Russians living abroad, this means one thing – no more urgent document replacements and risk of fines. Arrived in Russia – got behind the wheel and drove off.
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