An international driver's license makes it possible to legally drive a car in almost 200 states. However, it should be remembered that this document is often not valid in the absence of national rights.
At its core, an international driver's license (abbreviated as IDP) is a translation into several languages of Russian national rights. Despite the fact that Russia complies with the requirements of the Geneva and Vienna conventions on freedom of movement, traveling by car abroad without an IDP can cause certain problems. If you are traveling by private car, you may be charged a decent fine of several hundred euros. On the other hand, it happens that many rental offices refuse to provide a vehicle; moreover, this is not due to the desire of the rental company, but with the legal requirements of insurance companies. So what is the difference between an international certificate and Russian national rights?
Content of the IDP
This is a document in the form of a small book (A6 format). Its standard sample was approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2011. The required lines are filled in by hand or by means of a printed font. The symbols used are Latin letters, Arabic numerals. The front of the document must contain the following information, certified with a round seal and signed by an employee of the department:
- date of issue;
- validity;
- the name of the organization that issued the document, plus the name of the subject of the Russian Federation;
- number, series of national driving license.
The inner side of the 2nd sheet indicates driving restrictions, if any. The third sheet provides information about the citizen-driver: name, surname, date of birth and place, address of permanent residence (registration). Also, with the help of oval seals, allowed categories are indicated, crosses are placed next to others. On other pages there is a list of states that have signed the Geneva (September 1949) and Vienna Conventions (November 1968).
New Russian rights and IDPs
You can drive with a national driver's license on the territory of states that have recognized the Vienna Convention. However, the countries that signed the Geneva Agreement will have to take two documents with them: both Russian and international rights. But in theory, in practice, and in the countries of the Vienna Convention, you have to keep IDPs close at hand. This is mainly due to three reasons:
- many rental companies rent a car only if they have an IDL due to the requirements of insurers;
- upon obtaining a visa, some embassies may ask you for a copy of the IDP;
- the absence of an IDP can cause unnecessary questions from the traffic police, which, without understanding for a long time, will simply write out a fine.
Therefore, in order to save both time and money when traveling abroad, it is still better to issue an international certificate. Its validity period is three years. At the same time, it is worth remembering that such a document is not valid for driving a car in Russia, national rights are needed.
