Foreign citizen are to apply for the RF driver’s licence to be able to operate a vehicle
Effective 5 November 2013 are the amendments to articles 20, 25 and 26 of the Federal Law No.196-FZ "On road-traffic safety", dated 10 December 1995, and new article 12.32.1 of "Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses".
According to the updated legislation Legal entities and Entrepreneurs are strictly forbidden to allow the vehicle operation for drivers without RF national driver’s licence, confirming the right to operate the vehicle of respective categories and subcategories. When conducting entrepreneur or labor activity directly bound to operating a vehicle, abovementioned operating with foreign national driver’s licence or international driver’s licence is not allowed.
The administrative responsibility for the violation of that Legal Rule is charged as a penalty in the rate of 50 000 Rubles (five hundred thousand); the responsibility falls on the parties responsible for vehicle maintenance and operating conditions.
To receive the RF national driver’s licence the foreign citizen will be obliged to take the common test; this testing is to be conducted in Russian language.
As to operation of a personal vehicle for foreign citizens, it remains being allowed with the foreign national driver’s licence or international driver’s licence. Effective 13 May 2014 is the Provision par. (§) 14 Article 25 of the Federal law "On road-traffic safety", which allows operating a vehicle on the territory of Russian Federation to non-russian citizens provided they own both foreign national driver’s licence and international driver’s licence.