The Constitutional Court allows Russian citizens with foreign driving licences to drive while temporarily in Russia

The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation ruled that the previously applicable restriction—one year from the date of first entry into Russia—was unconstitutional insofar as it prohibited Russian citizens with foreign driving licences from driving vehicles while temporarily in the country, and required the legislature to amend the legislation. 

The one-year period for using foreign driving licences in Russia, introduced in 2023, is counted from the first temporary entry into the country and does not take into account repeated entries.
The Convention on Road Traffic, to which both states are parties, requires foreign driving licences to be recognised until their holder moves to Russia for permanent residence.

A citizen of the Russian Federation who permanently and lawfully resides in a foreign state that is a party to the Convention on Road Traffic is entitled to drive a vehicle in the Russian Federation—provided there are no other impediments to being permitted to drive under the applicable legal regulations—on the basis of their valid foreign national driving licence issued by an authorised body of a state party to the Convention on Road Traffic, without regard to the expiry of the one-year period from the date of their first entry into the Russian Federation after obtaining the foreign national driving licence, unless (except where the national driving licence was issued to a citizen of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Belarus) the authorised bodies establish that they have been in the Russian Federation for at least 183 calendar days during any consecutive 12-month period.

Enters into force on the date of publication - 07.04.2026 г