Russia was one of the first countries to ever adopt drivers' licenses, with the first ones issued in 1900 by Saint-Petersburg authorities, and joined international convention in 1909, but due to relatively small number of automobiles these attempts were rather sporadic and limited to major centers only. No comprehensive system of drivers' licensing were present until 1936, when the Soviet government finally organised and standardised traffic and driving regulations, with this state-wide system to be regulated by specialized police authorities.
In the Russian Federation, there are only 5 categories of motorised vehicles which require a driving licence:
Currently Russia employs a system of drivers' licenses very similar to EU standard with two additional categories:
The current licence style, introduced in 1999, is a laminated plastic card similar to the EU license card in dimensions and outward appearance, with the bearer's photo and name (in Latin and Cyrillic scripts) to the left, place/date of issue, allowed categories and signature to the right. The reverse of the card feature a detailed list of allowed categories in Russian[1]. Older booklet-style licenses are also occasionally seen although they are no longer issued and are increasingly rare as a result. The Russian driving license is also sometimes supplemented by a special card called "временное разрешение" (temporary permission), which serves for registering offence points and as a temporary licence if the primary licence is seized by the authorities for serious traffic offences[2]. This supplement has been abolished and reinstated a countless number of times as the views of the traffic police change.
The legal driving age within the Russian Federation is 18 years(16 years for A-category, 20 for D-category)[3] and to obtain a licence one must be physically fit to drive (including certificates of mental fitness and no record of substance abuse). One must also pass a test administered at a local traffic police authority as well as pay a fee. Tests are divided into theory and practice. The theory test is usually a computerised multiple-choice test on various traffic rules. 20 multiple-choice questions are asked, with two incorrect answers allowed for a passing grade[4]. A road test is then administered which includes a demonstration of basic driving skills (steering, slope starting for manual transmission vehicles and backing-up) on an obstacle course as well as a skills examination for road driving. Four minor errors are allowed for road driving examination and the obstacle course is a pass-fail system. The number of retries is unlimited.
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