The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is currently preparing a draft amendment aimed at clarifying how driving license categories and subcategories relate to one another. The purpose behind this update is to align existing regulatory provisions with a broader legislative effort to revise Articles 25 and 26 of the Federal Law on Road Safety. In practical terms, the change seeks to establish a clear mapping between higher driving categories and their corresponding lower categories, particularly when it comes to vehicles that are driven with trailers.
According to the draft, there will be a documented correspondence between different categories and subcategories of vehicle configurations. This means that, under certain conditions, the holder of a broader category may automatically gain permissions associated with a narrower category, or vice versa, depending on the established rules and timeframes. The intent is to create a predictable framework that reduces redundancy in testing while maintaining safety standards on the road.
For example, the draft specifies that if a person already holds the open category “CE” for trucks with a trailer, this open status could confer the right to drive vehicles within the category “BE” for cars with a trailer, provided that the category “B” has been kept open for a significant period, such as a decade. In such a scenario, the applicant would not be required to undergo a new examination for the BE category, assuming all specified conditions are met. The goal here is to acknowledge prior qualifications and streamline the licensing process for drivers who have already demonstrated competency in related vehicle configurations.
The proposed amendments to Articles 25 and 26 of the federal law on road safety are slated to come into force on March 1, 2023. The corresponding departmental decree is planned to take effect on the same date, ensuring synchronized implementation across the regulatory framework.
At present, the draft departmental decree concerning amendments to Annexes No. 1 and No. 3 to the May 13, 2009, regulatory decree on enforcing a driver’s license is under public discussion. This consultation is being conducted on the Single Portal, where information about the preparation of draft legislative acts by federal executive authorities and the results of public discussions is posted for review. The ongoing dialogue is designed to gather input from stakeholders and the public, helping to refine the details before final adoption and enforcement.
In summary, the initiative aims to create a coherent and transparent system for recognizing cross-category qualifications in the driver licensing framework. By formalizing the relationships among categories and tying them to established open statuses and time-based prerequisites, the reform seeks to reduce unnecessary re-testing while preserving safety standards. Stakeholders are watching closely as the public discussion proceeds, with the expectation that the final version will offer clearer guidance for conductors of vehicles with trailers and their corresponding licensing paths.