Is it possible for a citizen of Russia to drive a car with Armenian license plates

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Since Armenia joined the Eurasian Economic Union, Russians have increasingly begun to visit this country in order to purchase a car. But recently, amendments to the legislation of the Russian Federation have come into force. Is it possible for a citizen of Russia to drive a car with Armenian license plates in 2020, and will there be any sanctions from the state?

General information

Until the beginning of this year, there were no clear norms in the legislation regarding which transport is subject to registration in the Russian Federation, and which one is a participant in international traffic. But since this year, a law has come into force, which presupposes compulsory registration of cars, which is why the majority of vehicle owners found themselves in an ambiguous situation.

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The fact is that they all used the more loyal legislation of neighboring countries, although they operated their cars on the territory of the Russian Federation. By law, the owners of such cars are required to register the vehicle within 10 days from the moment of crossing the borders of the Russian Federation (if it is planned to operate the car in the Russian Federation for more than 12 months) or from the moment of obtaining a driver's license to drive a car that has not previously passed state registration.

In other words, a Russian citizen becomes the owner of a vehicle registered in Armenia, where, until recently, preferential norms for the import of cars were in effect.

These rules contradicted international agreements, but they were very convenient for motorists: buying a car for almost nothing and registering it in a neighboring country, the driver enjoyed unlimited rights, including the ability to violate traffic rules with impunity, since CCTV cameras could not identify the car.

2020 changes

In 2020, the situation has changed, so the traffic police are trying to explain to citizens who have cars with Armenian numbers, who can and cannot drive such cars across the territory of the Russian Federation. Registration of a car is optional only if it has been imported into Russia for a period of less than 12 months or participates in international traffic.

A car is considered to be a participant in such, if the owner is a person whose place of residence is determined outside Russia, and his car is imported for a period of less than a year and is not registered in the host country. If the owner has Russian citizenship and plans to operate a car with Armenian numbers in our country for more than a year, the vehicle is subject to mandatory registration.

What is the punishment for owners of cars with Armenian license plates?

Since the beginning of the second half of the year, the State Traffic Inspectorate has been actively conducting raids to identify cars with foreign numbers, focusing on Armenian ones, of which there are more than 300 thousand in Russia. Now the owners of such cars may face fines, revocation and detention. In case of registration of the car, it will be necessary to pay not only the registration procedure itself, but also the difference in duties, as well as the transport tax for the entire period of semi-legal operation of the car.

At first glance, the sanctions under Art. 12.1 of the Administrative Code, they seem harmless - a fine of 500-800 rubles is lower than the benefit received when buying an "Armenian" car. But a repeated violation entails more serious consequences: this time the owner will have to pay a receipt of 5 thousand rubles or lose his rights for up to 90 days. In addition, the law allows the seizure of state numbers and documents for a car.

For vehicles that crossed the Russian-Armenian border after October 2014, customs documentation is required. Otherwise, according to Art. 12.3 h. 1 of the Administrative Code, the car can go to a penalty parking lot, and the owner will have to pay a fine of 500 rubles.

The rule does not apply to owners of cars with Armenian numbers who have been driving on the roads of Russia for less than a year, since such cars are considered participants in international traffic. But after the expiration of the specified period, the above sanctions will be applied to the citizen of the Russian Federation and his car.

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What to do

This question worries many owners of cars with Armenian numbers. Judging by the situation that has developed in 2020, they should not expect anything good. Continuing to drive such vehicles means putting yourself at risk of completely losing your vehicle.

If you try to legalize the car and pay the difference in duties, then this option will become unprofitable for owners of used cars. After all, the customs authorities do not take into account the Armenian registration and require to register the import of vehicles from the EEC member state according to the same rules that apply to goods from other countries.

This means that you will have to register using the ERA-GLONAS or Euro-5 system, which is quite expensive. It is possible, of course, to drive the car back to Armenia and sell it there, although in this case there will not be much money raised, and the borders have not yet been opened.

A more or less suitable option is to preserve the vehicle until 2023, when the car will no longer be considered foreign and it will be possible to register it in the Russian Federation by paying only a recycling fee. Its size is much less than the state duty.

Summarize

1. All vehicles imported into Russia for more than a year are subject to mandatory state registration.
2. It is possible to move around the territory of the country in such machines only if their service life in Russia does not exceed a year. Such cars are considered participants in international traffic.
3. In other cases, for a trip by car with Armenian license plates, a fine is threatened, and in case of a repeated violation - imprisonment. In addition, license plates and vehicle documents may be seized.