At the beginning of the second half of the year, Russian motorists can expect several significant changes in legislation. The new rules will affect the procedure for replacing driver’s licenses, the conditions for obtaining car loans, control over the turnover of tires and the procedure for issuing compulsory motor liability insurance policies. Motor magazine studied the official documents and prepared a detailed overview of the key innovations.
Driver license
From July 1, 2026, the temporary rule for the automatic renewal of driver’s licenses, which has been in force since 2022 as an anti-crisis measure, will no longer be in force. Owners of cars whose licenses expire starting in July will have to go through the procedure of replacing the document themselves.
Driver’s license
© Vladimir Astapkovich / RIA Novosti
This can be done through a single portal of government services, in any division of the State Traffic Inspectorate or in multifunctional centers. Driving with an expired license is now clearly interpreted as an administrative violation – the fine under Part 1 of Article 12.7 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation will range from 5 to 15 thousand rubles.
Car loans
From July 1, credit institutions are switching to updated standards of the Central Bank for assessing the solvency of clients. The most significant innovation is the introduction of a discount to the income that the borrower indicates independently without documentary evidence.
Haval
The bank will count only 90 percent of the declared amount, and the remaining 10 percent will simply not be taken into account. An additional filter will be a mandatory comparison of the indicated income with the average per capita level in the region of residence. As a result, getting a car loan without proof of income will become much more problematic. Moreover, this is only the first stage: as of July 1, 2027, banks will no longer take into account unconfirmed income completely.
Tire markings
In July, a fresh government decree comes into force, tightening the rules for confirming the Russian origin of tires in the “Honest Sign” system. Now manufacturers have to prove the existence of a real production cycle using photo and video materials linked to geographic coordinates.
Neural network
Unscheduled on-site inspections are also possible. If a company cannot confirm the authenticity of its production or violations are recorded, it will lose the opportunity to receive labeling codes for its products. The document was signed in May 2026, and will come into force 60 days after official publication – thus, the countdown falls on July 2026.
OSAGO
The Bank of Russia submitted for discussion a draft directive clarifying the list of documents required for registration of “automobile citizenship” for certain groups of policyholders. Among the key innovations is simplification of the procedure for spouses of participants in a special military operation, allowing them to take out a policy before officially entering into an inheritance.
OSAGO
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In addition, the project adjusts the mechanism for returning the insurance premium in cases where the policyholder cancels the policy before its expiration date. At the moment, the document is under public discussion, so the final dates for its approval remain open.
Rumors
The State Traffic Inspectorate officially denied the information disseminated on social networks about the introduction of new penalties from July 1 for tinting windows, talking on the phone while driving and driving into the oncoming lane. All penalties for these violations are regulated by the current articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses and remain unchanged.
The official texts of all the documents mentioned are published in open sources, and any driver can familiarize themselves with them. Those who are planning to buy a car on credit or import a car through parallel import should be especially careful about completing the paperwork – legislative changes have already begun to take effect or will come into force in the very near future.
