The traffic police recalled the need to re-register vehicles in new regions of Russia

Citizens and legal entities who, on the day of their admission to Russia, permanently resided in the territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, are required to replace registration documents and license plates with Russian ones by January 1, 2026. The State Traffic Inspectorate announced this on its Telegram channel on September 4.

These requirements are set for the integration of transport into the unified legal framework of the Russian Federation, the agency said. Starting next year, driving a vehicle that has not been re-registered will be qualified under Part 1, p. 12.1 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation ("Driving a vehicle that is not registered in accordance with the established procedure"). A fine of 500-800 rubles is provided for this. For repeated violation, liability is provided under Part 1.1 of the same article (5,000 rubles or deprivation of rights for up to three months).

The traffic police noted that it is impossible to operate cars and other equipment with the registration plates of the DPR, LPR or Ukraine, if they have already been issued Russian license plates and documents. Such actions are classified as an administrative offense under Part 4 of Article 12.2 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation ("Driving a vehicle with deliberately forged state registration plates"). The sanction provides for the deprivation of a certificate for a period of six months to a year.

"The State Traffic Inspectorate urges car owners to comply in advance with the statutory obligation to re—register their vehicles in order to avoid negative legal consequences," the department noted.

They give you a day: cars with foreign license plates will reduce the time for paying the fine

The Interior Ministry proposed to detain cars with foreign state signs until fines are paid.

Earlier, on September 3, the State Duma offered to replace state automobile registration plates free of charge, which do not have the Russian tricolor, with those with the image of the flag. The initiative "will reduce the number of disputes and risks for bona fide car owners, as well as help to curb the turnover of duplicates that do not meet the updated standard," its author is confident.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.