Driving licence in Armenia for foreigners and Russians: exchange, IDP and limits

If you hold a foreign licence, Armenia exchanges it for an Armenian one without exams, for the same category, provided it meets the requirements of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. If it does not, there is no exchange and the only way is to take the exams. You need an identity document, the receipt for the 12,000 AMD state duty and your old licence. It is usually issued within one working day.

For an exchange there are no separate terms for Russians: one criterion decides, described below.

What decides whether your licence is exchanged

Not the name of the country, but one thing: does your licence meet the Vienna Convention requirements. No list of countries is published and bibip will not invent one. The MIA registration and examination unit assesses the actual document. So the honest answer to "will my licence be exchanged?" is: it depends on the licence itself, and nobody can guarantee it in advance.

How the exchange works

Documents: an identity document, the state duty receipt and your old driving licence.

Cost: the state duty is 12,000 AMD, the same as for issuing a licence or replacing a lost one.

Time: in an ordinary exchange you are photographed on the spot and the licence is issued within one working day. The conditions: you are not on the narcological or psychiatric register, not deprived of the right to drive, and there are no other grounds for refusal.

You do not get the old licence back. After its validity is verified, the exchanged licence is returned to the competent authorities of the state that issued it, unless an international treaty of Armenia provides otherwise.

The addresses of the registration and examination units are on roadpolice.am; every detail of the exchange is in a separate article.

What about an international permit (IDP)

A common mistake is to think an international permit will "upgrade" your licence. In Armenia it does not.

• An Armenian international permit is treated as not valid inside Armenia. It is a travel document.
• Non-citizens may drive in Armenia on an international permit only if they also hold a national licence.
• A permit never replaces a national licence and does not help you get an Armenian one.

If your goal is not a trip but living and driving in Armenia, you need not an IDP but an exchange of your foreign licence. More on the document itself: the international driving permit in Armenia.

What is banned on a foreign licence

Work and business. Carrying on business or employment directly connected with driving on a foreign national or international licence is prohibited, except for international carriage. On a reciprocity basis the ban does not apply to citizens of Eurasian Economic Union member states.

If you plan to work in a job that involves driving, a foreign licence is not enough. Check your case at the registration and examination unit.

How long you may drive on a foreign licence. The law names three months from the date of entry for Armenian citizens, dual citizens included. For foreigners who are not Armenian citizens we could not find the period: check it with the MIA unit before you drive.

If the country that issued your licence has no road-safety treaty with Armenia, the licence is valid here, on a reciprocity basis, only with a notarized Armenian translation, unless all its entries are in Latin letters.

If an exchange is not open to you

Take the ordinary route: theory and practical exams. The steps are in the guide to getting a licence. You can prepare for the theory with the official question bank published on roadpolice.am: the bibip exam simulation uses it, is free and needs no registration. bibip is an independent study site and is not affiliated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Road Police. You can practise by topic in practice and read in theory.

Rules and amounts may change: check them on roadpolice.am before you go.