The Russian government has signed a decree allowing Russian drivers to present their driver's license and vehicle registration certificate (VRC) to State Traffic Safety Inspectorate (STSI) officers electronically via the Russian national messenger, Max.

According to the Russian Ministry of Digital Development (Ministry of Digital Development), the technical capability for using this feature in the messenger is currently unavailable; it is expected to appear "in the coming months." The Russian ministry clarified that electronic documents will not replace paper ones, but will function alongside them.

In addition to Max, you can upload documents to the “Gosuslugi Avto” app, a Russian digital service launched in 2021. Through it, Russian car owners can present a copy of their vehicle registration certificate (VTS) as a QR code, pay, or appeal fines. However, carrying the original paper document is still mandatory in Russia.

Earlier, the head of the Russian State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, Mikhail Chernikov, reported that, starting October 1, 2022, the "Gosuslugi Avto" app will be able to test the ability to present a driver's license.

It should be noted that this change only applies to documents issued in Russia. The government decree and the Ministry of Digital Development have not mentioned the possibility of presenting driver's licenses issued outside of Russia through Max or “Gosuslugi Avto”.