Russia Streamlines Car Registration in Newly Joined Regions

The State Duma has given final approval to a law that makes it significantly easier to register vehicles in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. The legislation, passed in its second and third readings on Monday, also extends the validity of various documents and allows older municipal officials in these areas to keep working past the usual retirement age.

Under the new rules, the government will have the authority during 2026 and 2027 to waive customs duties, recycling fees, and state registration charges for cars that were registered in these territories or in Ukraine before December 31, 2025. Owners won’t need a diagnostic card, customs paperwork, or a technical compliance check to complete the registration.

Instead, vehicle passports will be issued on paper. The simplified process applies to Russian citizens who lived in these regions when they joined Russia, as well as to local businesses and vehicles that were taken into state ownership.

The law also pushes back the expiration date for pre-unification documents used to register property rights in the new regions, now valid until January 1, 2027, instead of July 1, 2026. Adoption papers issued before unification will remain valid indefinitely, while guardianship and foster care documents will stay good for one year after a child is officially registered with authorities.

In a separate provision, municipal employees in the new regions who turn 70 can have their contracts renewed repeatedly, but only for one year at a time, with the employer’s approval. The law takes effect upon official publication. The property document extension applies retroactively from July 1, 2026, and the updated adoption and guardianship rules kick in on March 1, 2026.