Electronic medical certificate and 2 categories of drivers. What else do the peopleʼs deputies propose to change?
Recently, draft law No. 13131 was registered in the Verkhovna Rada , which concerns the medical examination of drivers and driver candidates, and contains a number of other proposals, which we will now consider.
Electronic medical record
The authors of the document propose to cancel the paper format of the medical certificate, and instead introduce an electronic form that will reflect the personʼs permission (or disapproval) to drive a vehicle. This will apply not only to drivers, but also to tractor drivers. It is planned to transfer data exchange to the state system "Trembita". Drivers will see their certificate on the Unified State Web Portal of Electronic Services, or simply — Diya.
Two groups of drivers
Similar to the practice used in some countries (private and commercial transport), Ukrainian drivers are planned to be divided into two groups. The first group will include those who drive vehicles of categories A, A1, B, B1 and BE for their own needs, as well as tractor drivers.
The second group is proposed to include "heavy" equipment and "commercial" drivers. That is, drivers who drive vehicles of categories C, CE, CI, C1E, D, DE, D1 and D1E for their own needs, as well as drivers of all categories who work for hire or as self-employed persons who transport passengers and/or cargo.
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The text of the project also states that drivers who are subject to pre-trip medical examinations will also receive an electronic "mark" regarding their admission to transportation.
Health requirements remain unchanged for now
The draft law we are considering here does not contain any proposals to change the frequency of medical examinations or to revise the health requirements for drivers (and candidates for drivers). Accordingly, there are no age tables, which were previously proposed in other drafts, according to which older drivers would have to visit the medical board more often. However, it is possible that this issue may change at the level of secondary legislation.
No certificate, no "rights"?
Many Ukrainian drivers have licenses for several (or all) categories of vehicles, with the exception of trolleybuses and trams. Until now, a medical certificate was issued for all available categories, which gave the unconditional right to drive any vehicle whose code is entered on the license.
The changes proposed in document number 13131, depending on the implementation of by-laws, which is allocated 4 months after the law on the basis of the aforementioned project enters into force (if such occurs), may create a situation where a person (for example, due to different prices for "private" and "commercial" medical certificates) will pass the commission only for group 1, thereby "freezing" the categories belonging to group 2. Theoretically, the right to drive these vehicles will be preserved, but in practice, based on the amendments to Article 12 of the Law "On Road Traffic", it will be prohibited to drive trucks or buses without a "commercial" certificate.
"Old" certificates are valuable certificates
According to the text of the final provisions of the described project, medical certificates for drivers issued before December 31, 2025 will remain valid for the duration of their validity, but not longer than 10 years.
If the draft under consideration becomes law (for which it needs to go through all the procedures stipulated by the Rules of Procedure and receive the necessary number of votes of peopleʼs deputies), it will come into effect (again, if it is voted on and signed by the President by that time) on January 1, 2026.
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