The Auto Permise Directorate says that for 2 years it has been issuing the records on the spot at the counter, but many still take it from the police station / Why is the printed record from the MAI platform not accepted

DRPCIV says, in a response to HotNews, that it “does not require the presentation of the criminal record certificate” when submitting driver's license documents. The clarification came after a questioning by the PNL deputy Sebastian Burduja, who asked for an explanation as to why the direction is functioning does not accept the record issued through the MAI platform.

• “It is absurd that a structure directly subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (DRPCIV) does not recognize the validity of an official document issued through a platform developed and guaranteed by the same ministry,” says Burduja, in the interpellation submitted at the beginning of September.
• The MAI replied to the deputy that steps are being taken so that the license and registration services automatically extract their criminal record extracts from the ROCRIS database, without asking for them at the counter
• Only DRPCIV says that this option, to issue the registers on the spot at the counter, is being implemented as early as 2023.
• HotNews went to the directorate's headquarters in Bucharest and spoke with several citizens, most of whom stated that they came with the records physically lifted from the police station.

The discussion related to the record certificates started from the deputy Sebastian Burduja, who complained that the Driving License and Vehicle Registration Regime Directorate (DRPCIV) does not accept the records issued on the MAI platform brought by citizens to the counter.

The representatives of the department explained that there is no problem of not recognizing it, however, in printed format it loses its quality as a document with a digital signature.

“Print has no legal value. That doesn't mean we don't take them into account or consider them illegal”, Marius Petrache, the head of the Public Relations service within the directorate, explained to HotNews.

The management does not ask for the record

Moreover, explained the DRPCIV representative, citizens are not required to have a criminal record, it can be issued on the spot at the counter.

“With the entry into force of Law No. 9/2023, all SPCRPCIVs obtain the extract from the criminal record based on the consent of the applicant, a significantly faster procedure for citizens than using other methods of obtaining it,” the chief commissioner claims.

Instead, at the DRPCIV headquarters in Pipera Road 40, many citizens who request the services of the directorate, for car licenses or registrations, still come with the record issued by the police station, as was done before digitization.

“That's what the driving school told us too”

Two boys who came together to register for the driving test told us that they got the record from the police stations they belong to. “It's best to come with the physical file, from the department,” another young man tells us, who was just returning with the file of documents from the counter.

Two brothers also came with the physical file from the police station and explained to us why: “That's what the driving school told us. It's better to bring it like this.”

A woman, who came to the DRPCIV headquarters on Tuesday morning to submit the documents for the appointment to the driving test, explained that she came with the police record “to be sure” that her file would be accepted.

I also asked them if they knew about the option of having the records issued directly by the DRPCIV, without the need to go to a police station. Three young men look at each other, laugh and reply, “We don't know what to say about that.”

A procedure implemented in 2023

Citizens who wish to obtain a driver's license are no longer obliged, for two years already, to bring the record at the time of registration. But the majority choose to file the records obtained from the police stations.

“Because they use it at driving schools”, explains Chief Police Commissioner Marius Petrache.

The information is also public on the DRPCIV website, in the “Required documents” section. “The extract can be obtained from the counters of the community public services under the regime of driving permits and vehicle registration”. To be issued, the applicant must sign a consent statement.

The steps to issue a criminal record certificate are simple, says Petrache: “You present yourself with all other documents, present your ID, sign a consent that is made available to you. The consent is for the extraction of personal data from the criminal record, just like at the police station. All records are accepted at the counters, with the note that the electronically signed documents must be sent in electronic format.”

Why is the record issued from the printed MAI platform invalid?

On Monday, HotNews reported that several citizens said they were being denied records downloaded from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) hub in hard copy by DRPCIV officials. The situation was signaled in a document sent to the MAI by PNL deputy Sebastian Burduja, former Minister of Digitalization, in whose mandate the online release of the record was implemented.

“It is absurd that a structure under the direct authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (DRPCIV) does not recognize the validity of an official document issued through a platform developed and guaranteed by the same ministry,” says Burduja in the question filed at the beginning of September.

Thus, I asked Marius Petrache under what conditions DRPCIV can refuse a criminal record certificate.

“You can come with the record printed by you from the MAI hub, but it must also be sent to an email address because it is an electronic document. Printed has no legal value. This does not mean that we do not take them into account or consider them illegal. They are valid, but they must comply with some formal conditions. In the case of documents with a digital signature, they must be sent to an email address, so that the signature can be verified as authentic, through specialized programs.” the police chief explained to us.

Asked if in the future the option of accepting only the records issued by the directorate is being taken into account, Petrache said that “we cannot prohibit a person from presenting an official document and not take it into account”.