If my driving license expires, do I have to retake the driving test in Vietnam?

If my driving license expires, do I have to retake the driving test in Vietnam?

According to Article 17 of Circular 12/2017/TT-BGTVT supplemented by Clause 3, Article 2 of Circular 01/2021/TT-BGTVT, validity period of driving licenses is regulated as follows:

1. The validity period of A1, A2, A3 class licenses is permanent.

2. The validity period of B1 class licenses shall expire when drivers reach the age of 55 for female and 60 for male; if drivers are over 45 (female) and over 50 (male), validity period is 10 years since the date of issuance.

3. The validity period of A4, B2 class licenses are 10 years since the date of issuance.

4. The validity period of C, D, E, FB2, FC, FD, FE class licenses is 05 years since the date of issuance.

5. The duration of the license is indicated on the license.

Article 36 of Circular 12/2017/TT-BGTVT regulates the re-issuance of driving licenses as follows:

1. Drivers whose driving licenses have expired shall

From 03 months to less than 1 year since the date of expiration, take the theory tests for re-issuance of driving license;

b) From 1 year and over since the date of expiration, participate in both theory and practical tests for re-issuance of driving license.

Applications for participation in the test are prescribed in Clause 3 Article 19 hereof.

2. Drivers whose driving licenses is lost, remaining unexpired or having expired for less than 03 months shall be considered for re-issuance of driving license.

The application includes:

a) Written request for renewal or re-issuance of driving license according to form prescribed in Appendix 19 enclosed herewith;

b) Original application in accordance with driving license (if any);

c) Health certificate issued by competent medical facilities as prescribed except for re-issuance of A1, A2, A3 class driving license with permanent validity;

d) The copy of people’s identity card, citizen’s identity card or unexpired passport for Vietnamese citizens or unexpired passport for foreigners and overseas Vietnamese.

The applicant shall be photographed when submitting the application at Directorate for Roads of Vietnam or Department of Transport, and must present the original copy of aforesaid documents (except for sent original documents) for comparison. The driving license shall be reissued after 02 months from the day on which the valid application is submitted, provided the license is not confiscated by a competent authority or the driver’s name is not on the list of the management authority.

3. Drivers whose driving license are lost, expired for more than 03 months with his/her name included in testing management agencies’ records should attend following tests if his/her license has not been confiscated or handled by competent agencies after two months since submission of the application:

a) Take the theory test again if the old license has expired from 03 months to less than 01 year;

b) Participate in both theory and practical tests if the old license has expired from 01 year and over.

Applications for participation in the test are prescribed in Clause 4 Article 19 hereof.

4. The licensing agency shall send a written notification on cancelling the old driving license to relevant authorities when re-issuing a new license.

5. The date written on the back of the reissued driving license is the date of the old driving license.

6. The deadline for reissuing the driving license is similar to that for issuing a new one.

7. Candidates who need reviews must register with driver training institutions for instructions, pay a fee as prescribed and are exempt from going through the training program.

8. Any driver whose driving license is still unexpired but its original records are lost and have his/her name included in testing management agencies’ records may re-establish the original records if he/she has demands.

The candidate shall send a set of application in person to Directorate for Roads of Vietnam or Department of Transport (where the driving license was granted). The application includes:

a) Written request according to forms prescribed in Appendix 19 enclosed herewith;

b) Copy of unexpired driving license, people’s identity card, citizen’s identity card or passport.

The licensing agency shall inspect, confirm, affix seal and specify number, class of the granted driving license, date of tests (If any), name of the training institution (if any) on top right corner of the written request and return to the driver for preservation instead of original records.

Thus, you have a class B2 driving license with a term of 10 years and with the information you provided that it was issued from March 2012, your driving license has expired from 04 months since the expiration date should have to re-test the theory to re-issue the driving license in Vietnam.

Does car ownership transfer have the certificate of car registration revoked in Vietnam? 

According to Article 15 of Circular 58/2020/TT-BCA, the certificate of vehicle registration and license plate shall be revoked in the event of:

1. Any vehicle that is out of order, unusable and damaged due to objective reasons.

2. Vehicles that are disassembled to use their engine and chassis as spare parts for other vehicles.

3. Temporarily imported vehicles of foreign agencies, organizations and individuals for the purpose of re-exportation and transfer in Vietnam.

4. Vehicles that are exempted from the import duty and are currently transferred to serve other purposes.

5. Vehicles that are registered at special economic and commercial zones or international border gate economic zones as promulgated by the Government when they are re-exported and transferred into Vietnam.

6. Vehicles that have been lost, stolen or illegally possessed and the legal owner asking for the revocation of their vehicle registration certificate.

7. End-of-life vehicles; vehicles that are unroadworthy as stipulated by laws; any vehicle of which both or either of the engine number and chassis number are/is falsified according to the conclusion of a competent authority.

8. Any vehicle which has been registered but its license plate does not conform to this Circular.

9. Vehicles undergoing title transfer.

10. Any military vehicle which no longer needs issuance of a civil license plate.

11. Any vehicle which has been registered but the application thereof was falsified or the license plate has been issued against the law.

According to this Article, when you transfer the ownership of a car, according to the above provisions in Vietnam, the certificate of car registration will be revoked.

Best regards.