Is it possible to drive newly purchased motorcycles which have not been registered or issued with official license plates in Vietnam?

Is it possible to drive newly purchased motorcycles which have not been registered or issued with official license plates in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 12 of Circular 58/2020/TT-BCA stipulating that types of vehicle subject to the temporary registration include:

Vehicles which have not been registered or issued with official license plates wish to join traffic; vehicles registered abroad which have been permitted by the competent authorities to enter Vietnam for tourism, conferences, trade fairs, exhibition, and sports; vehicles used for conferences held by the Communist Party, the State, the Government; vehicles applying for revocation of certificate of vehicle registration and license plate to be re-exported to home country or transfer in Vietnam and vehicles subject to a decision on transfer, sale, or gifting.

Thus, according to current regulations in Vietnam, newly purchased vehicles without license plates will not be allowed to join traffic. In case you want to join traffic, you must register a temporary license plate.

The documentation of temporary vehicle registration in Vietnam

In addition, Article 13 of Circular 58/2020/TT-BCA stipulates the documentation of temporary vehicle registration as follows:

1. A vehicle, manufactured and assembled in Vietnam, must complete the following documents:

a) The declaration of vehicle registration (form 01);

b) The copy of sales invoice as prescribed or warehouse discharge note.

2. Imported vehicles; those that are temporarily imported and re-exported within an expiration date:

a) The declaration of vehicle registration (form 01);

b) The copy of declaration of import and export goods or a detailed declaration of imported vehicle. If a vehicle completes the procedure for importation, the application for the registration and issuance of temporary license plate must include certain documents as stipulated at Clause 1 Article 8 of this Circular.

3. Vehicles permitted by competent authorities to enter Vietnam for tourism, conferences, trade fairs, exhibition, and sports; foreign vehicles travelling in Vietnam and vehicles used for conferences held by the Communist Party, the State, or the Government: The copy of certificate of vehicle registration or list of vehicles applied for registration approved by the competent authority.

4. As for automobiles, owned by foreigners and registered in foreign countries, and built with right-hand drive, or “canavan” left-hand drive that are allowed to run on the roads as per the law, the application for its legal operation on the roads shall include:

a) The declaration of vehicle registration (form 01);

b) A document which allows the automobile to run on the roads in Vietnam made by the competent authority.

Best Regards!