Vietnam: Procedures for initial vehicle registration
1. Legal Basis
- Circular 229/2016/TT-BTC;
- Circular 58/2020/TT-BCA;
2. Conditions for initial vehicle registration in Vietnam
- New vehicle, initial vehicle registration.
3. Application for initial vehicle registration in Vietnam
The application for initial vehicle registration in Vietnam includes:
- Vehicle registration declaration form
The vehicle owner is responsible for accurately and fully declaring all contents in the vehicle registration declaration form according to Form 01 issued together with Circular 58/2020/TT-BCA.
- Vehicle documentation
According to Article 8 of Circular 58/2020/TT-BCA, vehicle documentation in Vietnam includes:
- Vehicle origin documents;
- Documentation of vehicle title transfer;
- Proof of payment of vehicle registration fee.
- Owner’s legal documentation
- If the legal owner is Vietnamese, one of these documents must be submitted: Identity card (9-digit or 12-digit) or household register.
+ If the legal owner is a member of armed forces' personnel, one of these documents must be submitted: people’s police or military identity card or document certified by the head of working agency/unit of regiment or higher, division of police office of district or higher (in the absence of identity card of the armed forces' personnel).
- If the legal owner is a Vietnamese expatriate currently living and working in Vietnam, temporary residence or household register and passport (valid) or any other valid document in lieu of passport must be submitted.
- The legal owner is a foreign national.
+ As for foreign nationals who are working for diplomatic missions, consular posts and representative offices of international organizations: they must show a letter of accreditation to Directorate of State Protocol or Department of Foreign Affairs and Diplomatic and Official Identity Card (valid);
+ As for foreign nationals working and living in Vietnam: they must show their passport (valid) or other valid substitutes for passport.
- The legal owner is an agency or organization:
+ If the legal owner is a Vietnamese agency or organization: identity card (9-digit or 12-digit) of the authorized person must be shown. Regarding a military enterprise, a letter of introduction signed and sealed by the Director of Department of Vehicles affiliated to the Ministry of National Defense must be shown;
+ If the legal owner is a diplomatic mission, consular post and representative office of international organization in Vietnam: A letter of accreditation from Directorate of State Protocol or Department of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic and Official Identity Card (valid) of the authorized person must be shown;
+ If the legal owner is a joint-venture or wholly foreign-owned enterprise, representative office and a foreign enterprise who have won a bidding in Vietnam, and non-governmental organization: the authorized person to register their vehicle must show his/her identity card (9-digit or 12-digit) or passport (in case of foreigner).
4. Submission Method: in person.
5. Processing authority:
According to Article 3 of Circular 58/2020/TT-BCA, the competent vehicle registry is as follows:
- The competent vehicle registry shall manage and keep records as prescribed, information about vehicles is consistently managed on the registration database of the Department of Traffic Police.
- The competent vehicle registry must have direction diagrams and citizen reception schedule, and be located in a place convenient for receiving and processing applications and procedures for vehicle registration, have seats, a parking lot, mailbox, desk name plates for officers in charge of vehicle registration and publicly post up regulations governing procedures for vehicle registration, vehicle registration fees, violations against regulations on vehicle registration and issuance of license plates and respective punishment.
- Department of Traffic Police shall register and issue the license plate for vehicles of Ministry of Public Security, and automobiles of diplomatic missions, consular offices and representative offices of international organizations and foreign nationals working for these ones; automobiles owned by agencies and organizations as stipulated at the Appendix No.01 of this Circular.
- Division of Traffic Police, Division of Roadway-Railway Traffic Police, and Division of Road Traffic Police affiliated to the Department of Public Security of provinces and centrally-affiliated cities (hereinafter referred to as Traffic Police Division) shall register and issue the license plate for the following types of vehicles (exclusive of those owned by agencies, organizations and individuals as regulated at Clause 3 of this Article):
+ Automobiles, tractors, trailers and semi-trailers; motorcycles built with a cylinder capacity of over 175 cm3 or those confiscated by competent authorities, and certain vehicles built with the similar specifications to the aforesaid, owned by agencies, organizations and individuals, enterprises, military enterprises, individuals, all of which establish their head office or residence in the local areas where these vehicles are registered;
+ Motorcycles, mopeds, electric vehicles and others built with similar specifications to the aforementioned, owned by foreign agencies, organizations and individuals, or used at projects, foreign joint-venture economic institutions at the local areas where these vehicles are registered, and those owned by organizations and individuals who establish their head offices and residence in districts, towns and provincial municipalities where Traffic Police Division is located.
- The Police of a district, town and provincial municipality (hereinafter referred to as the Police of a district) shall be eligible to grant the vehicle registration and issue the license plate for motorcycles, mopeds, electric vehicles and others built with the similar specifications to the aforementioned, owned by domestic agencies, organizations and individuals who establish their head offices and residence where their vehicles are registered (regardless of vehicles of agencies, organizations and individuals as stipulated at Clause 3 and 4 of this Article).
6. Time limit for Processing
The time limit for settlement for the issuance of vehicle license plates starts immediately upon receiving a valid application for initial vehicle registration in Vietnam; for vehicle registration certificates, the processing time limit is no more than 2 working days from the date of receiving a valid application.
7. Fees
According to Article 5 of Circular 229/2016/TT-BTC, the initial vehicle registration fees are as follows:
| No. | Criteria | Region I | Region II | Region III |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Issuance of new registration certificate with license plate | |||
| 1 | Cars, except passenger motor vehicles with up to 9 seats as per item 2 of this section | 150,000 - 500,000 | 150,000 | 150,000 |
| 2 | Passenger motor vehicles with up to 9 seats | 2,000,000 - 20,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 200,000 |
| 3 | Detached trailers or semi-trailers | 100,000 - 200,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 |
| 4 | Motorcycles (according to registration fee value) | |||
| a | Value up to 15,000,000 VND | 500,000 - 1,000,000 | 200,000 | 50,000 |
| b | Value above 15,000,000 to 40,000,000 VND | 1,000,000 - 2,000,000 | 400,000 | 50,000 |
| c | Value above 40,000,000 VND | 2,000,000 - 4,000,000 | 800,000 | 50,000 |
| d | Specialized three-wheeled motorcycles for the disabled | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 |
Sincerely!
