Can a newly purchased motorbike without a license plate be used in traffic in Vietnam?

Can a newly purchased motorbike without a license plate be used in traffic in Vietnam?

In Clause 1, Article 6, Circular 58/2020/TT-BCA stipulates responsibilities of vehicle owners as follows:

1. Strictly abide by laws and regulations on the vehicle registration; have their vehicles inspected at the competent vehicle registry as per Article 3, fill in application form for vehicle registration as per Article 9 of this Circular; take legal liability for legality of the vehicle and application for vehicle registration; and pay fees for the registration. Strictly prohibit tampering with required documents as well as any attempt in changing engine and chassis number for the purpose of obtaining the vehicle registration. 

According to Article 53 of the 2008 Road Traffic Law, conditions for motor vehicles to join in road traffic are as follows:

1. Automobiles of proper types allowed to join in road traffic must satisfy the following quality, technical safety and environmental protection criteria:

a/ Being equipped with an effective brake system;

b/ Being fitted with an effective steering system;

c/ The steering wheel is on the left side of the automobile; for a foreigner’s overseas-registered automobile with a right-handed steering wheel, to join in road traffic in Vietnam, it must comply with the Government’s regulations;

d/ Being fully equipped with driving and passing lamps, registration plate lamp, stop lamp and signal lamps;

e/ Having the wheels fitted with pneumatic tires of the right size and right technical standards for each type of automobile;

f/ Having sufficient rear-view mirrors and other equipment and devices to ensure the operator’s visibility;

g/ Having the windscreen and windows made of safety glass;

h/ Having a horn of standard volume;

i/ Being fully equipped with an exhaust silencer, an exhaust pipe and other equipment and devices to ensure exhaust gas and noise up to environmental standards;

j/ Their structures are durable enough and ensure stable operation.

2. Motorcycles, three-wheeled motor vehicles and mopeds of right types allowed to join in road traffic must satisfy the quality, technical safely and environmental protection standards prescribed at Points a, b, d , e, f, h, i and j, Clause 1 of this Article.

3. Motor vehicles must have registration papers and number plates, granted by competent state bodies.

4. The Government shall stipulate the use life limits of motor vehicles.

5. The Minister of Transport shall prescribe quality, technical safety and environmental protection standards of motor vehicles permitted to join in road traffic, except for army and police motor vehicles used for defense and security purposes.

Thus, according to the above regulations in Vietnam, when buying a new motorbike, the vehicle owner must have a responsibility to register the license plate for the vehicle and the condition for the vehicle to participate in traffic is to have a license plate.

In case you just bought a new motorbike, you must register a license plate for your vehicle and not join the traffic when your vehicle does not have a license plate in Vietnam.

How much is fine for using a newly purchased motorbike without a license plate in traffic in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Clause 2, Article 17 of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP supplemented by Clause 10, Article 2 of Decree 123/2021/ND-CP providing for penalties imposed upon by operators of mopeds and motorcycles (including electric motorcycles) and the like violating regulations on roadworthiness of vehicles running on public roads as follows:

2. A fine ranging from VND 300,000 to VND 400,000 shall be imposed for:

a) Operating a vehicle without a corresponding certificate of vehicle registration or trailer/semi-trailer registration or using an expired certificate of vehicle registration;

b) Using a Certificate of vehicle registration that is falsified, or not consistent with the chassis number or engine number, or not issued by a competent authority;

c) Operating a vehicle without a license plate (if required); or the license plate of which is not consistent with the Certificate of vehicle registration or not issued by a competent authority;

d) Operating a vehicle with an inappropriate license plate; with a license plate on which the letters and numbers are not distinct; with a license plate that is bent, blocked or damaged; altering the letters or numbers on the license plate by paint or sticker or changing color of the letters, numbers and background of the license plate.

Therefore, if you still participate in traffic with a newly purchased motorbike without a license plate, you will be fined from 800,000 VND to 1,000,000 VND in Vietnam.

If I just bought a new motorbike without a license plate, what should I do if I want to use it in traffic in Vietnam?

In Article 12, Circular 58/2020/TT-BCA stipulates that vehicles must be temporarily registered as follows:

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, while waiting for your newly purchased motorbike to be issued with the license plate you want to use in traffic, you can temporarily register it. However, temporarily registered vehicles only participate in traffic within the time limit and route according to the registration certificate in Vietnam.

Best regards!