Can an Appointment Slip for a Driver’s License Replace a Driver’s License?

According to the provisions of Clause 2, Article 58 of the 2008 Road Traffic Law, drivers must carry the following documents when operating a vehicle:

1. Vehicle registration certificate
2. Driver's license for motor vehicle operators as stipulated in Article 59 of this Law
3. Safety and environmental protection inspection certification for motor vehicles as stipulated in Article 55 of this Law
4. Motor vehicle owner's civil liability insurance certificate

Essentially, a driver's license is a certificate issued to a motor vehicle operator (driver) who is qualified to drive one or several types of motor vehicles as regulated. A driver's license issuance appointment slip, on the other hand, is simply a type of administrative document (such as a record of administrative violations) confirming that your driver's license is being reissued. The appointment slip specifies a concrete timeline when you can come to receive your new driver's license. Generally, the content of the driver's license issuance appointment slip will state clearly that this document has no value as a substitute for a driver's license. During the period from receiving the appointment slip until the license is issued, if you violate traffic regulations, you will be penalized as if you do not have a driver's license.

Currently, only one case allows operating a vehicle without a driver's license, which is when the license is temporarily confiscated pending a penalty decision. According to the provisions of Clause 2, Article 75 of Decree 171/2013/ND-CP, traffic police have the authority to temporarily seize the vehicle and related documents from the operator and the vehicle in violation to ensure the enforcement of the penalty decision or to verify details as the basis for issuing a penalty decision. If the documents are temporarily confiscated and the timeframe noted in the administrative violation record has expired without the violator resolving the issue but continues to operate or puts the vehicle into traffic, they will be penalized as for lacking documents. Therefore, it can be understood that before the noted deadline in the violation record, the driver is still considered to have a driver's license.

From August 1, 2016, when Decree 171/2013/ND-CP expired, the regulations on cases permitted to operate vehicles without a driver's license and the penalty levels for participating in traffic without a driver's license are prescribed in Decree 46/2016/ND-CP.

Sincerely!

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