Regulations on vehicle license plates in Vietnam from January 1, 2025

Regulations on vehicle license plates in Vietnam from January 1, 2025​ (Image from the internet)

Regulations on vehicle license plates in Vietnam from January 1, 2025

On November 15, 2024, the Minister of Public Security of Vietnam issued Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA regulating the issuance and revocation of registration certificates and license plates for motor vehicles and specialized motor vehicles.

In Article 37 of Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA, the regulations on vehicle license plates in Vietnam from January 1, 2025, are specified as follows:

(1) License plates are to comply with the national technical standards issued by the Ministry of Public Security. Temporary registration plates as specified in Appendix No. 02 attached to Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA will be printed on paper.

(2) The symbols, series of license plates, and the size of letters and numbers on registration plates for different vehicle types are to follow the regulations in Appendices No. 02, 03, and 04 attached to Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA.

(3) Cars and special-use machinery attach 02 license plates, 01 short-sized plate: height 165 mm, length 330 mm; 01 long-sized plate: height 110 mm, length 520 mm.

- Layout of letters and numbers on automobile license plates for agencies, organizations, and individuals in the country: The first two digits represent the local vehicle registration code, followed by the registration series (letters); the second number group is the registration order consisting of 05 natural numbers from 000.01 to 999.99;

- Layout of letters and numbers on vehicle license plates for foreign organizations, agencies, and individuals: The first two digits represent the local vehicle registration code, followed by the second group representing country, territory, or international organization codes consisting of 03 natural numbers and the third group is the license series indicating a foreign organization or individual group, the fourth group is the registration order consisting of 02 natural numbers from 01 to 99;

+ Trailer and semi-trailer license plates consist of 1 plate attached at the rear, size: height 165 mm, length 330 mm; layout of letters and numbers on the plates as domestic automobile plates.

(4) Motorcycles are issued a rear license plate, size: height 140 mm, length 190 mm.

- Layout of letters and numbers on motorcycle license plates for agencies, organizations, and individuals in the country: The first group of numbers is the local registration code and registration series. The second group of numbers is the registration order consisting of 05 natural numbers, from 000.01 to 999.99.

- Layout of letters and numbers on motorcycle license plates for foreign organizations and individuals: The first group is the local vehicle registration code, the second is the country, territory, or international organization code for the vehicle owner, the third group is the registration series, and the fourth is the registration order consisting of 03 natural numbers from 001 to 999.

(5) Color and series of vehicle license plates for agencies, organizations, and individuals in the country:

(i) Car license plates with a blue background, white letters, and numbers, series usage in sequence with one of the following 11 letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M issued to vehicles of the Communist Party's agencies; Office of the President; Office of the National Assembly and agencies of the National Assembly; Office of the Delegation of the National Assembly, People's Councils at all levels; Central Steering Committees; People's Police, People's Procuracy, People's Courts; ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies of the Government of Vietnam; National Traffic Safety Committee; People's Committees at all levels and specialized agencies under the provincial and district People's Committees; political-social organizations (including Vietnam Fatherland Front, Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, Vietnam Women's Union, Vietnam Veteran's Association, Vietnam Farmers' Union); Project management boards with state management function; public service provider, except training and driving test facilities;

(ii) Motorcycle license plates with a blue background, white letters, and numbers, series usage in sequence with one of the following 11 letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M combined with a natural number from 1 to 9, issued to vehicles of subjects (i);

(iii) Car license plates with a white background, black letters, and numbers, series usage in sequence with one of the following 20 letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z issued to vehicles of organizations, individuals in the country, not subjects listed in (i);

(iv) Motorcycle license plates with a white background, black letters, and numbers, series usage in sequence with one of the following 20 letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z combined with one of the 20 letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z issued to vehicles of organizations, individuals in the country, not subjects listed in (ii);

(v) Car license plates with a yellow background, black letters, and numbers issued to vehicles operating transport business by car, using sequentially one of the following 20 letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z;

(vi) Some cases have separate series including:

- License plates with series "CD" issued to specialized motor vehicles;

- License plates with series "RM" issued to trailers, semi-trailers;

- License plates with series "HC" issued to cars with limited operation areas, four-wheeled passenger vehicles with motors, four-wheeled good transport vehicles with motors;

- License plates with series "KT" issued to vehicles of military enterprises recommended for registration by the Department of Vehicles - Machinery, Ministry of Defense;

- Vehicles with similar construction to any vehicle type will receive license plates of that type;

- License plates with a specific series issued to any subject will have corresponding colors according to the stipulations at point a, point c, point d clause 5 Article 37 Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA;

- Auction-winning license plates have a distinctive stamp with a red and yellow background, blue letters (according to Appendix No. 04 attached to Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA);

- License plates with clean, green, and environmentally friendly energy usage have a green identification stamp (according to Appendix No. 04 attached to Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA).

(6) Colors, symbols of vehicle license plates for foreign agencies, organizations, and individuals

- License plates with a white background, red letters, black numbers, with the "NG" symbol in red issued for vehicles of diplomatic missions, consular offices, and foreign staff holding diplomatic identification from that agency. License plates of Ambassadors and Consuls-General have the registration order number as 01 and have a red line across between nationality and registration order numbers (plate 01 is reissued when registering a new vehicle);

- License plates with a white background, red letters, black numbers, with the "QT" symbol in red issued for vehicles of representative offices of international organizations and foreign staff holding diplomatic identification from that organization. License plates of heads of United Nations organization missions have additional red lines crossing between nationality and registration order numbers;

- License plates with a white background, black letters, and numbers, with the "CV" symbol issued to vehicles of administrative technical staff holding official service identification from diplomatic missions, consular offices, international organizations;

- License plates with a white background, black letters, and numbers, with the "NN" symbol issued for vehicles of foreign organizations, representative offices, and individuals, excluding the subjects mentioned above.

(7) The issuance of local vehicle license plate symbols must strictly follow the sequence from low to high and sequentially exhaust all 20 series (regardless of vehicle type) of one license plate symbol before transitioning to a new symbol.

(8) Types of cars (except passenger cars), vehicle owners must paint or attach license plate numbers to the rear side and both side panels; paint the name of the agency, unit, and transport load, body weight on both sides of the car doors (except personal vehicles).

(9) License plates must be manufactured at companies, license plate manufacturing facilities under the Ministry of Public Security. License plate production and supply are conducted at the request of the vehicle registration authority. Initial model license plates (dimensions, quality, security) must be inspected and quality accepted by the Traffic Police Department before license plates can be manufactured and supplied to the vehicle registration authority; during the production, supply of license plates, companies, license plate manufacturing facilities must have statistics, update and connect, share this data with the vehicle registration and management system.

More details can be found in Circular 79/2024/TT-BCA effective from January 1, 2025.

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