To resolve procedures for Vietnamese personal motorbikes to travel abroad in Vietnam

To resolve procedures for Vietnamese personal motorbikes to travel abroad in Vietnam (Internet image)

The General Department of Customs issued Official Dispatch 3431/TCHQ-GSQL dated August 18, 2022, resolving procedures for Vietnamese personal transport vehicles to travel abroad.

To resolve procedures for Vietnamese personal motorbikes to travel abroad

According to the provisions of the Vietnam-Laos Road Transport Agreement, the Vietnam-Cambodia Transport Agreement, and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam on road transport (CLV Memorandum of Understanding), the only regulation is to allow personal vehicles, which are cars, of the signing parties to be temporarily imported - re-exported and circulated in the other party's domestic territory for a period of 30 days (extension of 10 days is allowed) for personal purposes; there are no regulations allowing personal vehicles such as motorbikes.

- In cases where foreign vehicles are motorcycles temporarily imported into Vietnam to participate in traffic:

According to the provisions of Decree 152/2013/ND-CP amended and supplemented in Decree 57/2015/ND-CP on motor vehicles brought by foreigners to Vietnam for tourism, personal motor vehicles that are foreign motorbikes entering Vietnam to participate in traffic must have written approval from the Ministry of Transport and customs authorities based on the written approval from the Ministry of Transport to carry out procedures for means of transport on exit and entry.

- For cases where Vietnamese vehicles are temporarily exported abroad for tourism:

According to the provisions of Article 75 of Decree 08/2015/ND-CP, amended and supplemented in Clause 44, Article 1 of Decree 59/2018/ND-CP detailing and implementing measures of the Customs Law 2014 regarding customs procedures, inspection, supervision, and control, customs documents for means of transport (automobiles, motorbikes, and motorcycles) upon exit include:

+ Declaration of means of transport temporarily exported - re-imported;

+ Intermodal license or written permission issued by a competent authority.

However, currently, the relevant authorities of the Ministry of Transport or the General Department of Tourism do not license temporarily exported Vietnamese motorcycles. Therefore, the customs authority has no legal basis to carry out temporary export - re-import procedures for motor vehicles according to the provisions of customs law.

Based on the recommendations of travel and tourism businesses, in the current trend, the General Department of Customs recognizes the need to temporarily export personal vehicles such as motorbikes for circulation in the interior of the agreement-signing country, which is similar to personal vehicles, which are cars.

Therefore, it is recommended that the presiding unit of the Ministry of Transport, when negotiating road transport agreements, consider the report and propose adding an agreement to allow/approve motorbikes of the signatory parties to be temporarily exported and re-imported to participate in traffic within the territories of the signatories to the content of the Amending Protocols to the Vietnam-Laos, Vietnam-Cambodia Road Transport Agreements, or the CLV Memorandum of Understanding, as well as researching additional pairs of border gates allowed for exit and entry in transport agreements to facilitate exit and entry according to the legal needs of individuals and businesses.

More details can be found in Official Dispatch 3431/TCHQ-GSQL, dated August 18, 2022.

Diem My

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE