What is the penalty for driving on the road without 'papers' or 'forgetting to bring them'?

According to regulations, drivers must always carry vehicle documents when on the road. In the two cases of "no documents" and "forgetting to carry documents" there will be different penalties.

Nowadays, many drivers go out on the road without carrying their papers, especially motorbike drivers. When they violate traffic laws and are stopped by the traffic police, they are shocked and "scratch their heads and ears".

Article 58 of the 2008 Road Traffic Law clearly states that drivers must carry the following documents: Vehicle registration certificate; Driver's license appropriate to the type of vehicle being driven; Civil liability insurance certificate; Certificate of technical safety and environmental protection inspection for automobiles (Registration certificate).

The above documents must all be originals, except for the case specified in Clause 13, Article 80 of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP, when credit institutions hold the vehicle registration to ensure that the vehicle owner fulfills the payment obligation, the vehicle operator is allowed to use a certified copy of the vehicle registration and must attach the original receipt (still valid) from the credit institution.

Not carrying the required documents can result in heavy fines from traffic police. Photo: Hoang Hiep

Thus, if the driver of a vehicle does not have one of the above documents, he/she may be administratively fined by the Traffic Police according to the provisions of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP. However, the acts of "forgetting to bring" and "not having vehicle documents" will receive different fines, specifically:

About Vehicle Registration:

- Drivers who forget to bring: Fine from 200-400 thousand for cars; from 100-200 thousand for motorbikes.

- No: Fine from 2-3 million VND for cars; from 300-400 thousand VND for motorbikes.

For the offense of forgetting to bring or not having the Vehicle Registration Certificate, the violating vehicle will be detained for a maximum of 7 days before a penalty decision is made. After this period, if the driver still cannot present the documents or cannot prove the origin of the vehicle, the vehicle will be confiscated and turned over to the State budget. (Stipulated in Clause 6, Article 16, Decree 100/2019/ND-CP).

About Driver's License:

- Forgetting to bring: Fine from 200-400 thousand VND for cars; from 100-200 thousand VND for motorbikes.

- No: Fine from 4-6 million VND for cars; from 3-4 million VND for motorbikes from 175 cm3 and above; from 800 thousand to 1.2 million VND for motorbikes under 175 cm3.

Regarding the Certificate of Compulsory Civil Liability Insurance:

The fine for "forgetting to bring" and "not having" or having but no longer valid is the same. For cars it is 400-600 thousand VND; for motorbikes it is 100-200 thousand VND.

About Vehicle Registration Certificate:

- Forgetting to bring the Registration Certificate: Fine from 200-400 thousand VND.

- No registration certificate or registration stamp, or registration certificate expired for 1 month or more: Fine from 4-6 million VND.

Thus, even if you accidentally forget to bring your documents when driving a car or motorbike on the road, you can be severely punished. Therefore, before getting in the car, the driver needs to check all documents, make sure they are complete and still valid.