Many conveniences for people when changing driver's license online

PV: Sir, what are the current procedures for changing driver's licenses issued by the Department of Transport?

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan:When the driving license expires, citizens who need to carry out procedures to change the driving license issued by the Department of Transport can choose to submit the application in 1 of 3 ways:

Method 1(recommended): Carry out the procedure for changing driving license online through the National Public Service Portal at https://dichvucong.gov.vn and the Online Public Service Portal of the Vietnam Road Administration at https://dvc4.gplx.gov.vn. (Application fileOnline driver's license exchange level 4including: Photo or scan file of both sides of the Citizen ID card; Photo or scan file of both sides of the Driver's License; Portrait photo file on a blue background; Health certificate of the driver (except for those with A1, A2, A3 driver's license) electronically certified by the People's Committee of the commune or electronic Health certificate issued by the medical facility.

Method 2:Go directly to the central post office of districts, cities and towns in Nghe An province to submit your application.

Method 3:Go directly to the Nghe An Provincial Public Administration Service Center to complete the procedures. (The application for changing the driving license issued by the Department of Transport according to methods 2 and 3 is specified in Article 38, Circular No. 12/2017/TT-BGTVT dated April 15, 2017, including: Application for changing the driving license; Health certificate of the driver (except for those with driving licenses of class A1, A2, A3); present the driving license; Identity card or Citizen identification card, or passport).

PV: Currently, how is the fee for changing driver's license regulated, sir?

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan: The fee for issuing and exchanging driving licenses as prescribed in Circular 37/2023/TT-BTC is 135,000 VND/issuance.

In case of online application submission, Circular 63/2023/TT-BTC stipulates: From December 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025, the fee will be 115,000 VND/issuance. From January 1, 2026 onwards, the fee will be 135,000 VND/issuance.

PV: Could you elaborate on the advantages of online driver's license exchange through the National Public Service Portal and the results of implementation in Nghe An in recent times?

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan:The effective implementation of level 4 online driver's license exchange will help reduce the overload at direct driver's license exchange points, while creating transparency and avoiding negativity. It is worth mentioning that, in addition to the lower fees compared to the direct form as mentioned above, the driver's license exchange is extremely convenient, citizens can sit at home to do the procedures very easily and receive the driver's license at home via the post office's delivery service, saving time, travel costs, etc.

However, many people still have the habit of going to work directly, which not only wastes time and effort, but also puts a lot of pressure on the reception staff when the number of documents per day is too much. In addition to arranging 2 officers to receive documents, on peak days, 1 more officer must be arranged to support, but still cannot meet the requirements. On average, over 300 documents are received each day, but only about 150 documents are processed, of which 70% are cases of changing driving licenses.

PV: In your opinion, what is the reason why many people still use the direct form of exchanging driving licenses and what needs to be done to increase the number of applications for exchanging driving licenses via online public services?

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan:At the beginning of the implementation, the connection with the health examination database was limited, but now there are more than 30 medical facilities in the province qualified to examine and issue health certificates for drivers, and have successfully connected data on driver health certificates to the Health Insurance Assessment Information Portal to perform online public services.

However, many people still use the direct driver's license exchange method because they do not have a level 2 identification account, because they are not familiar with technology, do not have a bank account, or have incorrect information between their ID card and current citizen identification card...

Regarding the solution, along with upgrading the National Public Service Portal software to make it easier for people to operate when changing their driving licenses, functional agencies and local authorities need to coordinate and promote propaganda work so that people know, access and implement, because in fact this is a step forward in administrative reform, creating great conditions in reducing the time and effort of people traveling, especially in localities far from the center.

PV:Regarding the change of driving license, many people are wondering whether it is mandatory to change driving licenses issued before January 1, 2025? Can you explain more about this issue?

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan:Pursuant to the provisions of Clause 1, Article 89 of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, No. 36/2024/QH15, driving licenses issued before the effective date of this Law shall continue to be used according to the term stated on the driving license.

Thus, driving licenses issued before 2025 can continue to be used according to the expiration date stated on them without having to retake the test.

Driving licenses issued before January 1, 2025, if not yet exchanged or reissued according to the new regulations, will take effect as follows:

Class A1 driving license: Allowed to continue driving two-wheeled motorbikes with a cylinder capacity from 50 cm3 to under 175 cm3 or with an electric motor capacity from 04 kW to under 14 kW;

Class A2 driving license: Allowed to continue driving two-wheeled motorbikes with a cylinder capacity of 175 cm3 or more or with an electric motor capacity of 14 kW or more and the types of vehicles specified for Class A1 driving license.

Class A3 driving license: Allowed to continue driving three-wheeled motorbikes, types of vehicles specified for class A1 driving license and similar vehicles;

Class A4 driving license: Allowed to continue driving tractors with a load capacity of up to 1,000 kg;

Class B1 automatic driving license issued to non-professional drivers: Allowed to continue driving automatic cars carrying up to 8 people (not including the driver's seat); trucks, including specialized automatic trucks with a load capacity of less than 3,500 kg;

Class B1 driving license is issued to non-professional drivers: Allowed to continue driving passenger cars with up to 8 seats (not including the driver's seat); trucks, tractors with a load capacity of less than 3,500 kg;

Class B2 driving license is issued to professional drivers: Allowed to continue driving passenger cars with up to 8 seats (not including the driver's seat); trucks, tractors with a load capacity of less than 3,500 kg;

Class C driving license: Allowed to continue driving trucks, tractors with a load capacity of 3,500 kg or more and other types of vehicles specified for class B1 and B2 driving licenses.

Class D driving license: Allowed to continue driving passenger cars with 09 seats (excluding the driver's seat) to 29 seats (excluding the driver's seat) and types of vehicles specified for class B1, B2, C driving licenses;

Class E driving license: Allowed to continue driving passenger cars with more than 29 seats (not including the driver's seat) and types of vehicles specified for class B1, B2, C, D driving licenses.

FB2, FD driving license: Allows to continue driving the types of vehicles specified for B2, D driving license when pulling trailers; FC driving license allows to continue driving the types of vehicles specified for C driving license when pulling trailers, semi-trailer tractors; FE driving license allows to continue driving the types of vehicles specified for E driving license when pulling trailers or passenger cars with trailers.

PV: Thank you!