Many problems in changing Driver's License online

Difficulty in accessing services

Less than 1 month left until the expiration date stated on the package.Driving license(Driver's license), therefore, when newspapers and radio stations informed that from November 14, they could still change their driver's license while sitting at home, Ms. Tran Thi Huong, residing in Nghi An commune (Vinh city) was very excited and immediately learned how to change her driver's license through the National Public Service Portal so as not to have to queue up to do the procedures at the issuing agency.

However, in reality, when performing the operations, she encountered many difficulties. Specifically, after logging into the National Public Service Portal to declare information, when it came to the electronic health certificate section, I was confused because there was only a paper health certificate. Reading the instructions again, I learned that I had to go to the People's Committee of the ward or commune to electronically certify the health certificate...

“If you want to change your driving license online, all the steps must be done online, but it still takes time to go through the procedures and pay additional certification fees. Therefore, I went straight to the Provincial Public Administration Service Center to complete the procedures in less than 20 minutes, including the time to wait for a queue number, and after 4 days, I received my new driving license by post,” said Ms. Huong.

Because I have to go to the ward or commune People's Committee to electronically certify my health certificate, I cannot sit in one place to change my driving license online. Photo: D.C.

In addition, many people cannot register an account on the National Public Service Portal because the ID card number or citizen identification number when registering for a public service account does not match the number registered for mobile phone use. Mr. Ngo Quoc Cuong, residing in Nghia Xuan commune, Quy Hop district, said: "Because I am not proficient in operating on smart devices, I have encountered some difficulties, not to mention the information must be synchronized to be able to do it."

According to Mr. Cuong, after 2-3 unsuccessful registrations, he realized that he needed to use his old ID card number instead of his new ID card number to match the phone number he had previously registered. However, he still could not find his old ID card to get the number.

Many people have difficulty following the steps to change their driving license online. Photo: D.C.

Not only Ms. Huong and Mr. Cuong, many people were very excited when they learned that they could change their driving license online, but the actual operation was difficult so they had to give up. Some people said that changing their driving license online is still problematic because it requires many steps: accessing the public service portal, registering, receiving an authentication code via mobile phone; looking up road traffic violations; health data;... To do this, it is required to use the same ID card number or citizen identification card combined with the owner's mobile phone number. People must have a bank account to pay online through the National Public Service Portal, but in case the registration is unsuccessful, the reason is that the application is invalid, waiting for a refund will take time...

Need to overcome shortcomings

It is known that from November 14, 2022, the exchange of driving licenses through online public services at level 4 will continue to be expanded nationwide. Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Head of Vehicle and Driver Management Department, Nghe An Department of Transport said: Previously, on the basis of Directive No. 814, dated November 7, 2022 of the Vietnam Road Administration, Nghe An Department of Transport sent qualified and professional staff to participate in training, receive software to organize implementation; upgrade information technology infrastructure, meet the implementation of online public services to exchange driving licenses at level 4 on the National Public Service Portal.

At the same time, to help people grasp information as well as implementation methods, the department has deployed propaganda work through newspapers and radio, sent official dispatches to districts, cities, and towns, and run instructional content on electronic boards at the Provincial Public Administration Service Center... However, after 1 week of implementation, there has not been any successful online application submission.

People come to change their driving licenses at the Provincial Public Administration Service Center. Photo: D.C.

Explaining this issue, according to Mr. Tran Anh Tuan: In fact, driving licenses of class B1, B2 currently only need to be renewed once every 10 years from the date of issue; classes C, D, E, F currently only need to be renewed once every 5 years from the date of issue; B1 automatically has to be renewed until the age of 60. Currently, the procedure for renewing driving licenses is very simple, after 3 days you will have a new driving license. If you register for delivery by post, people just need to sit at home to receive it. Accordingly, in Nghe An, on average, about 2,000 cases are issued and renewed each year.

Meanwhile, the change of driving license on the National Public Service Portal from November 14, in addition to the fact that this is a new form that people have not had time to access, there are still many shortcomings, stemming from the lack of connection to the health examination database of the Ministry of Health. Therefore, to get an electronically certified health examination certificate for changing driving license, people must have a health examination at a medical facility, then go to the People's Committee at the commune or ward level for electronic certification. This creates additional administrative procedures and costs, so the number of people using this service is still limited. On the other hand, the data on revoked driving licenses of the Traffic Police Department (Ministry of Public Security) is not complete, forcing professional officers of the Traffic sector to look up more on many software when checking the driver's records...

People take photos to renew their driving licenses at the provincial public administration service center. Photo: D.C.

Thus, it can be seen that the change of Driver's License on the National Public Service Portal from November 14 nationwide is a policy in line with the roadmap for building a digital government as well as creating convenience and reducing time and effort for people to travel. However, to increase the rate of successful driver's licenses issued and changed through the National Public Service Portal at level 4, according to Mr. Nguyen Van Hai - Deputy Director of Nghe An Department of Transport, there needs to be a synchronous connection between the health examination database of the Ministry of Health and the data on traffic violation handling of the Traffic Police Department. Only then will the issuance and change of driver's licenses be truly simple and convenient.

At the same time, 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 provincial public administrative service center./.