New changes to the issuance and revocation of vehicle registration and license plates effective August 15, 2023.

Among these, one concept that was officially regulated for the first time is the identification license plate. Consequently, many readers have questions, such as whether existing vehicle license plates must be converted to identification license plates; how many license plates each vehicle owner can possess, etc.

What is an identification license plate? Is an identification license plate the same as a personal identification number?

The identification license plate is a license plate with symbols, serial numbers, size of letters and numbers, and color as prescribed in Circular 24/2023/TT-BCA. In addition, Clauses 4 and 5 of Article 3 of Circular 24/2023/TT-BCA stipulate the issuance and management of vehicle license plates according to the owner's identification code as follows: - For vehicle owners who are Vietnamese citizens, the vehicle license plate is managed according to the personal identification number.

- For foreign vehicle owners, license plates are managed according to the foreigner's identification number established by the electronic identification and authentication system, or the permanent residence card number, temporary residence card number, or other identity card number issued by a competent authority.

The identification license plate is not a plate with a series of numbers like the owner's personal identification number, but is only issued and managed according to the owner's identification code. The change here is in the management method, while the license plate itself remains the same as currently.

Managing vehicle registrations using unique identification codes will improve the efficiency of state management, especially in handling administrative violations. For example, currently, police send violation notices, but in many cases, the vehicle owner has already sold the vehicle along with the license plate to someone else, making it difficult to verify the true owner. Managing license plates using unique identification codes will prevent this situation and simultaneously enhance the responsibility of vehicle owners when participating in traffic or when transferring ownership, ensuring that the license plate is registered in their name, as it will soon be permanently associated with them.

Do existing vehicle license plates need to be converted to identification plates starting August 15th?

Regarding transitional provisions, Circular 24/2023/TT-BCA clearly states that for vehicles registered with 5-digit license plates before August 15, 2023, that have not yet undergone the revocation procedure, that license plate number is considered the owner's identification number. For vehicles already registered with 5-digit license plates, if the owner has completed the revocation procedure before August 15, 2023, that license plate number will be transferred to the license plate inventory for issuance of new license plates according to regulations.

According to regulations, the vehicle identification plate is retained by the vehicle owner for a period of 5 years from the date of revocation. After the aforementioned period, if the vehicle owner has not registered the vehicle, that identification plate number is transferred to the license plate inventory to be used for registration of another vehicle.

For vehicles already registered with 3 or 4-digit license plates, they are still permitted to participate in traffic, except in cases where the vehicle owner wishes to switch to a specific license plate or when the vehicle owner carries out procedures for renewing the vehicle registration certificate, renewing the license plate, reissuing the vehicle registration certificate, reissuing the license plate, or registering a transfer of ownership or relocation of the vehicle as stipulated in this Circular. In such cases, the 3 or 4-digit license plate will be revoked and replaced with a specific license plate as prescribed.

How will owners of multiple vehicles be assigned license plates; are these plates allowed to be bought, sold, or transferred?

Authorities will not limit the number of identification license plates each person can possess. A person can own multiple license plates for cars and motorcycles simultaneously. Each license plate will be assigned to one vehicle. If a person owns multiple vehicles with multiple license plates, all of them will be assigned to the identification code of that vehicle owner.

For example, when issuing and managing vehicle license plates based on a personal identification number for person A, when selling the car, this person must retain the license plate and vehicle registration and submit them to the police. When this person buys a new car, the police will only process the new vehicle registration with the chassis and engine numbers of the new car and will reissue the old license plate that person previously submitted. If, more than 5 years after selling the car, person A does not buy a new car to use the license plate registered with the personal identification number, the authorities will revoke the license plate. This also means that when someone wants to sell a car, the owner must retain the registration and license plate; they cannot hand them over to the new owner. The old owner must return the registration and license plate to the police for revocation. This license plate will be reissued when the owner registers another vehicle under their ownership.

However, regarding auctioned license plates, in the case of transferring vehicle ownership along with the auctioned license plate, the vehicle owner submits the necessary documents and completes the revocation procedure. The owner does not have to return the auctioned license plate but must submit a copy of the vehicle ownership transfer document and present the original for verification. The buyer then registers the vehicle in their name and will retain the auctioned license plate. The ownership transfer document must clearly state "transfer of vehicle along with auctioned license plate".

If I move to a different province, do I need to change my vehicle registration plate? What is the validity period for issuing and reissuing a vehicle registration plate?

According to regulations, if a vehicle owner moves their headquarters or residence from one province or centrally-governed city to another, they are allowed to retain their existing license plate (they do not need to change the license plate).

Regarding the time limit for issuing and reissuing identification license plates, according to Clauses 3 and 4 of Article 7 of Circular 24/2023/TT-BCA, the time limit for issuing and reissuing identification license plates is as follows:

- Issuance of initial vehicle identification plates: Issued immediately after receiving a valid vehicle registration application.

- Issuing replacement license plates, reissuing license plates, issuing license plates for vehicles won at auction, reissuing identification license plates: No more than 7 working days from the date of receiving complete and valid documents.