At the beginning of the year, Nghe An people rushed to change their driving licenses.

Rush to change driver's license

After the Lunar New Year, the administrative procedure settlement area of ​​the Department of Transport at the Provincial Public Administration Service Center was always overloaded. The main reason was the sudden increase in cases coming to do procedures for issuing and exchanging driving licenses. Despite the cold and rainy weather on the afternoon of February 7, there were still many people waiting to do the procedures.

In addition to cases where driving licenses are due, some people do not fully understand the new regulations after the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety takes effect from January 1, 2025. They are worried that if they do not renew their driving licenses in time, their licenses will no longer be valid. Therefore, many people have registered to renew their driving licenses before the deadline, causing the number of applications to skyrocket.

Ms. NTH, from Dien Chau district, shared: "I waited all morning for my turn. When the officer checked my driver's license, they said that my license would expire in September 2025 and that it was not required to be renewed. I was worried because of information on social media and hearing others say that according to the new law, I had to renew my driver's license, so I came here. Now I understand the regulations clearly."

In addition, another factor causing the overload is the habit of many people. Although they know that they can do the procedure to change their driving license online and receive the license through the public service of the Post Office, because of lack of confidence in technology, many people still choose to go directly to do the procedure. Mr. Bui Ngoc Hung, residing in Nghi Kim commune, Vinh city, such a case shared: "I know that I can do it online but I am not familiar with technology, I am afraid of getting into trouble, so even though it takes time to go and wait for a long time, I still go there. That way, I can ask the reception staff if there is anything I do not understand".

Overloading at the Public Administration Service Center has forced the Department of Transport to dispatch additional support staff during peak days, but it is still not enough to meet demand.

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According to data from the Department of Vehicle and Driver Management of the Department of Transport, on average, about 350 applications are received each day, including about 300 applications for driver's license renewal and 50 applications for reinstatement. Meanwhile, the number of applications for renewal on the public service portal is about 100-150, a decrease compared to before.

Things to know about driver's licenses from early 2025

According to Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Head of Vehicle and Driver Management Department, Department of Transport: Implementing the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety; Circular of the Minister of Transport, Nghe An Department of Transport previously posted information to notify organizations and individuals related to the work of issuing new, exchanging, and re-issuing driving licenses issued by the Department of Transport, which will be applied from January 1, 2025.

Specifically, driving licenses issued before the effective date of this Law shall continue to be valid for the term stated on the driving license.

In case a person whose driving license was issued before the effective date of the Law needs to change or reissue the driving license, the conversion shall be as follows:

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a) A class A1 driving license can be changed or reissued to a class A driving license with the restriction that it can only be used to drive two-wheeled motorbikes with a cylinder capacity of less than 175 cm3 or an electric motor capacity of less than 14 kW;
b) Class A2 driving license is exchanged or reissued to Class A driving license;
c) Class A3 driving license is exchanged or reissued to class B1 driving license;
d) Class A4 driving license is changed or reissued to a certificate for driving specialized motorbikes for drivers of tractors with a load capacity of up to 1,000 kg and a certificate of training in road traffic law knowledge for drivers of specialized motorbikes;
d) A Class B1 automatic driving license can be exchanged or reissued to a Class B driving license with the restriction that it can only drive automatic cars;
e) Class B1 and B2 driving licenses can be changed or reissued to class B or class C1 driving licenses and specialized motorbike driving certificates for tractor drivers with a load capacity of up to 3,500 kg;
g) Class C driving license remains the same and is exchanged, reissued with the same class and a certificate to drive a specialized motorbike for drivers of tractors with a load capacity of over 3,500 kg;
h) Class D driving license is changed or reissued to class D2 driving license and specialized motorbike driving certificate for tractor drivers with a load capacity of over 3,500 kg;
i) Class E driving license is changed or reissued to Class D driving license and specialized motorbike driving certificate for tractor drivers with a load capacity of over 3,500 kg;
k) FB2 driving license is changed or reissued to BE or C1E driving license and specialized motorcycle driving certificate for tractor drivers with a load capacity of up to 3,500 kg;
l) Class FC driving license is changed or reissued to class CE driving license and specialized motorcycle driving certificate for tractor drivers with a load capacity of over 3,500 kg;
m) FD class driving license is changed or reissued to D2E class driving license and specialized motorcycle driving certificate for tractor drivers with a load capacity of over 3,500 kg;
n) FE class driving license is changed or reissued to DE class driving license and specialized motorcycle driving certificate for tractor drivers with a load capacity of over 3,500 kg.

For expired driving licenses, the specific regulations are as follows: Expired for less than 1 year from the expiration date, a theoretical test must be taken according to the provisions of Point a, Clause 1, Article 17, Circular 35/2024/TT-BGTVT to issue a driving license. Expired for 1 year or more from the expiration date, a theoretical test, practical driving in the form and on the road must be taken to issue a driving license according to the provisions of Clause 1, Clause 2 and Clause 3, Article 17, Circular 35/2024/TT-BGTVT.

Citizens who need to carry out procedures to change their driving license issued by the Department of Transport can choose how to carry out the procedure according to the following instructions:

- Method 1: Go directly to the Nghe An Provincial Public Administration Service Center, Address: No. 16, Truong Thi, Vinh City, Nghe An Province, Phone: 0889.391.818 to complete the procedure.

- Method 2: Go directly to the Central Post Offices of districts, cities and towns in Nghe An province to complete the procedures.

- Method 3: Perform the procedure to change your Driver's License online by accessing the National Public Service Portal at the addresshttps://dichvucong.gov.vn, Online public service portal for changing driving licenses of Vietnam Road Administration at the addresshttps://dvc4.gplx.gov.vn

Dang Cuong