Can a foreign driving license be used in Vietnam? | iGuide

Foreigners should know: Are foreign driving licenses allowed to be used in Vietnam? 1

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Foreigners should know: Can foreign driving licenses be used in Vietnam?

Using a foreign driving license in Vietnam is an important issue for foreigners living and working here. Understanding this regulation will make you more confident when participating in traffic in Vietnam. This article will provide detailed information about whether foreign driving licenses are allowed to be used in Vietnam, the conditions and procedures necessary to legalize a foreign driving license in Vietnam. These are basic but necessary knowledge to ensure safety and compliance with traffic laws.

1. What is a national license?

According to the regulations in Clause 3, Article 3 of Circular 29/2015/TT-BGTVT, a national driving license is as follows:

"3. A national driving license is a driving license issued by the competent authority of each country, valid within the territory of that country."

In addition, Clause 10, Article 33 of Circular 12/2017/TT-BGTVT also states the following:

"10. Foreigners or Vietnamese residing abroad who need to drive in Vietnam must do the following:

a) If you have a national driving license, you must go through the procedures to convert it to a corresponding Vietnamese driving license;

b) In cases where an international agreement on driving licenses to which Vietnam is a member has different regulations, the provisions of that international agreement shall apply."

Therefore, a national driving license can be understood as valid for use within the territory of the issuing country. Thus, if you have a national driving license from a certain country of nationality, that license is only valid for use in that country (except for cases where there are different provisions in international agreements). Therefore, if you want to drive a vehicle in traffic in Vietnam, you need to go through the procedures to convert it to the corresponding Vietnamese driving license.

Foreigners should know: Are foreign driving licenses allowed to be used in Vietnam? 2

2. Can foreigners exchange for a Vietnamese driving license?

The subjects eligible for a driving license conversion as stipulated in Clause 5, Article 37 of Circular 12/2017/TT-BGTVT related to specific provisions for foreigners are as follows:

"5. Subjects eligible for a driving license conversion:

...

g) Foreigners residing, working, studying in Vietnam, with diplomatic identity cards, official identity cards, temporary residence cards, resident cards, permanent resident cards with a validity period of 03 months or more, with a valid national driving license, if they need to drive in Vietnam, are considered for conversion to the corresponding Vietnamese driving license;

h) Foreign tourists driving registered vehicles into Vietnam, with a valid national driving license, if they need to drive in Vietnam, are considered for conversion to the corresponding Vietnamese driving license;

i) Vietnamese nationals (Vietnamese citizens) during their residence, study, work abroad who are issued a valid national driving license by a foreign country, if they need to drive in Vietnam, are considered for conversion to the corresponding Vietnamese driving license."

Therefore, if a foreigner falls into one of the above cases, they can apply for the conversion of a foreign driving license to a Vietnamese driving license according to the current legal regulations.