Circular No. 29/2015/TT-BGTVT dated July 06, 2015 of the Ministry of Transport providing the issuance and use of international driving permits

CIRCULAR

Providing the issuance and use of international
driving permits[1]

Pursuant to the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic;

Pursuant to the November 13, 2008 Law on Road Traffic;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 107/2012/ND-CP of December 20, 2012, defining the functions, duties, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Transport;

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Organization and Personnel and the General Director of the Vietnam Road Administration;

The Minister of Transport promulgates the Circular providing the issuance and use of international driving permits.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1.Scope of regulation

This Circular provides the issuance and use of international driving permits issued by Vietnam; and the use of international driving permits issued by contracting states to the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic (below referred to as the Vienna Convention).

Article 2.Subjects of application

1. This Circular applies to agencies that issue and manage international driving permits in Vietnam; organizations and individuals involved in the use of international driving permits issued by contracting states to the Vienna Convention.

2. This Circular does not apply to driver’s licenses of the police and army forces.

Article 3.Interpretation of terms

In this Circular, the terms below are construed as follows:

1. International driving permit means a driver’s license issued by a competent state authority (which may be an administrative division) of a contracting party to the Vienna Convention according to a common form.

2. International driving permit is abbreviated as IDP.

3. Domestic driving permit means a driver’s license issued by a competent authority of a country and valid within the territory of such country.

4. International driving permit electronic dossier means a collection of e-documents relating to the issuance of an IDP.

Article 4.Form of international driving permits

1. An IDP is a booklet in format A6 (148 cm x 106 cm) with a security sign, grey cover page and white inside pages according to the form provided in Appendix I to this Circular.

2. The first page (cover page) contains basic information on the IDP in Vietnamese and English; the second page, provisions on the scope of validity of the IDP in Vietnamese and English; the third page, particulars concerning the driver and class of the IDP, printed in Vietnamese; the fourth page, blank; the fifth page, particulars concerning the driver and class of the IDP, printed in English; the sixth page, particulars concerning the driver and class of the IDP, printed in Russian; the seventh page, particulars concerning the driver and class of the IDP, printed in Spanish; the eighth page, particulars concerning the driver and class of the IDP, printed in French; and the ninth page, the category(ies) of vehicles for which the permit is valid, printed in French.

3. The code of an IDP consists of two letters “VN”, which is the distinguishing sign of Vietnam, followed by a 12-digit number, which is the serial number of the relevant domestic driving permit.

Article 5.Validity duration of international driving permits and categories of vehicles for which the permits are valid

1. An IDP must be valid for a duration of no more than 3 years from the date of issue corresponding to the remaining validity duration of the relevant domestic driving permit.

2. Categories of vehicles for which an IDP is valid must correspond to the categories for which the relevant domestic driving permit is valid as specified in Appendix II to this Circular.

Chapter II

ISSUANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMITS

Article 6.Persons eligible for obtaining international driving permits

Vietnamese and foreigners having permanence residence cards granted by Vietnam, who have obtained Vietnam’s domestic driving permits which are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and remain valid.

Article 7.Responsibilities to issue and manage international driving permits

1. The Vietnam Road Administration shall manage the issuance of IDPs nationwide and have the following responsibilities:

a/ To design the security sign for IDP blank forms; to print, issue, guide and manage the use of IDP blank forms nationwide;

b/ To build an IDP management information system;

c/ To publish on its website the list of contracting states to the Vienna Convention officially announced by the United Nations and annually update the list;

d/ To prepare and issue a list of equipment necessary for the issuance of IDPs;

dd/ To direct provincial-level Transport Departments which fully meet the conditions prescribed at Point a, Clause 2 of this Article, to organize the issuance of IDPs;

e/ To publish and update the list of provincial-level Transport Departments competent to issue IDPs;

g/ To ensure adequate  equipment as prescribed at Point d, Clause 1 of this Article;

h/ To receive and take responsibility for the accuracy and lawfulness of IDP issuance dossiers and issue IDPs according to regulations.

2. Provincial-level Transport Departments shall issue and manage IDPs in their localities and have the following responsibilities:

a/ To ensure adequate equipment as prescribed at Point b, Clause 1 of this Article;

b/ To receive and take responsibility for the accuracy and lawfulness of IDP issuance dossiers and issue IDPs according to regulations;

c/ Annually (before January 5 of the subsequent year), to briefly report on the results of issuance of IDSs according to the form provided in Appendix III to this Circular to the Vietnam Road Administration for summarization and reporting to the Ministry of Transport.

Article 8.Procedures for issuance of international driving permits

1. A person shall submit an application for an IDP made according to the form proved in Appendix IV to this Circular. Together with the application, he/she shall produce his/her domestic driving permit issued by a Vietnamese agency, passport and permanent residence card (for foreigners), which must remain valid, for examination and comparison.

2. Order of issuing an IDP

a/ The applicant shall submit an application for an IDP as prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article directly to the Vietnam Road Administration or a provincial-level Transport Department for checking its accuracy and lawfulness. In case the application is improper, upon receipt thereof, the receiving agency shall guide the applicant to modify it;

b/ Within 5 working days after receiving the application, the Vietnam Road Administration or the provincial-level Transport Department shall issue an IDP to the applicant; in case of refusal, it shall issue a reply clearly stating the reason.

3. If his/her IDP is lost or damaged, an IDP holder shall make an application for re-issuance according to Clause 1 of this Article.

4. IDPs shall not be issued in the following cases:

a/ The applicant’s domestic driving permit is erased or so damaged that necessary information is insufficient or there is any difference in personal identification information;

b/ The applicant’s domestic driving permit is not issued by a competent authority according to regulations.

5. If detecting a person who committed deceitful acts to obtain an IDP or erased or falsified information on the issued IDP, the agency that has issued the IDP shall issue a decision to revoke the IDP and the violator shall be held responsible before law and not be issued another IDP in 3 years from the date his/her violation is detected.

Article 9.Process of issuance and management of international driving permits

1. Provincial-level Transport Departments shall:

a/ Receive applications for IDPs and use the IDP management information system created by the Vietnam Road Administration to compile e-dossiers;

b/ Photocopy passports and permanent residence cards (for foreigners) for examination and comparison during the process of issuance of IDPs;

c/ Examine, update and certify e-dossiers in the IDP management information system;

d/ Certify digital signatures of competent persons on IDP issuance e-dossiers;

dd/ Print the IDPs;

e/ Check the quality of printed IDPs and synchronize data into the IDP management information system created by the Vietnam Road Administration according to regulations.

2. The Vietnam Road Administration shall:

a/ Receive and manage IDP data updated by provincial-level Transport Departments and synchronize them into the IDP management information system;

b/ Update and operate the IDP management information system according to regulations;

c/ Process applications for IDPs received from individuals according to regulations in Clause 1 of this Article.

Chapter III

USE OF INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMITS

Article 10.Use of international driving permits issued by Vietnam

1. When operating motor vehicles in the territories of contracting states to the Vienna Convention, holders of IDPs issued by Vietnam shall bring along their IDPs and domestic driving permits and abide by traffic laws of host countries.

2. IDPs issued by Vietnam are not valid in the Vietnamese territory.

Article 11.Use of international driving permits issued by contracting states to the Vienna Convention in Vietnam

1. When operating road motor vehicles in  the Vietnamese territory, holders of IDPs issued by contracting states to the Vienna Convention shall bring along their IDPs and domestic driving licenses relevant to the categories of the vehicles they operate, and abide by Vietnam’s law on road traffic.

2. In case IDP holders violate Vietnam’s law on road traffic and are deprived of the right to use IPDs for a certain period of time, the duration of deprivation must not exceed the duration such persons are permitted to reside in the Vietnamese territory.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS

Article 12.Effect

This Circular takes effect on October 1, 2015.

Article 13.Organization of implementation

1. The Vietnam Road Administration and provincial-level Transport Departments shall organize the implementation of this Circular.

2. The Chief of the Office, the Chief Inspector, directors, the Director General of the Vietnam Road Administration, directors of provincial-level Transport Departments, heads of related agencies and organizations and related individuals shall implement this Circular.-

Minister of Transport
DINH LA THANG

* All appendices to this Circular are not translated.