PC08 guidelines stipulate that foreign nationals residing, working, or studying in Vietnam are eligible for driving license exchange, provided they possess a valid national driving license and one of the following residency documents: a diplomatic identity card, official identity card, temporary residence card, residence card, or permanent residence card.
Furthermore, a minimum residency period of three months is required for consideration of exchange to a corresponding Vietnamese driving license class, demonstrating a nexus between residency status and licensing eligibility.
Vietnamese nationals residing, studying, or working abroad may exchange their valid foreign-issued driver's licenses for the corresponding Vietnamese license class if they need to drive in Vietnam.
Cases ineligible for exchange include temporary foreign driving licenses, international driving licenses, expired foreign driving licenses, or those that are erased, torn, or lack sufficient information for exchange.
Additionally, foreign driving licenses with identification discrepancies, those not issued by a competent authority, and licenses held by Vietnamese citizens who stayed abroad for less than three months where the stay period does not align with the issuing country's driving training requirements are also not eligible for exchange.
The application dossier for driving license conversion or re-issuance necessitates the submission of either a standard application form for Vietnamese nationals or a designated application form for foreign nationals. Furthermore, it requires a Vietnamese translation of the foreign driving license, duly authenticated by a notary public in Vietnam or a Vietnamese diplomatic mission abroad where the translator is employed. The application must also include a notarized copy of the original foreign driving license.
Applicants should submit their applications at police stations of their communes and wards where the application reception point is located. Alternatively, they can submit the application at the Traffic Police Department in their province or city. In either case, the fee for each application is VND135,000.
The processing time for driving license conversion or re-issuance applications is stipulated as five business days from the date of application receipt. Upon completion, driving license data is updated on the VNeID platform for citizens utilizing Level 2 electronic identification and is also accessible via the Traffic Police Department’s License Information Lookup Page.
Applicants may receive their results either in person at the application submission agency or through postal delivery upon request.
The detection of potential irregularities regarding the entry and residency of foreign nationals in Vietnam serves as the trigger for a mandatory verification process, as outlined by PC08. In such instances, the driving license exchange agency is required to submit a formal written request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Immigration Department, and the Provincial Police facilitating information sharing and ensuring regulatory integrity.
The validity period of a Vietnamese driving license issued to foreigners through exchange shall align with the validity period stated in one of the following documents such as diplomatic identity card, official identity card, temporary residence card, residence card, or permanent residence card. It must also match the validity period of the foreign driving license but cannot exceed the maximum validity prescribed for a Vietnamese driving license.
Moreover, if the foreign national driving license authorizes the holder to operate multiple vehicle classes, the exchanged Vietnamese license will be issued for the corresponding vehicle classes.
