Road rules realigned for police to handle driver license issuance, renewal

First, Director Pham Cong Nguyen outlined the strategic roadmap of the Ministry of Public Security for the assumption of state regulatory functions concerning driver’s license examinations and issuance from March 1, 2025 to ensure smooth transition.

To ensure seamless continuity and mitigate any disruption to regular operations of citizens and enterprises, the Ministry of Public Security has engaged in sustained and rigorous collaboration with the Ministry of Transport, facilitating the exchange and harmonization of procedural modalities for the transfer of responsibilities.

Concurrently, the Ministry has expedited the refinement of the requisite legal framework, made use of available infrastructure, technological platforms, and data repositories given by the transportation sector. The Ministry is also orchestrating the strategic allocation of human resources and the internal organizational architecture to guarantee uninterrupted dispensation of driver’s license services upon assumption of authority.

The Traffic Police Department has been designated as the primary entity responsible for the state regulatory oversight of driver’s license examinations and issuance; the Provincial Traffic Police Departments will conduct examinations and issue licenses to citizens; and designated commune-level police reception points will receive applications for license renewals and replacements. The Traffic Police Department will deploy existing personnel from various public security units and localities, ensuring a judicious allocation of roles and responsibilities without increasing the overall staffing.

Presently, public security units and localities are conducting comprehensive training programs for examiner certification, ensuring adequate qualified personnel, and providing instruction on the utilization of driver’s license examination and issuance management software to facilitate immediate service delivery upon transition.

The Ministry of Public Security is also expediting the finalization of the institutional framework and the promulgation of legal instruments governing driver’s license examinations and issuance, defining roles and responsibilities in the absence of district-level police deployment, thereby ensuring a comprehensive and pragmatic legal foundation to optimize citizen convenience.

The Director then explained the measures implemented by the Public Security Ministry to decisively address potential improprieties in the administration, examination, and issuance of driver’s licenses.

To ensure precision, objectivity, as well as transparency, and to minimize negativities in the driver’s license examination and issuance process, the Ministry of Public Security will prioritize the acceleration of digital transformation, the consistent integration of advanced technologies, and the proposed enhancement of software platforms, databases, and modern equipment for nationwide uniformity.

The Ministry of Public Security will also intensify administrative procedure reform, enhance the accessibility of online public services and transition to predominantly electronic workflows. Furthermore, the digitization of records will be prioritized, minimizing the necessity for physical documentation during license applications. Issued licenses will be automatically integrated into digital platforms for seamless verification by law enforcement personnel.

Additionally, the Ministry of Public Security will increase its inspection, audit, and surveillance capabilities, deploying both direct and technical methods to ensure strict adherence to legal mandates by personnel involved in the driver’s license process.

Discussing the benefits that citizens can enjoy when applying for driver's license issuance and renewal services, Director Pham Cong Nguyen shared that in conjunction with the acceleration of digital transformation, the integration of advanced technologies, the enhancement of digital infrastructure, and the streamlining of administrative procedures, citizens will soon be able to submit license renewal applications at designated reception points within their respective communes, wards, or towns.

This will alleviate the burden of extensive travel, thereby reducing costs and time expenditure for citizens and generating broader societal efficiencies.

In addition, citizens will be able to undertake examinations at any location nationwide upon successful completion of driver training, irrespective of administrative boundaries or training venues. The public security sector is actively developing a unified management software platform with a centralized database, facilitating inter-operability and data sharing with relevant ministries, including the former Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Public Security is committed to expediting the implementation of this system.

Another rather concerned issue is the validity of driver’s licenses issued previously by the Vietnam Road Administration. The Director clearly explained that in accordance with Clause 1, Article 89 of the 2024 Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, licenses issued prior to the law’s enactment will remain valid for the duration specified therein. Therefore, licenses issued by the former Ministry of Transport will continue to be recognized until their designated expiration, without any adverse impact on traffic participants.

As to certain technical issues encountered recently during the online license renewal and issuance procedures, the Ministry of Public Security will propose substantial investments in the enhancement and modernization of software platforms, databases, and technological infrastructure, coupled with rigorous maintenance protocols, to guarantee system stability and uninterrupted service delivery nationwide, thereby optimizing convenience for citizens and enterprises.