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| A person applying for a driver’s license is taken photo at the Hanoi Public Security Department’s Traffic Police Division__Photo: Pham Kien/VNA |
I’m a foreigner and about to come to Vietnam to work under a long-term employment contract. As I intend to travel to work by a personal car, may my driver license be used in Vietnam?
According to Article 18.7 of the Ministry of Public Security’s Circular 12/2025/TT-BCA dated February 28 (Circular 12), if wishing to drive in Vietnam, you have to carry out procedures for converting your national driver license[1] into a Vietnamese driver license of the equivalent category.
However, if you fall into the governing scope of a treaty on driver licenses to which Vietnam is a contracting party and which contains provisions different from those of Circular 12, such treaty will apply to your case.
To convert your driver license into a Vietnamese one, you must, under Article 24.1.a of Circular 12, hold a valid national driver license and one of the following papers: (i) diplomatic identity card, (ii) official-duty identity card, or (iii) residence permit with a validity duration of at least three months.
Please keep in mind that temporary foreign driver licenses; international driving permits; foreign driver licenses that have expired or are erased or torn to an extent that they no longer contain sufficient information as required or contain different driver identity features; and foreign driver licenses issued by unauthorized entities are not eligible for conversion into Vietnamese driver licenses.
What papers do I need to prepare and what formalities will I have to go through to convert my driver license?
As per Article 24.2 of Circular 12, you need to prepare a dossier comprising:
(i) An application for driver license conversion, made according to the form provided in Appendix XIII to the Circular;
(ii) A copy of your driver license and its Vietnamese translation certified by a notary office in Vietnam or an overseas Vietnamese representative mission where the translator is a staff member (please remember that these two papers must be stapled and fan-stamped together);
(iii) Your valid health certificate issued by a qualified medical examination and treatment establishment as prescribed by Vietnam’s law (except cases of converting driver licenses within the period stated in the entry visas or temporary residence cards); and,
(iv) A certified copy or electronic copy from the original or an electronic copy from the master register of one of the following papers: diplomatic identity card, official-duty identity card, or residence permit with a validity of at least three months.
Once you have prepared all necessary papers as mentioned above, you will proceed with the following steps:
- Hand-delivering the dossier to the Traffic Police Division under a provincial-level Public Security Department or a commune-level Public Security Office authorized to receive dossiers for conversion of foreign driver licenses;
- Having your photo taken by police officers;
- Producing original papers for collation, in case some papers in your dossier are copies; and,
- Paying a fee.
If your dossier is valid, the dossier-receiving officer will input data in the e-data system and give you an appointment slip for result notification.
The provincial-level Public Security Department’s Traffic Police Division will, within one working day after receiving your dossier, transmit data to the Ministry of Public Security’s Traffic Police Department, the agency in charge of conversion of foreign driver licenses, for centralized processing. Please note that in case there is any doubts about your foreign driver license that need to be verified, the above-mentioned one-day time limit will be counted from the date of obtaining the verification result.
The Ministry of Public Security’s Traffic Police Department will consider your dossier. If having any doubt about your entry into, or residence in Vietnam, it may send an official letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security’s Immigration Department or the Immigration Office of the related provincial-level Public Security Department to request the latter to verify your case. In case your dossier is qualified, within three working days, the Ministry of Public Security’s Traffic Police Department will grant you a Vietnamese driver license, integrate the license in the e-data system.
The provincial-level Public Security Department’s Traffic Police Division will print out the driver license from the e-data system within five working days.
You may choose to come to the dossier-receiving agency to receive your Vietnamese driver license or have it sent by post to your address. In case your dossier is rejected, you will receive a written response, clearly stating the reason.
If I’m granted a Vietnamese driver license, how long will it be valid for and which vehicles will I be permitted to drive in Vietnam?
The validity duration of your Vietnamese driver license will be consistent with the validity duration of your diplomatic identity card, official-duty identity card or residence permit and of your foreign driver license which, however, must not exceed the validity duration specified for the corresponding Vietnamese driver license. You will be permitted to drive the vehicle category(ies) that you are licensed to drive in your country.-
[1] National driver license means a driver license granted by the authority of the granting country and valid in the territory of that country (Article 4.3 of Circular 12).
