Licences & Legal Eligibility
Waiting for a Licence Reissue: Can You Ride or Rent?
About 7 minutes to read
Short answer: an appointment slip from the licensing office is a receipt for collecting your new licence, not a licence. The official texts read for this guide do not say the slip can be used in place of a licence when riding. What helps most is having the licence already in the national system and in your VNeID account, so it can be checked electronically. Motorcycle licence classes A1 and A do not expire under Vietnam’s 2024 traffic law, so “expired” is mostly a car-licence problem. A rental shop decides which documents it accepts; whether you may ride is a matter of law, so do not ride until you hold a valid licence for the bike.
This guide is for residents and long-stay visitors who hold a Vietnamese driving licence and are in the middle of exchanging, reissuing or converting it, and for anyone who has just noticed a licence date has passed. It summarises official texts and pages with their dates. It is not legal advice.
When a driving licence stops being valid
The Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety (Law 36/2024/QH15, in force from 1 January 2025 and amended by Law 118/2025/QH15 from 1 July 2026) says in Article 57, clause 7, that a driving licence has no effect once it has expired or has been revoked under Article 62, clause 5. Clause 5 of Article 57 sets the validity periods by class:
| Licence class | Validity under Article 57, clause 5 |
|---|---|
| A1, A, B1 | No expiry date |
| B and C1 | 10 years from issue |
| C, D1, D2, D, BE, C1E, CE, D1E, D2E and DE | 5 years from issue |
So the classes used for motorbikes do not lapse with time. The expiry question arises mainly with car licences, and a car licence, valid or expired, is not a motorcycle licence. If a car licence is all you hold, see our note on whether a car licence covers a scooter.
What the appointment slip actually is
Circular 108/2026/TT-BCA, in force from 1 July 2026, describes the licence exchange process. In Article 21, clause 3, point b, one of the steps is printing the appointment slip for returning the result. The slip is a receipt that tells you when to come back; the circular does not give it any value as a substitute licence. Point c of the same clause says the licence information is integrated into the national identification app or the traffic police’s apps.
If the traffic police check you while you wait
A Government e-newspaper page of 5 March 2025, published before Circular 108/2026/TT-BCA replaced Circular 12/2025/TT-BCA, said that a driver whose licence is being issued or exchanged should give their identity number or the number of their old PET plastic licence, and the traffic police officer will look up the record in the professional system. That page predates the current circular, so treat it as an indication of practice rather than the current rule.
A Ministry of Public Security Q&A of 13 October 2025 advised people to use the “add driving licence” function in their VNeID electronic identification account to receive an electronic licence, and said patrol forces check licences using data in the identification app, the driving licence information website or the traffic police’s own apps. For how a digital licence or a phone photo is treated, see digital licences, photocopies and phone photos.
The practical conclusion: the slip shows you are in the middle of a procedure; it is not the licence. Having the licence already visible in the system and in VNeID is what helps if you are checked.
An expired car licence
Circular 108/2026/TT-BCA, Article 19, clause 2, point a, deals with car licences past their validity date. If 30 days to under one year have passed between expiry and the date a complete, valid application is submitted, the holder must pass a theory test to be issued a licence again. If one year or more has passed, the holder must pass the theory test and the practical tests in the test yard and on the road. None of this applies to the motorcycle classes A1 and A, which do not expire.
Penalties that relate to an invalid licence
| Situation | Provision | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Riding a two-wheeled motorcycle up to 125 cm3 (or electric motor up to 11 kW) with a licence that is no longer valid | Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP, Article 18, clause 5, point a | 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 VND |
| Riding a motorcycle above 125 cm3, or a three-wheeled motorcycle, with a licence that is no longer valid | Article 18, clause 7, point b | 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 VND |
This guide does not give a fine for riding “with only an appointment slip”, because none of the pages read addresses that case directly. Decree 238/2026/NĐ-CP, in force from 15 August 2026, amended parts of Decree 168; for a specific case, check the latest consolidated text or ask the competent authority.
If you want to rent while you wait
- Check whether your licence is in the system. If it already appears in VNeID, you have an electronic version to show.
- Ask the shop which documents it accepts. Whether a shop accepts a photo, an electronic licence or a slip when renting is the shop’s own policy. Whether you may ride on the road is a matter of law, and the texts read do not make the slip a substitute for a licence. Ask when you book rather than at pickup.
- If you do not yet hold a valid licence for the bike, do not ride. Ask about alternatives: riding as a passenger with a licensed rider, ride-hailing, or collecting the bike after your licence arrives.
If your question is wider, such as whether a tourist, resident or long-stay visa changes which licence you need, read tourist, resident or long-stay status and the licence question.
A short checklist while your licence is being processed
- Keep the appointment slip and the receipt together with your passport or residence card. They show which office holds your file and when the result is due.
- Check VNeID before you plan any riding. If the licence has been added to your account, take a screenshot of the record page as a back-up in case of weak signal, and keep the app logged in.
- Write down your old licence number. The 2025 Government page mentions it as one way for police to look up a driver whose licence is being exchanged.
- Plan the rental around the collection date. If the result date is close, booking the bike from the day after collection is usually simpler than arguing about documents at pickup.
- Tell the shop the situation in writing. A short message stating which documents you hold avoids a wasted trip to the shop.
- Check the class, not just the card. A new card in class B is still a car licence; for a scooter above 50 cm3 you need class A1 or A.
What the texts read do not say
- Any provision that allows an appointment slip to be used instead of a licence when riding.
- A separate fine for riding with only an appointment slip.
- A grace period for a licence that expired less than 30 days ago: none was found in the current circular as read.
FAQ
Can I ride in Vietnam with only the appointment slip for my new licence?
The texts read do not say the slip replaces a licence. A 2025 Government page said police can look up a driver who is waiting for a licence in the system using their identity number or old licence number, but that predates the current circular. Do not rely on the slip alone.
Do Vietnamese motorcycle licences expire?
No. Under Article 57 of Law 36/2024/QH15, classes A1, A and B1 have no expiry date. Classes B and C1 last 10 years, and the heavier classes 5 years.
What is the fine for riding a scooter with an invalid licence?
For a motorcycle up to 125 cm3, Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP, Article 18, clause 5, point a, sets 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 VND. Decree 238/2026/NĐ-CP amended parts of Decree 168 from 15 August 2026, so check the latest consolidated text.
Will a rental shop accept my appointment slip?
That is the shop’s policy and varies. Ask before you book, and remember that the shop accepting a document does not change what the law requires when you ride.
How do I get an electronic licence?
The Ministry of Public Security Q&A of 13 October 2025 points to the “add driving licence” function in the VNeID app.
Ask the shop
Thuê xe máy Nguyễn Hà is at Ngõ 5 Nguyễn Văn Cừ, Bồ Đề, Long Biên, Hanoi (near Gia Lam bus station), open 09:00–21:00 daily. Call or message 0334 699 969 (Zalo/WhatsApp) to ask which licence documents the shop accepts before you book.
Sources checked
- Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety (36/2024/QH15), consolidated text, Article 57: datafiles.chinhphu.vn
- Circular 108/2026/TT-BCA, Articles 19 and 21 (National Legal Documents Database): vbpl.vn
- Government e-newspaper, riding while a licence is being issued or exchanged, 5 March 2025: xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn
- Ministry of Public Security, Q&A on electronic driving licences in VNeID, 13 October 2025: bocongan.gov.vn
- Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP, Article 18: xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn
Vietnamese version: Giấy phép lái xe đang chờ cấp lại hoặc vừa hết hạn.
