THỦ TỤC ĐỔI BẰNG LÁI XE NƯỚC NGOÀI SANG VIỆT NAM CHO NGƯỜI NƯỚC NGOÀI 2026 / PROCEDURE FOR CONVERTIN

From July 1, 2026, Circular No. 108/2026/TT-BCA, promulgated by the Ministry of Public Security on June 29, 2026, officially became effective. Accordingly, the process, authority and procedure for replacement of Driving license for foreigners in Vietnam have significant amendments in order to be consistent with the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety No. 36/2024/QH15. 

One of the key points under this Circular that applicants seeking to convert their driving licenses should take note of is that Vietnamese competent authorities do not accept the direct conversion of international driving permits/licenses (such as IAA or IDP) into Vietnamese driving licenses. This procedure only applies to national driving licenses issued by the competent authorities of the relevant foreign country (for example, domestic driving licenses issued in the United States, South Korea, Japan, etc.). The following provides detailed and comprehensive guidance to help individuals and organizations properly carry out this procedure. 

1. Conditions for replacement of Driving licenses for foreigners 

Pursuant to clause 1 Article 24 of the Circular No. 108/2026/TT-BCA, the replacement of Driving licenses for foreigners shall meet the following conditions: 

- Foreigners, residing, studying, working in Vietnam, who have unexpired national driving licenses and have one of the following papers: diplomacy identification, public affair identification, visa or permanent residence card with duration of more than 90 days, valid temporary residence card in case of demanding driving in Vietnam, are eligible for replacement of corresponding driving licenses in Vietnam, appropriate to the duration of the driving license, visa, permanent residence card, or temporary residence card issued. 

- Temporary driving licenses of foreign countries are not eligible for replacement; IDP; expired, erased, damaged driving licenses of foreign countries of which information is missing for replacement of driving licenses, or there are discrepancies in identification; driving licenses of foreign countries not issued by competent authorities. 

Therefore, the foreigners shall comply with the conditions mentioned above to approve the replacement of the corresponding Vietnamese Driving license by the appraisal council. For cases where individuals have a visa less than 90 days or individuals are exempted from visa, they shall not be eligible for replacement of Driving licenses. 

2. Dossier for replacement of foreign Driving licenses 

According to clause 2 Article 24 of the Circular No. 108/2026/TT-BCA, dossier for replacement of foreign Driving licenses include: 

- The translation of the foreign driving license into Vietnamese certified for translation quality by a notary office in Vietnam, the overseas representative missions of Vietnam where the translator works, and affixed with a seal on adjoining edges of pages of the translation and the copy of the driving license; 

- A valid unexpired health certificate of the driver (electronic form), in the event that the electronic version cannot be used due to a technical error, a hard copy issued by a qualified medical examination and treatment establishment in accordance with the law on medical examination and treatment may be used (except for foreigners converting their driving licenses for a period corresponding to the validity period stated in their entry visa or temporary residence card); 

- Copies or certified electrical copies of one of the following documents: diplomacy identification, public affair identification, visa or permanent residence card with duration of more than 90 days, valid temporary residence card (for foreigners). In case where individuals carrying out procedures submit copies or electrical copies without certification, they shall submit origin copies for comparison; in cases where individuals submit copies or electrical copies with used value instituted for origin copies in accordance with the applicable law on certification, it is not necessary to submit the origin copies. 

Besides, the applicant needs to prepare documents to complete the dossier including: 

- A request for replacement of Driving licenses attached to the Circular No. 12/2025/TT-BCA; 

- 02 portrait photo sized 3x4cm, shot in white background. 

3. Procedures for replacement of foreign Driving licenses 

Clause 3 Article 24 of Circular No. 108/2026/TT-BCA guiding implementation procedures for replacement of foreign Driving licenses as follows: 

Step 1: Submit dossier and pay administrative fees 

The foreigners shall prepare 01 dossier mentioned in section 2 above directly or through authorization to organizations/individuals to the Divisions of Traffic Police (DTP) of provincial Public Security, centrally administered city or communed-level police forces where the foreigners are residing or permanent reside, or submit online to the National Public Service Portal. 

After submission, through any methods, the foreigners continue to pay the expenses for replacement of Driving licenses according to Article 3 of Circular No. 37/2023/TT-BTC amended by Article 8 of Circular No. 63/2023/TT-BTC, which is VND 115,000/issuance. 

Step 2: Dossier approval 

After receipt of the documents, in case there are suspicions regarding the entry and residence of foreigners in Vietnam and the training, driving tests, issuance of driving licenses abroad, the driving license issuing authority will submit a written request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Immigration Departments, or the Immigration Offices under the Police Departments of provinces to verify the information. 

If the dossier is valid, the Divisions of Traffic Police or commune-level police forces shall input the information into the computer, and print the appointment slip. If the driving license is not eligible for replacement, a written response stating the reason must be provided. 

The Divisions of Traffic Police shall transfer data to the Department of Traffic Police for management and issuance of driving licenses, the electrical driving licenses shall be integrated into the National Identification application or other applications of the People’s Public Security within 01 day from the date of receipt of valid documents. In case where the citizen has demand, the Department of Traffic Police or the Divisions of Traffic Police print and return driving licenses within 2,5 working days, from the date of fully receipt of valid dossier. 

Step 3: Receive result 

The return of driving licenses shall be carried out at the authorities receiving the dossiers or via postal service as requested by the applicants. 

4. Validity period and categories of vehicles allowed to operate 

According to clause 5 Article 24 of Circular No. 108/2026/TT-BCA, the period of the replaced Vietnamese driving license for foreigners shall comply with the period stated in one of the following documents: diplomacy identification, public affair identification, visa, permanent residence card or temporary residence card appropriated to the foreign driving license valid duảtion but shall not exceed the validity period specified in the Vietnamese driving license. 

For example: A foreigner has a foreign driving license valid until October 30, 2026, his permanent resident card valid until October 28, 2027, and his passport valid until March 04, 2032. In this case, the Vietnamese driving license replacement shall be valid until October 28, 2026, according to the term of the foreign driving license, as this is the shortest term. 

The national driving license issued to a person who holds multiple categories shall be replaced by a Vietnamese driving license to operate the corresponding categories of vehicles. For example: foreigners who own a driving license with categories A2 + B2 (allowing driving motorcycles with more than 175cc and cars with less than 9 positions), shall be issued a driving license with corresponding categories A2 + B2 in Vietnam.