As Tet approaches, the demand for travel and visits by personal car increases significantly. To gain additional luggage space, many car owners choose to install roof racks or cargo boxes on their vehicle roofs. However, a significant number encounter problems, including rejection from vehicle inspection, due to a lack of understanding of the regulations for such modifications.

Installing a roof rack is not prohibited and does not automatically cause a vehicle to fail inspection. Nevertheless, the Vietnam Register recently clarified on the Government's electronic information portal that adding a roof rack is considered a vehicle modification because it alters the external structure from the manufacturer's original design.

When a vehicle falls under the modification category, it must undergo related procedures before its periodic inspection. If a car has an installed roof rack but lacks completed modification paperwork, the inspection center has the right to refuse inspection, as the vehicle no longer complies with its approved technical specifications.

An added roof rack on a small electric car. Photo: Le Manh Linh

To ensure an added roof rack is legal, vehicle owners must complete the following procedures. This does not apply to vehicles with factory-installed roof racks:

**Step 1: Obtain a modification certificate.** Installing a roof rack on a passenger car is a simple modification, exempt from needing a design dossier but not from the modification certificate procedure. Vehicle owners must prepare a written request for the modification certificate and their vehicle registration documents. They then bring the vehicle to an inspection facility for a physical check. If it meets requirements, the inspection facility will issue the modification certificate, conduct the inspection, and provide an inspection sticker for the vehicle. This process can often be completed on the same day.

**Step 2: Re-issue vehicle registration certificate.** After obtaining the modification certificate, owners must update their vehicle registration certificate to reflect the modification before subsequent inspection periods. According to instructions on the Ministry of Public Security's public service portal, this procedure can now be partially completed online. Specifically, owners log into the system, declare vehicle registration changes, and pay fees online. Once the application is accepted, the owner receives a case code and an appointment to visit the vehicle registration authority to finalize the procedure and receive a new registration certificate. For updates only involving modifications like adding a roof rack, owners typically do not need to bring their vehicle for a physical inspection at the police authority. The processing time for re-issuing a vehicle registration certificate is a maximum of two working days, provided the application is valid.

Completing this re-issuance step ensures the modification information is fully recorded in the vehicle's legal documents, preventing issues during future inspections. If an owner wishes to remove the roof rack, they must repeat these procedures.

Additionally, when installing a roof rack, owners must consider the vehicle's overall dimensions after installation. The roof rack and its cargo must not extend beyond the width of the vehicle body. Furthermore, stacking items too high increases the center of gravity, affecting the vehicle's stability during operation.

Ho Tan