Effective 15/8, Decree 238/2026, which amends and supplements several articles of Decree 168/2024 on administrative penalties in road traffic, takes effect. A significant new provision addresses the use of materials or devices that alter the ability of surveillance camera systems to identify license plates.

Under the new regulations, drivers will face penalties for not affixing license plates correctly, attaching them in the wrong position or manner, or altering their original state by covering, bending, painting, affixing material over characters or numbers, or changing their color, shape, or size. The decree also adds the offense of using materials or devices that alter the ability of professional technical systems to identify license plate information.

A motorcyclist uses tape and clips to cover part of a license plate in Hanoi. *Photo: Viet An*

Compared to the current Decree 168/2024, the new regulation expands the scope of enforcement. Previously, regulations only addressed direct alterations to license plates, such as painting, affixing material over characters or numbers, or bending, covering, or changing their color, shape, or size.

Decree 238/2026, however, adds provisions for penalizing the use of materials or devices that affect the ability of surveillance camera systems and professional technical equipment to identify license plates, even if the plates remain visible to the naked eye. This regulation establishes a legal basis for prosecuting actions that obstruct the identification of license plates by traffic monitoring systems.

In practice, the market has seen many products advertised as capable of "evading" cold-fines (traffic camera tickets), such as reflective films for license plates, anti-recognition coatings, remote-controlled plate-flipping or covering devices, and camera-dazzling lights. With the new regulation, if these materials or devices alter the ability of professional technical systems to identify license plates, there will be grounds for enforcement.

In addition to expanding the scope of enforcement regarding license plates, Decree 238/2026 also adds the offense of operating a vehicle without the required number of license plates. Previously, regulations only addressed cases where license plates were affixed in the wrong position or manner. This addition aims to cover instances where vehicles have only one license plate or are missing plates as stipulated.

Pham Hai