The Ministry of Construction has issued Circular 30/2026, which will replace previous regulations concerning the inspection of motor vehicles and specialized machinery, the certification of modified vehicles, and motorcycle emission testing. Effective from 1/7, the new regulations aim to streamline administrative procedures, enhance digital data management, and provide greater convenience for both individuals and businesses.

Standardizing vehicle documents, reducing paperwork for inspection

The new circular standardizes the concept of an "acceptable vehicle dossier" while clearly defining cases where a dossier is deemed unacceptable.

Cases considered unacceptable include vehicles without registration data from the police or when registration data does not match the registration certificate or the physical vehicle during inspection procedures. This regulation aims to ensure consistency between registration data, inspection records, and vehicles in circulation.

The circular now allows vehicle registration certificates or appointment letters for registration certificates to be integrated into VNeID and VNeTraffic digital identification accounts. Additionally, vehicle registration data can be shared directly from the registration authority during inspection and modified vehicle certification processes. This significantly reduces the need for physical document submission and shortens processing times for vehicle owners.

Creating digital vehicle dossiers

Under the new regulations, vehicle dossier forms will be generated based on the Vietnam Register's database of manufactured, assembled, or imported vehicles.

The inspection management software will automatically create a unique vehicle dossier for each vehicle upon its initial inspection exemption or first inspection. All data lookup and reconciliation for vehicle information will be conducted digitally.

The circular stipulates that if required dossier data has already been shared from the National Data Center or related agencies, citizens are not required to submit or present these documents. It also eliminates the requirement for periodic reports on inspection and vehicle modification certification at inspection centers, thereby reducing costs and transitioning to electronic data management.

Increased control over violating and recalled vehicles

The circular maintains the mechanism for posting and removing information on violating vehicles, initially implemented under Decree 166/2024. It further refines the processes for updating, managing, and utilizing data within the Vietnam Register's violation management software.

Inspection centers can now monitor and identify violating vehicles, including those that failed previous inspections, facilitating coordination with vehicle registration agencies, enforcement bodies, and other relevant units.

The posting and removal of vehicle violation information will be carried out in two distinct categories.

Provincial and city People's Committees will assign specialized agencies to post and remove information regarding vehicles in cases requested by prosecuting bodies or when vehicle owners have not fulfilled administrative violation requirements as stipulated.

Inspection centers will post and remove information in cases such as a registration certificate not matching the license plate or the actual vehicle, owners failing to update registration after receiving a modification certificate, indications of forged documents, or vehicles with failed inspection results.

Additionally, dossiers will be deemed unacceptable for vehicles with design, manufacturing, or assembly defects that pose safety risks or environmental impact, and which have been subject to a manufacturer recall but remain unrepaired.

If a vehicle owner can provide documentation proving that repairs have been completed by the manufacturer, an authorized dealer, or distributor, the vehicle will be allowed to proceed with the inspection process.

Vehicle inspection in Hanoi. Photo: Pham Chieu

Expanded cases for reissuance of inspection stickers

In addition to cases where inspection certificates or stickers are reissued due to loss, damage, or incorrect information, the circular expands reissuance to include vehicles with changed registration certificates or license plates, vehicles transitioning from non-commercial to commercial transport (or vice versa), and vehicles undergoing certain changes not classified as modifications.

This regulation offers greater convenience for vehicle owners and ensures that inspection records and certificates accurately reflect the vehicle's legal and technical status.

Vehicles with component changes not considered modifications

From 1/1/2027, the brake efficiency test for all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles must be conducted using specialized brake testing equipment designed for this vehicle type, provided the inspection center is equipped with such machinery.

This aims to enhance measurement accuracy and mitigate the risk of damage to the AWD vehicle's drivetrain system.

The circular also introduces several cases where vehicle owners can update changes at an inspection center without undergoing modification inspection or certification procedures.

These cases include: installing interior equipment; side skirts; fender flares; rear spoilers; wheel covers; air intakes; roof boxes; electric folding running boards; roof racks; cargo covers for pickup trucks; front and rear bumpers; grilles; cargo bed decorative bars; and sports bars.

Furthermore, vehicles that have their front headlight bulbs replaced with another type of equivalent wattage, without altering the lamp structure, wiring, or electrical system, will not require modification procedures.

However, these components must be announced and supplied by the vehicle manufacturer, authorized dealers, or distributors.

Clarifying regulations on modified vehicles

Circular 30/2026/TT-BXD introduces principles for identifying modified vehicles, clarifying which cases require modification certification, which are not considered modifications, and which are exempt from design documentation.

Some new requirements include: the total weight of a modified vehicle must not be less than its pre-modification weight, except when a reduction is necessary due to axle load limits; and passenger cars (with more than 8 seats, excluding the driver) modified to a seating capacity equivalent to a car (up to 8 seats, excluding the driver) will still retain their original "passenger car" vehicle type designation.

The circular also adds regulations for motorcycles and mopeds equipped with an electric motor for the passive axle. It permits extending the vehicle frame towards the rear in specific situations and includes new provisions related to sleeper beds in passenger buses, as well as the replacement of electric energy storage systems in hybrid or pure electric vehicles, or battery types used for electric motorcycles and mopeds.

These systems must be designed and constructed by the manufacturer or a legally authorized entity to ensure safety.

More cases exempt from modification design documentation

Several cases are now exempt from requiring modification design documentation: replacing the front headlight assembly with one that has been certified or declared compliant; dump trucks voluntarily reducing their cargo volume to meet specific standards; and vehicles installing or removing child warning or anti-abandonment devices.

Additionally, common trucks that install or remove equipment for transporting industrial explosives or explosive precursors, in accordance with specialized standards, are also exempt if these changes do not alter the basic dimensions, cargo bed, or vehicle weight beyond permissible limits.

Increased responsibility for modification and inspection centers

The circular introduces additional requirements for inspection and evaluation reports of modified vehicle design dossiers, including photographs of the modified vehicle and its parts taken at the workshop. All modified vehicles must also have a self-weight balance sheet and an axle load distribution report.

These regulations aim to enhance inspection capabilities, dossier traceability, and quality control for modified vehicles.

Furthermore, the circular stipulates that certain imported or manufactured vehicles produced before 1/1/2025 with a lifting axle design, when modified, will not be subject to retroactive application of new rules, provided the modification does not alter the load-bearing structure of the chassis.

Vehicles that are initially rejected for inspection will still be permitted to undergo modification certification to rectify existing issues, bringing the vehicle into compliance with legal regulations.

According to the Drafting Committee, the circular aims to reduce paperwork for individuals and businesses, expand the use of electronic data, include more cases that do not require modification, exempt certain design dossiers, and facilitate the reissuance of inspection stickers.

For management agencies, the circular establishes a legal framework for digital vehicle management, enabling better control over violating, recalled, and modified vehicles, and preparing for the implementation of motorcycle and moped emission inspections. This represents a significant step towards completing the institutional framework for road vehicle inspection, contributing to digital transformation, administrative reform, enhanced traffic safety, and environmental protection.

Doan Loan