VietNamNet Bridge – Police are soon to be prohibited from stopping travelling motorbikes in order to check ownership documentation and may only pull vehicles over if they have just cause to do so.

Traffic police examine drivers’ documents in HCM City. Police will no longer be allowed to make random stops, but drivers are required to abide by ownership regulations or face new fines.

The revised regulation has been implemented by the Ministry of Public Security and will take effect from the middle of next month.

Inspections into motorbike and automobile ownership may only be conducted if a vehicle has already been stopped due to breaching a traffic regulation or if a vehicle forms part of a criminal case.

However, authorities have emphasised that the new measure is not an invitation for drivers to ignore new vehicle ownership regulations that are coming into force.

The General Police Administration of Social Order and Safety said new vehicle owners had 30 days to carry out the relevant transfer of ownership documents, or else they would be reprimanded if found to be breaching the new law.

Fines of between VND800,000-1.2 million (US$38-57) will be issued to those possessing motorbikes without all of the complete paperwork to prove it.

Automobile owners who make the same mistake will be fined between VND6-10 million ($285-476). Formerly they only had to pay between VND1-2 million ($47-95).

Ministry statistics show that more than 40 per cent of vehicle drivers have not properly completed the process of transferring ownership documents.

Meanwhile, the new circular states that drivers who fail to present a vehicle registration certificate, driving licence and vehicle verification during an inspection, but promise to present them later, will have their vehicles temporarily captured. They can claim them back as soon as they present the relevant paperwork and pay any required fines.

Source: VNS