The Minister of Transport (MoT) has issued Circular 43/2023/TT-BGTVT on December 29, 2023, which amends and supplements some provisions of Circulars in the field of vehicle inspection. This Circular introduces several significant changes to Circular 85/2014/TT-BGTVT, the regulation governing the retrofitting of road motor vehicles.
Specifically, Circular 43 adds certain cases of motor vehicles with modifications that are not considered as retrofitting under Article 4a of Circular 85. These cases include the following:
– Changing the up and down doors of the passenger compartment (excluding changes to the position and size of the door);
– Changing some cargo box structures such as sealing or changing the structure of cargo box doors; replacing flat metal sheets with corrugated sheets or vice versa; adding metal sheets to the frame of the hood of a covered wagon without increasing the height of the cargo space (as specified in Appendix I issued with Circular 42/2014/TT-BGTVT); installing or removing dust covers for dump truck cargo boxes;
– Installing, replacing, or removing covers for pickup truck storage compartments and luggage, but without changing the dimensions of the cargo box and the overall dimensions of the vehicle;
– Installing additional detachable fog lights;
– Replacing the front lighting system with certified or declared light systems that meet the national technical standard for optical characteristics of front lighting systems of road vehicles, QCVN 35:2017/BGTVT, without modifying the vehicle’s structure for installation;
– Replacing the bulbs of the front lighting system with bulbs of other types that have equivalent power consumption, without interfering with or changing the structure of the lighting system;
– Changing the optional body parts and components as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, without changing the overall dimensions of the vehicle, except for cases specified in Article 6 of Circular 85/2014/TT-BGTVT. The installation shall be carried out according to the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer or legally authorized representative;
– Changing the design of some details of the vehicle body such as the front grille and the aerodynamic spoiler;
– Installing additional roof spoilers on the cabin roof of dump trucks, step bars, decoration of exhaust pipes, decorative seatbelt covers, signal lights without changing the overall dimensions of the vehicle.
These new regulations will come into effect from February 15, 2024. Therefore, starting from February 15, vehicles that replace lights and modify the grille will still be eligible for regular inspections without having to restore them to their original condition as before.
From June 3, 2023, private cars with up to 9 seats, not engaged in transportation business, are allowed to have automatic inspection cycle extension.
The inspection agency will organize an information retrieval system regarding the validity period of certification documents and inspection stickers. They will provide an account for vehicle owners to easily search and access this information.
Proposal for Individual Vehicle Owners to Print their Own Inspection Extension Certificates
The Vietnam Register proposes building a technology system that allows vehicle owners who are due for inspection to self-print their extended inspection confirmation papers.
Car headlights and grille modifications still pass inspection until 2/15/2024.
At the end of December 2023, the Ministry of Transport issued Circular No. 43/2023, which takes effect from February 15, 2024, aiming to amend and supplement certain regulations regarding the renovation of motor vehicles (amending Circular No. 85/2014).
