The Ministry of Industry and Trade is seeking feedback on a draft decision by the Prime Minister regarding the import of cars as gifts, donations, or relocating assets, to prevent disguised business activities and ensure safety and environmental requirements are met.
The proposal suggests that cars imported under these categories must meet similar conditions to commercially imported vehicles, including belonging to approved types, brands, and manufacturers as per Decree 116/2017. Imports must be handled by authorized enterprises, and individuals or organizations with such needs will have to entrust these enterprises to complete the import procedures.
The new regulation will not apply to imported cars for scientific research, product development, internal use, or non-traffic samples.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that currently, most imported cars for non-commercial purposes are brought into the country as gifts or donations. As Decree 116 does not apply to these cases, enterprises that do not meet the conditions can still import cars to Vietnam for business purposes, potentially compromising quality, safety, and environmental standards.
The authorities emphasized that regardless of the import purpose, cars must meet warranty and maintenance requirements as per the manufacturer’s standards and comply with technical safety and environmental protection regulations. There should also be a limit on importing used cars to ensure traffic safety.
Implementing a permit system will enable customs to closely monitor and manage imports by each enterprise and prevent the exploitation of relocation policies upon repatriation.
“Import management policies should be consistent and uniform, regardless of commercial or non-commercial nature,” stated the Ministry of Industry and Trade. They also believed that importing through authorized enterprises would make the process faster and more transparent as these enterprises are familiar with the procedures and processes.
