New Regulations for Motorcycles: Will Tens of Millions Be Lined Up for This Starting 2025?

Motorcycles and Scooters Over 5 Years Old to Undergo Periodic Emission Testing

The Ministry of Transport has officially issued Circular No. 47, which will come into force from the first day of 2025. The Circular details the procedures and requirements for emission testing of motorcycles and scooters.

Specifically, for motorcycles and scooters with a production time of less than 5 years, owners are not required to submit emission testing documents or bring their vehicles to testing centers for emission testing.

For motorcycles and scooters that are over 5 years old from the year of production, owners need to take their vehicles to testing centers for emission testing.

At the testing center, owners must present one of the following documents: original vehicle registration certificate, certified copy, or electronically certified copy of the original, along with an appointment slip for vehicle registration, for the testing center to accept the testing dossier.

Testing centers will then proceed to retrieve vehicle information from the management software system and compare the information from the vehicle registration certificate with the actual vehicle information.

The vehicle will not be tested if the information does not match. If there is no issue, the testing center will establish a control sheet and proceed with the emission test.

If the vehicle passes the emission test, it will be granted an electronic emission test certificate, and the information will be integrated into the owner’s electronic identity account. The Vietnam Register will issue this certificate through the management software, based on the results of the certification of technical safety and environmental protection of the vehicle during production, assembly, and importation, in coordination with the database on vehicle registration and management of motor vehicles by the Ministry of Public Security.

Also, according to Circular 47, motorcycles and scooters produced up to 5 years ago will have an emission testing cycle of 60 months from the date of shipment. Vehicles aged 5 to 12 years will have a testing cycle of 24 months, and vehicles over 12 years will have a testing cycle of 12 months.

Although this Circular takes effect on January 1, 2025, according to the Vietnam Register, the time for emission testing of scooters and motorcycles at testing centers has not been determined yet.

What is the Purpose of Emission Testing for Scooters and Motorcycles?

According to the Ministry of Public Security, the reason for including periodic emission control for motorcycles and scooters in the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety is to protect the right to live in an environment with less pollutant emissions and to reduce the environmental impacts of participating traffic vehicles.

The Ministry of Transport previously stated that the main source of environmental pollution in Vietnam comes from the emissions of motor vehicles, with motorcycles and scooters accounting for the largest proportion.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Transport, as of the end of 2023, there were nearly 75 million motorcycles in circulation in the country, of which nearly 73 million were gasoline-powered. Many of these are old motorcycles produced before 2000, which pose a high risk of environmental pollution.

Currently, only cars are required to undergo periodic emission testing after being sold on the market, while operating scooters and motorcycles are not subject to this requirement.

In addition, many large cities are planning to reduce the number of private vehicles, so controlling emissions from scooters and motorcycles will help achieve multiple goals simultaneously.

Although the new regulation will incur additional costs in terms of money and time for vehicle owners, in return, people will have safer vehicles, save fuel, increase vehicle lifespan, and improve the environment.