The exchange dossier is five items long, and each has a verification catch. Under Circular 12/2025/TT-BCA, a foreigner exchanging a driving licence for a Vietnamese one files the following.

The dossier, item by item

  1. The application form for licence exchange, completed in the standard format.
  2. The foreign licence itself, together with a Vietnamese translation certified by a notary office or by the issuing country’s embassy or consulate in Vietnam. Uncertified self-translations are not accepted.
  3. A valid passport.
  4. Papers evidencing residence in Vietnam of at least three months — typically the temporary residence record issued where you live.
  5. Health certification appropriate to the licence class sought, per the health standards of the law.

The catches that cost repeat trips

The translation is the item applicants get wrong most often: it must be certified by a Vietnamese notary or the issuing country’s diplomatic mission, not merely by an employer or a translation shop without certification. The residence record is the second: it must show the continuous three-month period, and a gap between addresses can reset the clock. The licence must be valid — an expired national licence cannot be exchanged and pushes the applicant toward the test route.

Where and how it is filed

The dossier goes to the Traffic Police Department or a commune-level police point that accepts licence applications, or via the online public-service portal where available; the applicant has their photo taken at the counter. Processing takes days rather than weeks for clean files, and the state issuance fee applies under the Ministry of Finance schedule.

What the exchange does not do

It does not add categories: a car-only licence exchanges into car classes only. It does not accept IDPs — the permit is for riding, not for swapping. And it does not waive the health certification, whatever the home licence says about medical fitness.

Information, not legal advice. Verified against Circular 12/2025/TT-BCA and the Ministry of Public Security’s published exchange rules on 2026-09-22.