Twelve deductions to zero, and the licence switches off. Under the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety (No. 36/2024/QH15) and Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP, a licence that has lost all 12 points cannot be used for driving — not for a scooter to the shop, not “just locally”. Riding on it is treated as riding without a valid licence, with the corresponding fines.

The mandatory wait

Restoration is not automatic and it is not instant. The holder must wait at least six months from the date the points reached zero. During that window there is no appeal shortcut — the period exists precisely to take repeat violators off the road for a defined time.

The knowledge test

After the six months, the holder registers for a test on road-law knowledge — the content set out in Circular 65/2024/TT-BCA of the Ministry of Public Security, organised by the traffic police. The test covers the legal order and safety rules the points system polices: signalling, alcohol, helmets, right of way, the fine schedule itself. Pass, and the licence is restored to the full 12 points. Fail, and the wait is for the next scheduled test.

Points versus suspension

Zero points is its own condition, separate from a suspension order. A drink-driving suspension suspends the right to use the licence for its stated months; a zero-point licence is unusable until restoration completes. The two can chase each other — a suspension that ends does not restore points, and a points balance does not lift a suspension.

The practical lesson for riders

The riders who reach zero are rarely one-off offenders: the ledger is drained by accumulation — a wrong lane here, a phone-in-hand there, a helmet strap unclipped. Because deduction notices arrive with the fine, the running total is knowable; the traffic police publish the ledger through the national licence database. Checking it after any fine is the cheap way to avoid the six-month surprise.

Information, not legal advice. Verified against Law 36/2024/QH15, Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP and Circular 65/2024/TT-BCA via official sources on 2026-09-22.