Is it mandatory to buy civil liability insurance when registering a vehicle?

Motor vehicle liability insurance is one of the necessary conditions for drivers when operating vehicles in traffic.

Giao thong Newspaper's hotline received a question from a reader about the situation: When taking a car for inspection, the civil liability insurance expired but I don't want to buy it at the inspection unit, is that possible?

Car owners who bring their cars for inspection are not required to purchase civil liability insurance at the inspection unit.

Regarding this issue, the leader of a vehicle inspection center in Hanoi said that according to Circular No. 16/2021 of the Ministry of Transport regulating the inspection of technical safety and environmental protection of road motor vehicles (amended and supplemented by Circular 02/2023 and Circular 08/2023), from October 1, 2021, the regulation on the requirement to present civil liability insurance of motor vehicle owners when carrying out vehicle inspection procedures has been removed.

Accordingly, when bringing a car for periodic inspection at the inspection center, the car owner only needs to present the vehicle registration (original or original mortgage receipt at a credit institution; or vehicle registration appointment paper) to have the vehicle accepted for inspection.

This person said that although it is no longer a mandatory document in the car registration procedure, car owners still need to proactively buy a new one when the motor vehicle owner's civil liability insurance expires or is lost, because this is a mandatory document required when driving on the road.

If the traffic police check, the vehicle owner presents expired papers or fails to present them, they may be fined.

Currently, inspection centers still sell this insurance service, however, vehicle owners are not required to purchase it at the inspection unit.

Car owners can choose to buy immediately when registering their vehicle at the inspection center, or can buy it themselves through outside insurance agents, depending on their preference.

Decree 03/2021/ND-CP on compulsory liability insurance of motor vehicle owners stipulates: Motor vehicle owners (including owners of road motor vehicles and specialized motorbikes) participating in traffic and operating in the territory of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam are subjects required to participate in civil liability insurance of motor vehicle owners (vehicle insurance).

Article 58 of the 2008 Road Traffic Law also stipulates that one of the necessary conditions for drivers participating in traffic is to carry a Certificate of civil liability insurance of the motor vehicle owner.

According to Decree 123/2021, car drivers who do not carry a motor vehicle owner's civil liability insurance certificate will be fined from 400,000 to 600,000 VND.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/co-bat-buoc-phai-mua-bao-hiem-trach-nhiem-dan-su-khi-dang-kiem-xe-19224071814255894.htm