Instructions on how to renew your expiring driver's license at home.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - This article will guide you on how to register to renew your soon-to-expire driver's license online, avoiding the need to retake the driving test.

How long after your driver's license expires do you need to retake the driving test?

Driving licenses for cars of categories B and C1 are valid for 10 years from the date of issuance, while driving licenses for categories C, D1, D2, D, BE, C1E, CE, D1E, D2E, and DE are valid for 5 years from the date of issuance.

Motorcycle driving licenses for two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles (classes A1, A, and B1) have no expiration date, so they do not need to be issued or renewed.

Before 2025, holders of car driving licenses will have 3 months from the expiration date to register for a new license. If more than 3 months but less than 1 year has passed since the expiration date, the license holder will have to retake the theory test. If more than 1 year has passed, both the theory and practical tests will have to be retaken.

However, according to Clause 2, Article 34 of Circular 35/2024/TT-BGTVT, from 2025, holders of car driving licenses of categories B, C1, C, D1, D2, D, BE, C1E, CE, D1E, D2E, DE who have their licenses expired for less than one year (even just one day) will have to retake the theory test; if expired for one year or more, they will have to retake both the theory and practical tests.

Citizens should proactively renew their driver's licenses early to avoid having to retake the driving test due to an expired license. The process of renewing a driver's license can be done entirely online, making the renewal process easier and more convenient.

What do I need to prepare to renew my driver's license online?

To renew your driver's license online through the National Public Service Portal, citizens need to prepare the following documents:

- VNeID Level 2 Electronic Identity Account. Citizens cannot register for a Level 2 VNeID account themselves; they must go to the local police station in their commune or ward, or the place where they applied for their Citizen Identification Card, to register.

- Two passport-sized photos, including one with a white background (4x6 cm) to be attached to the health certificate and one with a blue background (3x4 cm) to be submitted when applying for a driver's license renewal. The passport-sized photos must be taken straight on and glasses should be removed.

You can use your phone to take photos and then use apps to resize them to fit.

- You need to find hospitals and clinics in your area that have linked their electronic driver's license health certificate data to the National Public Service Portal to get your health checkup. You can search for the addresses of these clinics through Google.

In cases where medical facilities have not yet been integrated with the healthcare sector's electronic data system, citizens can bring their health examination results to the commune/ward People's Committee for electronic authentication, and then use the authenticated file to submit their application for driver's license renewal.

- Photos of both sides of your citizen identification card and driver's license.

Steps to renew your driver's license online

To renew your soon-to-expire driver's license from the comfort of your home, please follow these steps:

- First, access the online public service portal of the Traffic Police Department here.

- Click the "Renew Driver's License" button on the website interface that appears.

- You can use your electronic identification account or your public service portal account to log into the system. For individual users, you can choose to log in using the electronic identification account issued by the Ministry of Public Security for citizens.

- On the login page, enter your citizen ID number and password used to log in to the VNeID application on your smartphone.

If you forget your VNeID login password, you can follow Dan Tri 's instructions here to request a new password, or you can activate the VNeID application on your smartphone and log in using biometrics (fingerprint or facial recognition, if this feature has been enabled previously).

From the VNeID app interface, tap the scan code icon, then scan the QR code displayed on the public service website to log in to your VNeID account. Tap the "Confirm" button in the dialog box that appears and enter your security PIN from the VNeID app.

- After successfully logging into the Traffic Police Department's public service website, the website interface will display information fields requesting users to fill in the required information. Proceed to fill in your personal information in the corresponding fields.

Under "Receiving Authority," select the Traffic Police Department where you reside. Under "Reason for Renewal," select "Driving License Expired."

In the "Driver Information" section below, simply enter your driver's license number into the blank field and press the "Search" button. Your personal information will be automatically filled in the corresponding fields. You can view your driver's license number printed on your license or on the VNeID app (if your driver's license is integrated into the app).

In the "Information on upgrading your driver's license" section, select either "Class C1 driver's license" or "Class B driver's license" (the difference between these two types of driver's licenses will be discussed below).

Next, you declare your "Place of residence" (according to the new administrative unit after the merger).

In the "Driver's Health Information" section, enter your electronic health certificate code and click the "Search" button. Your record information will be automatically updated without needing to attach a scanned copy of the health certificate.

In the absence of an electronic health certificate, you need to scan a health certificate that has been electronically certified by the People's Committee of the commune/ward and upload it to the National Public Service Portal.

Next, attach a portrait photo (blue background, 3x4 size), photos of both sides of your driver's license and citizen identification card, mark your commitment that the declared information is accurate, and click the "Continue" button.

Note: After uploading the portrait photo, you need to wait for the system to display the "Success" message. If the portrait photo is not satisfactory, the system will display warnings so that the user can take a new, suitable photo.

The filename of attached images uploaded to the website must be shorter than 20 characters, so you need to rename the image file to a sufficiently short name before attaching it to the system.

- In the next step, select "Receive results at home" and fill in the recipient's information so that the post office can send the new driver's license to the address you provided.

Finally, click the "Submit Application" button.

- If your application is valid, the system will display a "Application submitted successfully" message. You can click the "View my application" button on the website to check the processing status of your application.

- After submitting your application, you will receive an email and text message requesting payment of the driver's license renewal fee. Users must pay the fee no later than 3 days after successfully submitting their application.

- The processing status of your application will be updated and notifications will be sent to the email address you provided. It usually takes 7 to 10 days for citizens to receive their newly issued driver's license.

The difference between a Class C1 and Class B driver's license.

As mentioned above, when applying for a renewal of your soon-to-expire driver's license, you will have to choose between a "Class C1 driver's license" or a "Class B driver's license".

According to the 2024 Road Traffic Safety Law, effective from January 1st, there are 15 types of driver's licenses, including the merging of B1 and B2 car licenses into a single B license. Drivers currently holding the old B1 or B2 licenses can exchange them for the new B or C1 licenses.

Comparison of the types of vehicles permitted to be driven with the old B2 license (above) and the new B license (below) (Photo: OFFB).

Previously, the B2 driver's license allowed drivers to operate passenger cars with up to 9 seats or trucks with a payload of less than 3.5 tons. However, with the new B license, drivers are still permitted to drive passenger cars with up to 9 seats, but are only allowed to drive trucks with a "total design weight up to 3.5 tons".

"Total design weight up to 3.5 tons" refers to the total weight of the vehicle, its occupants, and the cargo on board. Meanwhile, "payload" refers to the maximum weight of cargo the vehicle is permitted to carry (excluding the weight of the vehicle and driver).

Therefore, upgrading a B2 to a B license may require truck drivers to reduce the amount of goods they transport or switch to smaller trucks.

Meanwhile, a Class C1 driver's license gives drivers more privileges, including the right to drive all Class B vehicles, as well as trucks with a design gross weight of 3.5 tons up to 7.5 tons.

Therefore, if you are a truck driver, you should upgrade from the old B1 or B2 license to the new C1 license, instead of upgrading to the B license, to maximize your rights and be able to drive more types of vehicles.

Note: Both B and C1 licenses are valid for 10 years, similar to the previous B1 and B2 licenses.

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Above are the detailed steps to renew your driver's license online from home. Readers can follow these steps to avoid having to retake the driving test due to an expired license.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/huong-dan-cach-doi-giay-phep-lai-xe-sap-het-han-ngay-tai-nha-20251213021758655.htm