Regarding the issuance of new driver’s licenses as reported by Dân trí in recent days, on the afternoon of February 14, Mr. Bùi Hòa An, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Transport (GTVT), spoke with reporters about ensuring drivers’ rights when upgrading their B1 and B2 licenses to the new categories.
Drivers May Receive Incorrect Information
The first question posed to the department leader was whether employees at Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Transport automatically upgraded B1 and B2 licenses to category B without allowing upgrades to C1.
Mr. An stated that he would immediately review the staff responsible for processing license upgrades. Personally, Mr. An believes such a situation is unlikely. “At each licensing center, we have advisory officers; it can’t be a case of doing what’s easy and ignoring what’s difficult,” he affirmed.
Mr. Bùi Hòa An, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Transport (Photo: Thư Trần).
Additionally, the leader of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Transport mentioned the possibility of citizens receiving incorrect information from “consultants” (third-party agents who handle paperwork) outside licensing centers. This issue has been raised multiple times with local police but remains unresolved.
“We urge citizens to contact our official staff members, who wear public service badges, for accurate advice when visiting licensing centers,” Mr. An shared.
On behalf of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Transport, Mr. An confirmed that drivers holding B1 and B2 licenses have the right to choose between upgrading to category B or C1, provided they have a health certificate suitable for the respective license category.
Possibility of Upgrading from Category B to C1
On the same day, Dân trí received feedback from Vietnam’s Road Administration regarding challenges in upgrading licenses between old and new categories.
The leader of the Vehicle and Driver Management Division of the Road Administration confirmed that the online license upgrade system is experiencing glitches, automatically defaulting to upgrading B1 and B2 licenses to category B. Drivers wishing to switch to category C1 must complete the process in person.
Drivers currently holding B1 and B2 licenses should thoroughly understand the regulations before upgrading to avoid disadvantages (Illustrative photo: Ngọc Tân).
Notably, this representative confirmed that individuals who have already upgraded to category B but wish to switch back to C1 can contact the Department of Transport where the license was issued to cancel the issued category B and reapply for category C1.
When asked about this by the leadership of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Transport, the response was “it depends on the situation.”
Mr. Bùi Hòa An stated that for cases where drivers have already received their new category B license, the possibility of switching back to C1 needs to be considered. The Department is reviewing this matter and cannot yet provide an answer. According to current regulations, category B is lower than category C1, and upgrading requires additional training.
For cases where drivers have only submitted their application but not yet received their new license, there are two scenarios. “If the application hasn’t been entered into the database for printing licenses, it can be withdrawn. However, if it has already been entered, modifications are impossible,” affirmed the leader of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Transport.
Previously, a B2 category driver from Kiên Giang reported that he returned to the licensing center three days after submitting his application to request changing from category B to C1. After some persuasion, officials from Kiên Giang’s Department of Transport agreed to allow him to change his application to C1, provided he updated his health certificate to meet category C1 requirements.
As Dân trí previously reported, many drivers undergoing the license upgrade process for cars faced disadvantages as their old B1 and B2 licenses were converted to the new category B. Category B has more restrictions compared to B1 and B2 in terms of vehicle weight limits.
Specifically, licenses B1 and B2 allow drivers to operate vehicles carrying up to nine passengers or trucks with a load capacity under 3.5 tons. Meanwhile, category B allows driving vehicles carrying up to nine passengers (including the driver) but only permits operating trucks with a total design weight up to 3.5 tons.
To address these limitations, the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety allows drivers to upgrade their B1 and B2 licenses to either category B or C1. Accordingly, category C1 permits driving all vehicles under category B and also trucks with a total design weight exceeding 3.5 tons up to 7.5 tons.
Source link: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/xem-xet-cho-tai-xe-b1-b2-doi-nham-bang-duoc-rut-ho-so-20250214163149759.htm
