The automobile transport business license is the foundational license of every road carrier in Vietnam, from cargo fleets to contract-vehicle operators. This article sets out the dossier components, the issuing authority, realistic processing time and the sanctions for operating without the license under Decree 10/2020/ND-CP.
Legal basis
- Decree 10/2020/ND-CP on automobile transport business and business conditions: conditions, dossier and authority for the transport business license; vehicle badges.
- Decree 100/2019/ND-CP on administrative sanctions in road traffic: sanctions for transport business without a license or outside its conditions.
What does the dossier include?
The application dossier has four groups. Entity group: the application in the prescribed form and a copy of the enterprise registration certificate recording automobile transport business lines. Plan group: a written transport business plan covering the business method (freight, contract vehicles, fixed routes), intended operating scope, road-safety assurance process and journey-monitoring data handling. Fleet and people group: the list of vehicles to be operated with ownership or lease documents and inspection particulars; the driver list with correct-class driving licences and labour contracts. Infrastructure group: documents on lawfully used parking space. The dossier goes to the provincial transport authority where the enterprise is headquartered; after the 2025 apparatus merger this function sits with the Department of Construction in localities. The most common return reasons are a business plan copied from a template that does not match the actual method, and a vehicle list whose inspection documents are not yet valid.
How long does issuance take, and how long is the license valid?
On processing time: the procedure is resolved within a few working days once the dossier is complete and valid under the local one-stop mechanism; most of the real timeline sits in preparing compliant vehicles (inspection, journey-monitoring installation, driver file completion) rather than waiting on the authority. On validity: the transport business license is issued with a term as requested by the unit and decided by the licensing authority on the specific dossier, tied to the registered business method; changing the method, adding vehicles in adjustable categories or reaching the printed expiry requires the corresponding adjustment or re-issuance procedure. Vehicle badges carry a shorter term tied to inspection validity, so a carrier needs a two-layer tracking calendar: the unit license term and each vehicle badge term.
What happens if vehicles run without the license?
Running a transport business without the transport business license is an administrative violation in road traffic under Decree 100/2019/ND-CP, fined at a high bracket for transport organisations, with accompanying measures such as badge revocation and suspension of route or contract operations. The bigger risk sits beyond the fine in commercial contracts: large shippers and industrial parks require production of a valid license and badges when signing carriage contracts; an accident on an unlicensed trip materially worsens the carrier compensation and insurance position. For an FDI joint venture under the 51 percent cap in road freight, the license stands in the joint venture name; the foreign parent cannot substitute its own license.
Frequently asked questions
What does the road transport business license dossier include?
The application form, a copy of the enterprise registration certificate, the transport business plan, the vehicle list with ownership or lease papers and inspection, the driver list with licences and labour contracts, and parking documents, filed with the provincial transport authority (now the Department of Construction).
How long does it take?
The authority processes a valid dossier within a few working days; the real timeline mostly sits in preparing compliant vehicles: inspection, journey-monitoring installation and driver file completion.
How long is the license valid?
The term printed on the license follows the unit request and the authority decision tied to the business method; each vehicle badge has a shorter term tied to inspection validity, so both layers must be tracked in parallel.
What is the penalty for operating without the license?
High-bracket fines for organisations under Decree 100/2019/ND-CP, possible badge revocation and operating suspension; plus inability to contract with large shippers and a weakened insurance and compensation position after accidents.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council