According to the regulations on compulsory civil liability insurance as stipulated in the Law on Insurance Business 2022 and Decree 67/2023/ND-CP dated September 6, 2023, owners of cars, motorcycles, and mopeds participating in traffic within the territory of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam are required to have compulsory civil liability insurance for motor vehicle owners.

According to Clause 3, Article 10 of Government Decree 67/2023/ND-CP, which regulates compulsory civil liability insurance for motor vehicle owners, insurance companies can issue electronic insurance certificates (E-certificates). The E-certificate has the same legal validity as the previous paper version with a red stamp.

Thus, the insurance certificate here is understood to be either a paper or an electronic insurance certificate.

Therefore, the reflection by some online media outlets that traffic participants who have compulsory motorbike insurance but do not carry a paper copy or only present an electronic version (such as a PDF file or QR code) can still be fined by the traffic police (according to Clause 2, Article 18 of Decree 168/2024/ND-CP) is unfounded.

Currently, in the context of the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, applying digital platforms and digitizing all types of documents is an inevitable trend. In this context, the electronic civil liability insurance certificate demonstrates catching up with the digital trend, helping authorities easily check and manage, making it easy for people to access and store, and allowing insurance companies to save costs and human resources.

In reality, as soon as the electronic version of the compulsory civil liability insurance certificate for motor vehicle owners began to be implemented (regulated by Decree 03/2021/ND-CP dated January 15, 2021, which was the predecessor of Decree 67/2023/ND-CP dated September 6, 2023), the Traffic Police Department - Ministry of Public Security immediately issued a directive (Official Letter No. 813/BCA-C08 dated March 22, 2021) to the traffic police of provinces and centrally-run cities regarding the legal validity of E-certificates and paper certificates. Accordingly, the police authority emphasized that it is valid for people to carry a valid certificate, whether it is an E-certificate or a paper certificate.

Additionally, at the request of the Ministry of Public Security, the Insurance Association of Vietnam also sent Official Letter No. 41/HHBH/2021 dated March 31, 2021, to the Traffic Police Department and traffic police of provinces and cities, providing instructions on how to scan the QR code on the electronic certificate to ensure quick lookup of the policyholder's information, thereby ensuring the best interests of customers. To date, the Insurance Association of Vietnam has not received any complaints from people or insurance companies about traffic police not accepting and fining people for presenting a valid electronic certificate.

To protect their rights, the Insurance Association of Vietnam also advises people to carefully check the validity period of their insurance when driving to avoid a situation where the certificate has expired when checked by police.

Especially when buying insurance, people should choose reputable agents or official insurance companies and avoid buying from unverified roadside vendors to ensure the legal validity of the certificate. Compulsory civil liability insurance for motor vehicle owners is not only a legal requirement but also an important tool to help protect your finances in the event of an unexpected accident.

Source: Cảnh sát giao thông