Decree 89/2026/ND-CP: Business Conditions for Motor Vehicle Inspection Services and Vehicle Age Limits
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Based on:89/2026/NĐ-CP - Government Official Gazette
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Decree 89/2026/ND-CP sets out business conditions for motor vehicle inspection services, the organization and operation of vehicle registration/inspection centers (co so dang kiem), and the service-life limits for motor vehicles. It takes effect July 1, 2026, replacing Decree 166/2024/ND-CP. On business conditions, a motor vehicle inspection center must meet minimum floor-area requirements that scale with the number of inspection lines (from 1,250 sqm for a single Type I line up to 2,500 sqm for two lines), and must employ at least 2 certified inspectors, including a facility head and an inspection department head with at least 60 months of experience. Motorcycle/moped emissions testing centers face lower area and staffing thresholds. The decree also details the issuance and revocation of inspection certificates, grounds for a one-month suspension, and grounds for revoking a center's operating certificate for serious violations (forged records, falsified data, three suspensions within 12 months, etc.). A point relevant to transport and logistics operators is the vehicle service-life limit: 25 years for cargo trucks and specialized cargo vehicles; 20 years for passenger vehicles with 9+ seats (excluding driver), school and kindergarten shuttle vehicles, and 4-wheeled motorized cargo vehicles; 15 years for 4-wheeled motorized passenger vehicles. Vehicles lacking documentation of their manufacture year are deemed to have reached their service-life limit. This is a technical, road-safety and industry-licensing regulation for the vehicle inspection sector; it has no direct tax, accounting, e-invoice, labor, or customs content.
Scope and Applicability
Decree No. 89/2026/ND-CP, dated March 30, 2026, sets business conditions for motor vehicle inspection (kiem dinh) services, the organization and operation of vehicle inspection/registration centers, and the service-life limits of motor vehicles. It applies to organizations and individuals engaged in motor vehicle inspection, specialized-machinery inspection, modification certification, and management or use of vehicles subject to service-life limits. It does not apply to inspection activities under the Ministry of National Defense or Ministry of Public Security.
Business Conditions for Vehicle Inspection Services
Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers
- Minimum floor area: 1,250 sqm for one Type I inspection line, 1,500 sqm for one Type II or combined-type line, 2,500 sqm for two lines; each additional line from the third onward adds 625 sqm.
- Staffing: at least 2 certified inspectors, including a facility head and an inspection department head with at least 60 months of inspection experience.
- Must meet the National Technical Regulation on inspection centers and be assessed by a conformity assessment body (or verified by the provincial People's Committee where no qualified assessment body is available).
Motorcycle/Moped Emissions Testing Centers
- Minimum area of 10 sqm per emissions testing device, plus 5 sqm for each additional device.
- At least 1 certified inspector.
Organization and Operation of Inspection Centers
An inspection center comprises three units: leadership, inspection, and administration. Centers must maintain independence, objectivity and transparency; assign inspectors according to their professional certification via a logged duty roster; and ensure measuring equipment is calibrated and tested under measurement law.
Inspection certificates are issued electronically (a printed copy is issued on request, without pre-printed forms) and are invalid if the inspection process, records, personnel authority, or measuring equipment do not meet requirements.
A center faces a one-month suspension for violations such as: failing to share vehicle records with other centers on request; lending login credentials used to post/remove violation data; failing to revoke invalid certificates; altering or deleting inspection records; or pressuring vehicle owners to use a designated repair shop.
A center's operating certificate is revoked for: forged licensing documents; tampering with certificates; three suspensions within 12 months; three or more administrative penalties within 12 months; five inspector suspensions or three inspector certificate revocations within 12 months; falsifying vehicle or inspection data; ceasing operations for over 12 consecutive months; assigning unqualified staff to inspection duties; or dissolution. A revoked center may only reapply after 12 months.
Vehicle Service-Life Limits
- 25 years: cargo trucks and specialized cargo vehicles, from year of manufacture.
- 20 years: passenger vehicles with 9+ seats (excluding driver), kindergarten and school shuttle vehicles, 4-wheeled motorized cargo vehicles.
- 15 years: 4-wheeled motorized passenger vehicles.
- Vehicles similar to motor vehicles follow the corresponding limit based on function and use.
- Year of manufacture is determined in priority order from: the technical safety/environmental certificate for imported vehicles or the factory quality-inspection slip for domestically manufactured/assembled vehicles; the manufacturer's year-of-manufacture marking on the vehicle; or manufacturer-provided lookup results/documents. Vehicles lacking such documentation are deemed to have reached their service-life limit.
Transitional Provisions and Effective Date
Inspection centers licensed before January 1, 2025 that do not yet meet the new area requirements may continue operating through December 31, 2028. Centers not yet assessed by a conformity assessment body must complete assessment before January 1, 2029. Vehicles with service life already determined before January 1, 2025 continue under their existing determination.
The decree takes effect July 1, 2026, replacing Decree No. 166/2024/ND-CP dated December 26, 2024. The requirement to affix a physical inspection sticker (per Article 13.2) expires January 1, 2027, as electronic certificates take over.