TD enhances vehicle licence to provide convenience to public and enhances vehicle registration and licensing regime

     The Transport Department (TD) today (December 19) said that, following the passage of relevant legislation by the Legislative Council (LegCo), starting from December 30, it will enhance the vehicle licence (VL) and simplify application documents. In addition, it will enhance the vehicle registration and licensing regime to address the problem of improperly abandoned vehicles by strengthening control and monitoring at the source.

(1) Enhanced vehicle licence simplifying application documents starting from December 30

     The Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulation 2024 and the Motor Vehicles Insurance (Third Party Risks) (Amendment) Regulation 2024 have been passed by the LegCo and will come into effect on December 30, 2024, for the TD to introduce the enhanced VL and simplify application documents for the greater convenience of the public.

     Starting from December 30, 2024, the TD will issue a notice showing the latest validity period of the VL to vehicle owners who have successfully renewed their VL, followed by a VL without the expiry date printed on it. After obtaining such a VL, if the vehicle particulars (e.g. registration mark, body colour, etc) remain unchanged, the vehicle owner can continue to use the same VL after each subsequent renewal, and there will be no need to replace the VL displayed on the windscreen of the vehicle. Before the VL expires, the TD will issue VL renewal reminders to vehicle owners through the electronic contact means they provided.

     Upon the enhancement of the VL, vehicle owners may scan the new QR code printed at the top of the VL and access the TD's Vehicle Licence Online Enquiry Platform for instant checking of its expiry date without pre-registration.

     In parallel, the TD will simplify the application documents required for VL applications, so that vehicle owners can complete VL renewals more quickly and conveniently. By that time, when applying for licence renewal, vehicle owners will no longer be required to present the Vehicle Registration Document or the Certificate of Roadworthiness after passing vehicle examination. When submitting a VL application online, once the third party risks insurance record is verified via the backend support of the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers, there will be no need for vehicle owners to upload their policy of insurance.

(2) Enhanced vehicle registration and licensing regime and proper disposal of vehicles

     In addition, the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2024 has been passed by the LegCo, aiming at enhancing the vehicle registration and licensing regime to heighten deterrence against improper abandoning of unwanted vehicles with strengthened control at the source. The new legislation requires vehicle owners, within three months after receiving a notice sent by the TD, to renew the licence of their vehicles that have been unlicensed for two years, or cancel the registration of the vehicles with the TD after scrapping the vehicle or permanently shipping it from Hong Kong. Failing to do so will constitute an offence. The unlicensed vehicles will continue to be registered under the name of the owners concerned.

     If individual vehicle owners have a genuine difficulty in taking the required actions or have reasonable grounds for not licensing their vehicles, they may apply for an exemption with the TD. The new legislation is planned to take effect in December 2025. The TD will announce the commencement date of the new legislation by a gazette notice in due course and promulgate the application guidelines for exemption before the new legislation becomes effective.

     A spokesman for the TD said, "Following the passage of the above legislation, from today onwards, the TD has ceased cancelling the registration of vehicles unlicensed for over two years. Registered vehicle owners must cancel their unwanted vehicles' registration with the TD after scrapping or having the vehicles permanently despatched out of Hong Kong. Before the registration of a vehicle is cancelled, the vehicle concerned will continue to be registered under the name of the owner, who has to bear all the legal liabilities associated with that vehicle. We encourage registered vehicle owners to make use of the e-Licensing Portal for checking the VL expiry date, handling licensing matters, and taking proper action on their vehicles unlicensed for two years in accordance with the requirements of the new legislation."

     Members of the public may refer to the TD's website for details of the enhanced VL and simplified application document measures, and how to properly dispose of vehicles after the enhancement of the vehicle registration and licensing regime, or call the hotline at 2804 2600.