Importers of 175cc engine motorbikes and above will no longer have to register for automatic import licences at the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Going forward, the firms will only have to perform procedures with customs agencies as per current regulations, according to a circular issued by the MoIT.

The circular will come to effect on November 5 this year.

Since 2014, motorbikes with engines of 175cc or more were one of the first groups to undergo online automatic licensing on the national single window system, which helped cut travel and waiting times, as well as administrative costs for businesses.

The abolishment of automatic import licensing for the vehicles is part of the MoIT’s efforts to restructure administrative procedure and create a favourable trade environment.

The powerful motorbikes market has become busy after the Minister of Transport allowed all people to apply for A2 driver licences from March 1, 2014. Previously, ownership of bikes with powerful engines was limited due to the country’s unsafe roads, with police, army, traffic inspection, market watch and forest rangers being allowed to have them.

In the four years, a number of importers and distributors of such motorbikes have appeared in Viet Nam, such as Harley-Davidson, Triumph and Royal Enfield. Meanwhile, firms including Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki, which already operated in Viet Nam, entered the market with new models of such engines. — VNS