It is now possible to change B1, B2 driver's license to C1 on the Public Service Portal

Since early March, the Ministry of Public Security has been responsible for testing and issuing driver's licenses from the Ministry of Transport. After the transition period, this agency has now added many more utilities to increase convenience for people. Notably, drivers can now convert from the old B1/B2 license to the new C1 through the Public Service Portal.

Previously, when changing an expired driver's license through the Public Service Portal, drivers only had the option to change from the old B1/B2 to the new B, while there was no option for C1 even though it was allowed. At that time, the authorities said that drivers who wanted to change to a C1 license had to submit their application directly to the facilities that issued and changed the driver's license.

The difference between the new B and C1 licenses is that the B license only allows drivers to drive trucks with a total weight of up to 3.5 tons, which in addition to the vehicle weight, also includes the passengers, luggage, and goods. Meanwhile, the C1 license can drive vehicles with B licenses and trucks with a total weight of over 3.5 - 7.5 tons. With this advantage, the C1 license will be more suitable for drivers who want to drive trucks for business. Meanwhile, the B1 license is only suitable for drivers of cars or small trucks of 0.5 - 1 ton.

Drivers said this was good news because it reduced time, effort, and costs compared to having to queue up to submit documents directly. Instead of having to queue up and not being able to go to work for half a day to a day, drivers only need a few minutes to operate on the Public Service Portal, wait for confirmation, pay online, and wait to receive their driver's license.

Similar to when converting to a B license, before operating online, drivers need to prepare necessary documents such as health certificate, portrait photo file in accordance with regulations, personal documents such as citizen identification card, old driver's license.

With a health certificate, drivers need to find out the list of medical facilities licensed to conduct health examinations for driving license purposes. This can be found on the information portals of the Government or relevant departments and agencies. When going for a medical examination, it is necessary to clearly state that the examination is for the corresponding type of license B, C... because the criteria will be different, in which the C license has more requirements. Once the results are available, it is necessary to save the electronic health certificate number printed on the file to provide when changing the license.