Transport Department - New Vehicle Registration and Licensing Regime

New Vehicle Registration and Licensing Regime

The Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2024 will take effect on 22 December 2025. The new regulation aims to strengthen regulation of prolonged unlicensed vehicles. According to the new regime, unlicensed vehicles will remain registered under the name of the owner who will continue to be held responsible for their vehicles. A new offence will also be introduced to heighten deterrence against improper abandoning of vehicles for addressing the problem at the source.

Starting from 22 December 2025, the Transport Department (TD) will issue a notice to registered owners of vehicles unlicensed for two years or more. Vehicle owners must, within three months of the date of notice:

(1) Renew the licence of their vehicles which have been unlicensed for two years; or

(2) Cancel the registration of the vehicles with the TD after scrapping the vehicle or permanently shipping it out of Hong Kong and submit a "Notification for Cancellation of Vehicle Registration" (TD184) together with a scrap certificate/shipping document to any Licensing Office.

Failing to take action upon expiry of the three-month notice period will constitute an offence. The maximum penalty for first conviction will be a fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for three months. For each subsequent conviction, the maximum penalty will be a $25,000 fine and six months' imprisonment. Unless the fine is paid, the TD may subject to the court's order:

(1) refuse to issue or renew the driving licence of a convicted vehicle owner;

(2) take no action on any notice for transfer of ownership of the subject vehicle and any other vehicles under the convicted owner's name; and

(3) refuse to issue a vehicle licence to the subject vehicle and any other vehicles under the convicted owner's name.

Exemption Arrangement

From 22 December 2025 onwards, individual vehicle owners who have a genuine difficulty in taking the required actions within the three-month notice period or have reasonable grounds for not licensing their vehicles may apply for an exemption from the TD. Please note that vehicle owners do not need to apply for exemption before the new regulation takes effect. Otherwise, submission of premature applications will not be accepted.

In general, exemptions may be granted under three scenarios below:

(1) Vehicles pending delivery of ordered spare parts for maintenance and examination before licence renewal;

(2) Vehicles manufactured for 30 years or more, properly stored as a private collection and will not be used on roads; or

(3) Vehicles properly stored by an established car dealer and is consigned for sale.

Vehicle owners may provide other reasonable grounds for the TD's consideration of granting an exemption based on individual case. The eligibility criteria and guidelines for exemption will be announced later.

Even when a vehicle remains unlicensed or is granted with an exemption, it will remain to be registered under the vehicle owners' name and they have to continue to bear all legal liabilities associated with it.

e-Licensing Portal

Owners may register and use the e-Licensing Portal of the TD to enquire the licence expiry date of their vehicles, and to renew the licence anytime, anywhere online.

Notes for cancelling vehicle registration

Within 15 days of a proper disposal of his unwanted vehicle, the vehicle owner should submit or send by post the required documents to Licensing Office of the Transport Department for the notification for cancellation of vehicle registration. If the vehicle owner does not notify for the cancellation of vehicle registration, he will be held liable for all the liabilities incurred with the vehicle concerned.

If you wish to dispose of your unwanted vehicle, you may make use of the services provided by vehicle scrapping companies. You are, however, reminded to:

(1)	request for a scrapping certificate issued by the vehicle scrapping company. You should check if the Business Registration Certificate Number of the scrapping company has been marked on the certificate (Sample attached) ;
(2)	submit or send by post the following documents to a Licensing Office of the Transport Department within 15 days after the scrapping of your vehicle for the notification for cancellation of vehicle registration:
	a.	the original Vehicle Registration Document;
	b.	the original Vehicle Licence of the vehicle (if the Licence is still valid);
	c.	the original scrapping certificate issued by the vehicle scrapping company;
	d.	(i)	the identification document of the registered owner (e.g. the H.K. Identity Card or a passport for non-H.K. Identity Card Holders, in the case of an individual owner or the Certificate of Incorporation in the case of a limited company owner); or
		(ii)	a copy of the identification document of the registered owner and the identification document of an agent if the notification for cancellation of vehicle registration is handled by an agent authorized by the registered owners;
	e.	the relevant original Certificate of Allocation of Personalized Registration Mark (if the present assigned vehicle registration mark is personalized registration mark); and
	f.	a duly completed "Notification for Cancellation of Vehicle Registration" (TD 184).

For village vehicle, the owner of a village vehicle in respect of which a village vehicle permit has been issued shall within 7 days thereafter inform this Department and shall at the same time return the permit if the village vehicle is abandoned.

Reminders for renewing vehicle licence

Since December 2024, the TD has started issuing SMS or email to registered owners whose vehicle licence will expire in one month, have just expired or have expired for two years via the e-contact means they provided in their licensing applications, to remind them that they must renew their vehicle in time.

For enquiries on matters relating to de-registration of vehicles, please call the 1823.