Does the vehicle owner need to be present for point deduction?
3 Answers
It is not mandatory for the vehicle owner to be present. The driver who committed the violation can go themselves. However, all drivers accepting penalties must be present in person to receive the punishment. Below are the relevant details: 1. Penalty Time: When accepting the penalty, please bring the motor vehicle license of the vehicle involved in the violation and the driver's license of the driver (or the person handling the matter). The notice usually requires the penalty to be accepted within 15 days, but there is no need to worry—accepting the penalty after this period will not increase the severity or the amount of the penalty. 2. Required Documents for Processing: Original vehicle license of the violating vehicle, original ID card of the person receiving the points, and original driver's license of the person receiving the points.
Last year, my friend helped me handle a point deduction, but it ended up causing a lot of trouble. At the time, I was too busy with work, so I let him take my driver's license to the office. However, the staff at the counter immediately saw through it and said the vehicle owner must be present in person for photo verification. As a result, both of us were called in by the traffic police for questioning and were fined. Looking back now, I really regret it because traffic laws strictly stipulate that point deductions must be handled by the owner personally. Having someone else handle it on your behalf is illegal, and if caught, both the proxy and the vehicle owner will be penalized—ranging from fines and license suspension to detention and credit impact. In my opinion, no matter how urgent it is, you should make the trip to the DMV yourself, prepare all the required documents in advance, and never take chances.
A colleague once asked me if I could help deduct points for them, but I refused outright because it's not allowed. To deduct points for someone else, the vehicle owner must personally go to the DMV with their ID card and vehicle registration to verify the information on-site. Although some people engage in private trading of driving license points, if the electronic surveillance cameras capture a facial mismatch or if staff notice irregularities during violation processing, both parties will be held accountable. I know someone who took the blame for 6 points last year, got caught, was fined 2000 yuan, and had their license suspended—definitely not worth it. It's much simpler to just handle your own business properly.
