Is it still necessary to affix the paper certificate after obtaining the electronic vehicle inspection label?
2 Answers
After obtaining the electronic vehicle inspection label, it is still necessary to affix the paper certificate. Currently, some regions in China have implemented electronic vehicle certificates, but this has not been promoted nationwide. If a vehicle travels in areas where electronic certificates are not yet implemented, it will be considered as not complying with regulations and will be subject to corresponding penalties. Therefore, the label still needs to be affixed. According to Article 13 of the "Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law": The vehicle inspection qualification label, environmental protection label, and insurance label should be affixed to the upper right corner of the vehicle's front windshield. Failing to affix the relevant vehicle labels as required is a violation of the law and will result in corresponding fines and penalty points. However, the new regulations have now abolished the environmental protection label, merging it with the annual inspection label. Additionally, some regions have canceled the compulsory traffic insurance label, replacing it with an electronic policy. Therefore, in these regions, only the annual inspection qualification label needs to be affixed. However, this is currently limited to Beijing; once the trial is successful, it will be implemented nationwide. It is worth noting that starting from March 1, 2020, 16 cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Harbin, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Jinan, Zhuzhou, Shenzhen, Haikou, Chengdu, Guiyang, Yuxi, and Urumqi, have trialed the electronic annual inspection label, which can be queried, downloaded, and used via the "Traffic Management 12123" APP. From June 20, 15 provinces (regions) such as Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Henan, Guangxi, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia have also implemented this, achieving nationwide coverage. The electronic inspection label certificate and the paper certificate have equal validity. Vehicles that have obtained the electronic inspection label certificate no longer need to affix the paper label. Traffic police will check the vehicle inspection status through law enforcement terminals during enforcement, which is very convenient. It is recommended that drivers download and save the electronic certificate on their phones after obtaining it, so they can present it even when offline.
As a seasoned driver with years of experience, I used to be extremely annoyed by the annual inspection stickers, which often got blown away by the wind or scratched the windshield. Now with electronic tags, it’s so much more convenient! Last year when I went for my vehicle inspection, the staff directly told me there was no need to stick the paper certificate anymore because the system is fully connected—traffic police can just scan and check the records. This not only helps the environment but also prevents accidental loss of documents on the road. However, I still keep a paper copy in the glove compartment just in case I encounter no internet connection or system issues while out, so I can temporarily handle any checks. Overall, the digitalization now gives me more peace of mind while driving, without worrying about fines or forgetting to stick the sticker.
