What to Do If You Forget to Bring Your Vehicle License During a Traffic Check?
2 Answers
Forgetting to bring the vehicle license may result in a fine ranging from 20 to 200 yuan and 1 demerit point. The vehicle may also be impounded and will be returned after presenting the vehicle license. Below are the relevant penalty regulations: Vehicle Impoundment Penalty: According to Article 95 of the "Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" (referred to as the "Traffic Law"), if the vehicle owner fails to carry the vehicle license, the traffic management department of the public security organ shall impound the vehicle. Fine Penalty: The authorities will notify the party to provide the corresponding license, mark, or complete the necessary procedures, and may impose a fine of 20-200 yuan along with a warning in accordance with Article 90 of the same law.
That day I also forgot to bring my vehicle license and got pulled over by the police, my heart was racing but I tried to stay calm. I immediately took out my phone and opened the Traffic Management 12123 APP to show the electronic version, which had a QR code and vehicle information. The police scanned it with their device, confirmed it was valid, and let me go, even complimenting me on my awareness of digitalization. He said many cities now support this kind of digital documentation, and the key to avoiding penalties is cooperation: don’t panic, explain clearly why you forgot to bring it, and show your ID or driver’s license photo as supplementary proof. He suggested making it a habit to check your pockets or the APP login status before getting in the car, and keeping a small bag in the car for important documents to reduce oversights. If you do get fined, it’s usually a warning with a fine under 200 yuan, but a bad attitude could lead to vehicle impoundment and bigger troubles.
