Which agency issues the criminal record after the downsizing in Vietnam under Official Dispatch 05/CV-BCD-TKNQ18? What is the fee for criminal record issuance?

Which agency issues the criminal record after the downsizing in Vietnam under Official Dispatch 05/CV-BCD-TKNQ18?

Based on Official Dispatch 05/CV-BCD-TKNQ18 of 2025 from the Steering Committee for summarizing the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW of the Government of Vietnam, regarding the supplementation and completion of arrangements for the organization of specialized agencies under the Provincial and District People's Committees, as follows:

(1) Transfer responsibilities, duties, and the organizational apparatus for state management of press and publishing from the Department of Information and Communications to the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

(2) Transfer responsibilities and the organizational apparatus for state management of poverty reduction from the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to the Department of Agriculture and Environment; at the district level, transfer poverty reduction responsibilities from the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to the Department of Agriculture and Environment (or the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in urban districts).

(3) Transfer responsibilities for state management of social protection, child protection, and prevention of social evils from the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to the Department of Health (the function of directing and managing the work of protecting and caring for health of provincial and city officials of the Provincial Health Protection and Care Committee is transferred to the Organization Committee under the Province Party Committee, ensuring consistency with the arrangements at the central level; responsibilities for state management of drug rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation management are transferred to the Provincial/City Police under the direct management of the central government).

(4) Transfer responsibilities for state management of drug rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation management from the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to the Provincial/City Police under the direct management of the central government.

(5) Transfer the responsibility for state management of judicial records and public service provision for issuing criminal records from the Department of Justice to the Provincial/City Police under the direct management of the central government.

(6) Transfer responsibilities for examination, issuance of road motor vehicle driving licenses from the Department of Transport to the Provincial/City Police under the direct management of the central government.

(7) Transfer responsibilities for state management of network information security and safety from the Department of Information and Communications to the Provincial/City Police under the central government’s direct management.

Accordingly, according to the above Official Dispatch, the responsibility for issuing criminal records will be transferred from the Department of Justice to the Provincial/City Police under the direct management of the central government.

Which agency issues the criminal record after the downsizing in Vietnam under Official Dispatch 05/CV-BCD-TKNQ18? What is the fee for criminal record issuance? (Image from the Internet)

What is the fee for criminal record issuance in Vietnam?

The fee for criminal record issuance is stipulated in Article 4 of Circular 244/2016/TT-BTC as follows:

- The fee for providing judicial record information is 200,000 VND.

- The fee for providing judicial record information for students, individuals with meritorious service to the revolution, relatives of martyrs (including biological parents, spouses, children (both biological and adopted), and individuals who cared for martyrs) is 100,000 VND.

Note: If a requester applies for more than two criminal records in a single request, from the third card onward, an additional fee of 5,000 VND per card may be imposed to cover necessary printing costs for the criminal record template.

What is the time limit for criminal record issuance in Vietnam?

According to Article 48 of the Law on Judicial Records 2009, the time limit for criminal record issuance is as follows:

(1) The time limit for criminal record issuance is no more than 10 days from the date of receipt of a valid request;

(2) For the following cases, the time limit for criminal record issuance is no more than 15 days:

- When the person being issued the criminal record is a Vietnamese citizen who has resided in multiple locations or has lived abroad, or is a foreigner:

+ If the person being issued the criminal record has resided in multiple provinces since they were 14 years old or older, a judicial record information search is conducted at the Department of Justice where the request was received and the National Center for Judicial Records.

+ If the person being issued the criminal record is a Vietnamese citizen who has resided abroad, or a foreigner, a judicial record information search is conducted at the Department of Justice where the request was received and the National Center for Judicial Records.

- In cases requiring verification of conditions for automatic criminal record expungement as prescribed in Clause 3, Article 44 of the Law on Judicial Records 2009, the time limit is no more than 15 days.

(3) In emergency cases, the time limit for criminal record issuance is no more than 24 hours from the time of request receipt:

For procedural authorities stipulated in Clause 2, Article 7 of the Law on Judicial Records 2009 that require the issuance of a criminal record, they should send a written request to the Department of Justice where the person permanently or temporarily resides; if the residence or temporary residence of the person cannot be determined, or the person is a foreigner residing in Vietnam, the request should be sent to the National Center for Judicial Records. The written request must specify the individual's information as prescribed in Clause 1, Article 43 of the Law on Judicial Records 2009.

In emergency situations, the authorized individual from the procedural agency may request the issuance of a criminal record via phone, fax, or other means and is responsible for sending a written request within 2 working days from the day the criminal record issuance request is made.