Ministry of Justice of Vietnam: No regulations on validity period of certified copies

Hello, Lawnet would like to address your inquiry as follows:

The Ministry of Justice of Vietnam received a petition from a citizen regarding the duration of use and legal value of a certified copy from the original via the National Public Service Portal.

Therefore, on September 23, 2022, the Ministry issued Official Dispatch No. 3574/BTP-HTQTCT to respond to the aforementioned citizen petition.

The Ministry of Justice of Vietnam states that the certification law does not stipulate the duration of use of certified copies from the original. According to Clause 2, Article 3 of Decree 23/2015/ND-CP on issuing copies from original registers, certifying copies from originals, certifying signatures, and certifying contracts and transactions, a certified copy from the original has the same legal value as the original used for verification in transactions, unless otherwise provided by law.

Thus, a certified copy from the original has the same legal value as the original used for verification at the time of certification. In the event of changes to the information or content of the original, the previously certified copy no longer holds the same legal value as the current original. Additionally, when carrying out administrative procedures, if sector-specific laws provide different regulations, those will prevail.

Article 3 of Decree 23/2015/ND-CP stipulates the legal value of copies issued from original registers, certified copies from originals, certified signatures, and certified contracts and transactions as follows:

- Copies issued from original registers have the same legal value as the originals in transactions, unless otherwise provided by law.

- Certified copies from originals according to this Decree have the same legal value as the originals used for verification in transactions, unless otherwise provided by law.

- Certified signatures according to this Decree serve as proof that the requester has signed such signature and form the basis for determining the signer's responsibility for the content of the documents or papers.

- Certified contracts and transactions according to this Decree serve as evidence of the time, location where the parties signed the contract or transaction, their civil capacity, voluntary intention, and the signatures or fingerprints of the parties involved.

Best regards!

Please Login to be able to download