Certified Copy of Document and Essential Regulations

1. Procedure for Certifying Copies from Originals

The requester for certification must present the original document or text as the basis for certifying the copy and the copy that needs certification.

In cases where personal identification documents issued by competent authorities of foreign countries to individuals, such as passports, identity cards, or other documents such as resident cards, residence permits, driver's licenses, diplomas, certificates, and transcripts attached to diplomas and certificates, consular legalization is not required when certifying copies from originals.

Generally, certification of foreign language documents is within the jurisdiction of the District Justice Office in districts, district-level towns, provincial-level cities, or at Vietnamese diplomatic missions with consular functions abroad.

If the requester for certification only presents the original document, the certifying agency or organization will photocopy it for certification, except when the agency or organization does not have the means to make copies.

The certification officer will check the original, compare it with the copy, and if the copy matches the original, will proceed with the certification as follows:

- Complete the certification statement for copies from originals as per the prescribed form;- Sign, clearly state their full name, affix the certifying agency’s seal, and enter it into the certification register;- If the copy has two or more pages, the certification statement is noted at the end of the last page, and when there are two or more sheets, each sheet must be sealed across.

2. Processing Time for Certification Requests

According to Article 7 of Decree 23/2015/ND-CP, certification requests are guaranteed to be processed within the day or the next working day, except for contract and transaction certifications which are processed within 2 days.

3. Validity Period of Certified Copies

Currently, the law does not specifically stipulate the validity period of certified copies, so it can be understood that the validity of certified copies is unlimited.

However, based on practical application, the validity period of a certified copy will depend on the validity period of the original. If the original document is of a permanent nature and has unlimited validity, then the certified copy has unlimited validity; conversely, if the original document is subject to change and has a specified validity period, then the certified copy will be valid for the same period as the original.

4. Legal Value of Certified Copies

Clause 1, Article 3 of Decree 23/2015/ND-CP states clearly: “Copies issued from the original register have the same legal value as the original in transactions, except where otherwise stipulated by law.”

5. Certification Fees

Fees for certifying copies from originals: 2,000 VND/page. From the third page onward, 1,000 VND/page, but the total fee must not exceed 200,000 VND/document. Pages are counted based on the pages of the original.

Fees for certifying signatures: 10,000 VND/case. A case is understood to be one or multiple signatures on the same document or text.

Fees for certifying contracts and transactions:

- Certifying contracts and transactions: 50,000 VND/contract, transaction;- Certifying amendments, supplements, cancellations of contracts and transactions: 30,000 VND/contract, transaction;- Correcting errors in already certified contracts and transactions: 25,000 VND/contract, transaction.

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