Conversion between printed documents and data messages in Vietnam from July 01, 2024

Conversion between printed documents and data messages in Vietnam from July 01, 2024 (Image from the Internet) 

Conversion between printed documents and data messages in Vietnam from July 01, 2024

Pursuant to Article 12 of the Law on Electronic Transactions 2023 (effective from July 01, 2024), the regulations on converting forms between printed documents and data messages are as follows:

(1) Data messages converted from printed documents must meet the following requirements:

• The information in the data message must be ensured to be as integral as the paper document;
• The information in the data message must be accessible and usable for reference;
• There must be a special symbol confirming the conversion from the paper document to the data message and the information of the agency, organization, or individual performing the conversion;
• In cases where the paper document is a license, certificate, approval document, or other acknowledgment document issued by a competent authority, the conversion must meet the above requirements and must have the digital signature of the converting agency, organization, or entity unless otherwise stipulated by law. The information system for conversion must have the capability to convert printed documents to data messages.

(2) Printed documents converted from data messages must meet the following requirements:

• Information in the paper document must be ensured to be as integral as the data message;
• There must be information to identify the information system and the host of the information system that created, sent, received, and stored the original data message for retrieval;
• There must be a special symbol confirming the conversion from the data message to the paper document and the information of the agency, organization, or individual performing the conversion;
• In cases where the data message is an electronic certificate, the conversion must meet the aforementioned requirements and must have the signature and seal (if any) of the converting agency, organization, or entity according to the law. The information system for conversion must have the capability to convert data messages to printed documents.

The legal value of the converted document is determined by the relevant laws.

Data messages being as valid as originals in Vietnam from July 01, 2024

According to Article 10 of the Law on Electronic Transactions 2023, data messages will be used and have the same value as original documents if they meet the following requirements:

• The information in the data message must be ensured to be integral from the time it was first created as a complete data message.

Information in the data message is considered integral when it has not been altered, except for changes in format that arise during the process of sending, storing, or displaying the data message;

• The information in the data message must be accessible and usable in a complete form.

Data messages having the same value as written documents from July 01, 2024

• If the law requires information to be presented in written form, a data message is considered to meet this requirement if the information in that data message is accessible and usable for reference.
• If the law requires a written document to be notarized or authenticated, the data message is considered to meet this requirement if it is notarized according to the law on notarization and authenticated according to the Law on Electronic Transactions 2023 and the law on authentication.

(Article 9 of the Law on Electronic Transactions 2023)

Nguyen Ngoc Que Anh

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