Procedures for issuance of licenses to use military weapons in Vietnam from January 1, 2025

Procedures for issuance of licenses to use military weapons from January 1, 2025 (Image from Internet)

The Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024 was passed by the 15th National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 7th session on June 29, 2024.

What are military weapons under the law in Vietnam?

According to Clause 2 Article 2 of the Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024, military weapons include:

(i) Handguns, shoulder-fired guns, light weapons, heavy weapons, ammunition for these types of weapons; various types of bombs, mines, grenades, torpedoes, naval mines, and other weapons listed by the Minister of National Defense, equipped for the people's armed forces and other forces as prescribed by the Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024;

(ii) Shotguns, compressed air guns, compressed gas guns, ammunition for these types of guns listed by the Minister of Public Security;

(iii) Weapons stipulated in point (a) clause 4 Article 2 of the Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024, equipped for the people's armed forces and other forces as prescribed by the Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024 to perform national security protection missions, ensure order and social safety;

(iv) Hunting rifles, weapons specified in point (a) clause 4, weapons specified in point (a) clause 5, and high-lethality knives specified in clause 6 Article 2 of the Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024 used for illegal purposes to endanger human life and health;

(v) Essential components of guns specified in (i) include: gun barrel, receiver, trigger mechanism, bolt, firing pin;

(vi) Essential components of guns specified in (ii) include: gun barrel, trigger mechanism;

(vii) Other weapons with similar features, effects, and capabilities to those specified in (i) or (ii), not listed by the Minister of National Defense or Minister of Public Security.

Procedures for issuance of licenses to use military weapons in Vietnam from January 1, 2025

Specifically: Article 21 of the Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024 stipulates the procedure for issuing licenses to use military weapons in Vietnam from January 1, 2025, as follows:

(1) The procedure for issuing licenses to use military weapons for entities not under the management scope of the Ministry of National Defense is as follows:

(i) The application includes: a written request specifying the name, address of the agency or unit, full name, personal identification number or passport number of the person contacting, quantity, type, country of manufacture, brand, serial number, and mark of each military weapon; copies of the invoice, delivery note, or documents proving the lawful origin and source;

(ii) Reissuing licenses for using military weapons in cases of changes in information related to the agency or unit, or loss, damage of the license.

The request document for reissuing the license must specify the name, address of the agency or unit; reason for reissuing; quantity, type, country of manufacture, brand, serial number, and mark of each military weapon; full name, personal identification number, or passport number of the person contacting. In cases of loss or damage, the request document must clearly state the reason for the loss or damage and the handling result;

(iii) The application and documents specified in (i) and (ii) must be submitted to the competent police agency as prescribed by the Minister of Public Security;

(iv) Within 07 working days from the date of receiving a complete application, the competent police agency shall conduct an actual inspection and issue a license for using military weapons; in case of refusal, it must provide a written response stating the reasons;

(v) The license for using military weapons is only granted to equipped agencies and units and has no expiry.

(2) The procedure for issuing licenses to use military weapons for entities under the management scope of the People's Army, Militia, Coast Guard, and Cipher is carried out in accordance with the regulations of the Minister of National Defense.

More details can be found in the Law on management and use of weapons, explosives and combat gears 2024 which comes into force in Vietnam from January 1, 2025.

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE