Regulations on grant of licenses for establishment of Vietnam-based representative offices of foreign publishing houses

According to Decree No. 150/2018/NĐ-CP of Vietnam’s Government, the application for the license for establishment of representative office shall be made in Vietnamese (if a foreign language document is submitted, it must be translated into Vietnamese and legally notarized) and submitted to the Ministry of Information and Communications. The application includes:

- The application form for the license; the written certification granted by a foreign competent authority certifying that the publishing house or the publication distribution company (the applicant) lawfully operates in the country where its head office is located;

- The certified copies or the copies presented with their originals for verification purpose of bachelor’s degree or academic qualifications of higher level, the criminal record and the family register or documents proving the lawful residence in Vietnam of the head of the representative office, issued by competent authorities of Vietnam.

Within 20 business days from the receipt of a complete application, the Ministry of Information and Communications shall issue the license for establishment of the representative office to the applicant; in case of refusal, a written response in which reasons for such refusal are indicated must be given to the applicant.

If an application submitted through the Internet or postal service is incomplete or contains incorrect forms of documents, within 03 business days from the receipt of the application, the Ministry of Information and Communications (the Agency of Publication, Print and Release) shall inform and instruct the applicant to modify the application either by telephone, email or fax.

A license for establishment of representative office is valid for 05 years from the date of issue and may be extended provided that each extension shall not exceed 05 years.

View more details at Decree No. 150/2018/NĐ-CP of Vietnam’s Government, effective from December 24, 2018.

-Thao Uyen-

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