Using electronic ID instead of personal papers in many procedures

This is one of the new contents added in Decree 07/2025, amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Decrees in the fields of civil status, nationality, and authentication, effective from January 9, 2025.

According to the new regulations, when carrying out procedures to authenticate contracts and transactions, in the dossier, people do not need to submit a copy of their valid identity card or passport.

Instead, the person requesting authentication only needs to present one of the following identification documents: identity card, citizen identification card, identification card, identity certificate or passport, entry and exit documents, or valid international travel documents.

With these identification documents, people can choose to present the original or a certified copy. In addition, people can also present an electronic ID (the identity of Vietnamese citizens is shown through the VNeID electronic identification account).

This means that when performing contract and transaction authentication procedures, you only need to bring your phone with the VNeID application installed, because according to current regulations, checking information and documents that have been authenticated on the VNeID application has the same value as checking those documents directly.

Decree 07 also allows citizens to present electronic identification cards instead of traditional identification papers in a series of procedures including: Request for household registration, issuance of copies of household registration extracts, Procedures for issuing copies from original books, Procedures for certifying signatures, Procedures for certifying translators' signatures, and Issuing certified copies from originals of certified contracts and transactions.

When registering a household registration, issuing a copy of a household registration extract, or registering a birth, if a citizen has submitted an electronic copy of a Birth Certificate, Death Certificate, or the household registration agency has exploited the digitally signed electronic data of these documents, the citizen does not have to submit a paper copy.

Previous regulations required people to submit originals or substitute documents for these papers.

The People's Committee of the commune is certified copies of documents issued by foreign agencies.

Clause 1, Article 1 of Decree 07 has amended and supplemented the authority and responsibility of the People's Committee at the commune level to certify. Accordingly, the People's Committee at the commune level has the authority and responsibility to certify copies from the originals of documents and papers issued or certified by competent agencies and organizations of Vietnam; competent agencies and organizations of foreign countries; competent agencies and organizations of Vietnam in association with competent agencies and organizations of foreign countries.

According to the old regulations (Decree No. 23/2015), the People's Committee at the commune level only certifies copies from the original documents and papers issued or certified by competent authorities of Vietnam.

"Troubleshooting" for people who have registered permanent residence in many places

Regarding the request for a certificate of marital status, Decree 07 has amended and supplemented the old regulations, "resolving the problem" for those who need this type of document but have registered permanent residence in many places.

Specifically, in this case, citizens can provide documents proving their marital status at their previous place of residence (if any). Based on the information provided, the civil registration agency will look up information about that person's marital status on the provincial administrative procedure settlement information system, through connection with the Electronic Civil Status Database and the National Population Database.

In case the search cannot be done because there is no information in the Database, the civil registration agency must request the People's Committee of the commune where the person previously resided to verify and provide information.

Within 3 working days from the date of receipt of the verification request, the People's Committee of the commune where the verification request is received is responsible for checking, verifying and sending the results on the marital status of that person.

The new regulation has simplified administrative procedures for both citizens and local civil status judicial officials.