Decree 280/2025/ND-CP amend Decree 23/2015/ND-CP certification of copies from originals, certification of contracts and transactions

DECREE

Amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 23/2015/ND-CP on grant of duplicates from master registers, certification of copies from originals, certification of signatures and certification of contracts and transactions, as amended and supplemented under Decree No. 07/2025/ND-CP

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government No. 63/2025/QH15;

At the proposal of the Minister of Justice;

The Government hereby promulgates the Decree amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 23/2015/ND-CP on grant of duplicates from master registers, certification of copies from originals, certification of signatures and certification of contracts and transactions, as amended and supplemented under Decree No. 07/2025/ND-CP.

Article 1. Amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 23/2015/ND-CP on grant of duplicates from master registers, certification of copies from originals, certification of signatures and certification of contracts and transactions, as amended and supplemented under Decree No. 07/2025/ND-CP

1. To amend and supplement Clauses 2, 3, 4 and 9, Article 2 as follows:

“2. “Certification of a copy from the original” means that a competent agency or organization or person prescribed in this Decree bases itself on the original to certify that copies from the original are true.

3. “Certification of a signature” means that a competent agency or organization or person prescribed in this Decree certifies that the signature on a paper or document is that of the certification requester.

4. “Certification of a transaction” means that a competent person defined in this Decree certifies the time and place of making a civil transaction, the civil act capacity, willingness, signatures or fingerprints of parties to that civil transaction.

9. “Certifiers” include chairpersons of People’s Committees of communes, wards or special zones (hereinafter referred to as commune-level People’s Committees); persons authorized or assigned to perform certification tasks as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 5 of this Decree; notaries of public and private notary offices (hereinafter referred to as notarial practice organizations); diplomatic officers and consuls of Vietnamese diplomatic missions, consulates and other agencies authorized to perform the consular function overseas (hereinafter referred to as representative missions).”.

2. To amend and supplement Article 5 as follows:

“Article 5. Certification competence and responsibility

1. Chairpersons of commune-level People’s Council shall have the following competence and responsibilities:

a) To certify copies from originals of papers and documents granted or certified by competent Vietnamese or foreign agencies or organizations; or jointly granted or certified by competent Vietnamese and foreign agencies or organizations;

b) To certify signatures on papers and documents;

c) To certify signatures of translators on papers and documents translated from foreign languages into Vietnamese or vice versa;

d) To certify transactions involving movable assets;

dd) To certify transactions related to the land use rights prescribed by the land law;

e) To certify housing transactions in accordance with the housing law;

g) To certify testaments;

h) To certify written disclaims of inheritance;

i) To certify written agreements on division of inheritances being the assets prescribed at Points d, dd and e of this Clause.

2. The Chairperson of the commune-level People’s Committee shall direct and organize the performance of certification activities prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article within the locality.

The authorization and assignment to perform the certification affairs prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article and the signing and use of seals in the course of certification shall comply with the law on organization of local administrations, the law on organization of specialized agencies under the commune-level People’s Committees, and relevant laws.

3. Representative missions shall have the competence and responsibility to certify the affairs prescribed at Points a, b, and c, Clause 1 of this Article. Diplomats and consuls shall sign for certification and affix the seals of their representative missions.

4. Notaries shall have the competence and responsibility to certify the affairs prescribed at Points a, b and c, Clause 1, of this Article, sign for certification and affix seals of their notarial practice organizations.

5. Certification shall not depend on the place of residence of the certification requester in the following cases:

a) Certification of copies from originals and certification of signatures;

b) Certification of transactions involving movable assets;

c) Certification of testaments and written disclaims of inheritance;

d) Certification of powers of attorney related to the exercise of land use rights and housing rights;

dd) Certification of modification, supplementation, or cancellation of transactions prescribed at Points b, c, and d of this Clause.

6. Certification of transactions related to land use rights shall be carried out at the commune-level People’s Committee of the locality where the land is located, and certification of transactions concerning houses shall be carried out at the commune-level People’s Committee of the locality where the house is located, except for the cases specified in Clause 5 of this Article.”.

3. To amend and supplement Article 6 as follows:

“Article 6. Responsibilities of agencies and organizations in receiving copies, papers and documents issued in electronic form

1. When submission of copies is prescribed by law, agencies and organizations receiving copies may not request submission of certified copies but may only request submission of the originals, or duplicates from master registers for comparison, or conduct verification when there are grounds to believe that the copies are counterfeit or illegal.

2. When submission of duplicates from master registers or certified copies is required by law, the receiving agencies and organizations may not request submission of the originals for comparison unless they have grounds to believe that duplicates or copies are counterfeit or illegal and, in this case, they may request submission of the originals for comparison or conduct verification when necessary.

3. When papers or documents are electronically as prescribed by law, agencies and organizations shall receive and use such electronic documents, and may not require the submission of paper-based documents or certified copies; unless they have grounds to believe that the electronic documents are counterfeit or illegal and, in this case, they shall handle the matter within their competence or report to a competent agency for settlement.”.

4. To add Clauses 8 and 9 to Article 9 as follows:

“8. Not to require the certification requester to submit or present originals or copies of papers or documents that have been integrated into the VNeID application when the certification requester has presented the corresponding information from the VNeID.

9. In case the certification requester so requests and the certifier is able to retrieve information or papers from the National Population Database or other databases as prescribed by law, the certifier shall be responsible for retrieving such information or papers from those databases, and shall not require the certification requester to present originals, duplicates from master registers, or certified copies of the information or papers that have already been retrieved.”.

5. To amend and supplement Clause 2, Article 12 as follows:

“2. The forms of certification statement promulgated together with this Decree include:

a) Statement of certification of copy from the original;

b) Statement of certification of signature of a person on a paper or document; statement of certification of a person on a paper or document at the Public Administrative Service Center; statement of certification of signatures or fingerprints of many persons on a paper or document; statement of certification of signatures or fingerprints of many persons on a paper or document at the Public Administrative Service Center; statement of certification of fingerprint; statement of certification in case where the certification requester is unable to sign or make a fingerprint;

c) Statement of certification of signature of translator;

d) Statement of certification of a transaction; statement of certification of a transaction at the Public Administrative Service Center; statement of certification of a written agreement on division of inheritance; statement of certification of a written agreement on division of inheritance at the Public Administrative Service Center; statement of certification of a written disclaimer of inheritance; statement of certification of a written disclaimer of inheritance in case where two or more persons jointly disclaim inheritance; statement of certification of a written disclaimer of inheritance in case where one person disclaims inheritance at the Public Administrative Service Center; statement of certification of a written disclaimer of inheritance in case where two or more persons jointly disclaim inheritance at the Public Administrative Service Center; statement of certification of a testament; statement of certification of a testament at the Public Administrative Service Center.”.

6. To amend and supplement Clause 4, Article 13 as follows:

“4. The forms of certification register promulgated together with this Decree include:

a) Register of certification of copies from originals (SCT/BS);

b) Register of certification of signatures/fingerprints (SCT/CK,DC);

c) Register of certification of signatures of translators (SCT/CKND);

d) Register of certification of transactions (SCT/GD).”.

7. To amend and supplement Article 17 as follows:

“Article 17. Procedures for grant of duplicates from master registers

1. A dossier for grant of duplicates from master registers must comprise the following documents:

a) Any of the following papers: the electronic identity card; the original or copy of the citizen identity card, identity card, identity certificate, passport, immigration paper, or international travel document which remains valid;

b) The original or a certified copy of the paper proving the relationship with the person who has been granted the original in cases prescribed in Clauses 2 and 3, Article 16 of this Decree.

2. Methods of carrying out the procedures for grant of a duplicate from the master register:

a) In case of direct submission of the dossier to the competent agency or organization, the requester shall present the papers prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article for verification by the dossier-receiving officer;

b) In case of submission of the dossier via postal service, the requester shall enclose the dossier prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article and one stamped envelope clearly stating the full name and address of the recipient;

c) In case of online submission of the dossier, the requester may submit electronic copies or digital copies of the papers prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article.

3. An agency or organization shall grant duplicates based on the master register. The contents of a copy must be exactly as written in the master register. In case the master register is no longer kept or the master register does not contain the information requested, the agency or organization shall issue a written reply to the requester.

Results shall be notified directly, via postal service, or online according to the method registered by the requester.

4. The time limit for grant of duplicates from master registers must comply with Article 7 of this Decree. The time limit shall be counted from the date on which the agency or organization receives a complete and valid dossier directly, according to the postal arrival mark, or according to the time recorded by the public service system confirming receipt of a complete and valid dossier.”.

8. To amend and supplement Article 19 as follows:

“Article 19. Responsibilities of certification requesters and certifiers of copies from originals

1. A requester of certification of copies shall take responsibility for the contents, validity and lawfulness of the original paper or document used as the basis for certification of copies, and shall take responsibility for determining the types of papers or documents that are required to be certified as copies from the original in accordance with law, and may not request certification of copies for the original paper or document prescribed in Article 22 of this Decree.

2. A certifier shall take responsibility for the trueness of copies to their originals. In case where the certifier determines that the law does not provide for the use of papers or documents certified as copies from originals, the certifier shall provide guidance to the requester for certification regarding this matter.”.

9. To amend and supplement Article 28 as follows:

“Article 28. Translation collaborators

1. Persons who satisfy the criteria and conditions prescribed in Article 27 of this Decree may act as translation collaborators of commune-level People's Committees and notarial practice organizations nationwide.

2. Commune-level People's Committees and notarial practice organizations shall examine criteria and conditions of translation collaborators, sign translation collaboration contracts with translators, which must clearly state responsibilities of the translators for the translation contents and quality, and make a list of their translation collaborators and report it to provincial-level Justice Departments for approval.

3. Commune-level People's Committees, commune-level Public Administrative Service Centers and notarial practice organizations shall post up at theirs offices the list of translation collaborators approved by the provincial-level Justice Departments, and at the same time, regularly update such list on the Justice Departments’ e-portals or websites.”.

10. To amend and supplement Article 29 as follows:

“Article 29. Registration of specimen signatures

A translation collaborator of a commune-level People's Committee shall register his/her specimen signature with the latter; while the translation collaborator of a notarial practice organization shall register his/her specimen signature at the notarial practice organization. Upon signature registration, the translator shall submit a written registration of specimen signature and sign 3 identical signatures in this registration in the presence of the Chairperson of the commune-level People's Committee or a person authorized by the Chairperson of the commune-level People's Committee, the head of the public or private notary office.”.

11. To amend and supplement Article 31 as follows:

“Article 31. Procedures for certification of signatures of translators

1. A translation collaborator of a commune-level People's Committee or notarial practice organization who requests certification of his/her signature shall produce the translation and the translated paper or document.

Before making certification, a certifier shall check the signature of the translator in the translation against his/her specimen signature. In case doubtful about the signature in the translation against the specimen signature, the certifier shall request the translator to sign in the certifier’s presence.

2. A person other than a translation collaborator of a commune-level People's Committee or notarial practice organization who himself/herself translates a paper or document for personal use and requests certification of his/her signature in the translation shall produce the following papers:

a) Any of the following papers: the electronic identity card; the original or copy of the citizen identity card, identity card, identity certificate, passport, immigration paper, or international travel document which remains valid;

b) The original or a duplicate from the master register or a certified copy of one of the papers specified in Clause 2, Article 27 of this Decree, except in case of translation from or into an unpopular language in which the translator does not hold a bachelor or tertiary degree but is proficient in such language.

An unpopular language means a language that is rarely used in papers or documents in Vietnam and that few persons are capable of translating into or from Vietnamese. The translator must prove that he/she has lived, studied, or worked in an environment where such unpopular language is used, must provide a written commitment confirming proficiency in that language, and shall take responsibility for the contents of the translation.

c) The translation enclosed with the translated paper or document.

The certification requester shall sign in the presence of the certifier, except in the case prescribed in Clause 3, Article 24 of this Decree.

3. A certifier shall examine the paper to be certified, depending on each case, if finding all the papers required under Clause 1 or 2 of this Article are complete and the translated paper or document does not fall into the cases prescribed in Article 32 of this Decree, the certifier shall make certification as follows:

a) Writing the full statement of certification of the signature of a translator according to the set form;

b) Signing, clearly writing his/her full name, affixing the seal of the certification agency or organization and recording in the certification register.

For a translated paper or document with 2 or more pages, each page must be numbered consecutively and signed by both the translator and the certifier; the number of pages and sheets, together with the certification statement, shall be indicated on the last page of the translation or on the page immediately following the last page of the translation; if the paper or document consists of two or more sheets, a seal shall be appended on every two adjoining pages.

4. In case the translator is a diplomat or consul who is concurrently the certifier at a representative mission, this person shall commit to having translated accurately the contents of the paper or document; sign, write his/her full name and affix the seal of the representative mission to the translation.”.

12. To amend and supplement Clause 1, Article 36 as follows:

“1. A certification requester shall submit one of the following papers: the electronic identity card; the original or copy of the citizen identity card, identity card, identity certificate, passport, immigration paper, or international travel document which remains valid; and one set of dossiers of request for certification, comprising the following papers:

a) The draft transaction;

b) The ownership or use right certificate or a substitute paper as prescribed by law for the asset subject to ownership or use right registration under law in case the transaction is related to that asset; except in the case the life of the testament maker is being threatened.

The procedures for certification of a transaction as prescribed in this Article shall be carried out directly, via postal service, or online in the electronic environment.

The paper specified at Point b of this Clause shall be the original, a certified copy, or an electronic copy certified from the original; in case of direct submission of the dossier, the requester for certification may submit a copy accompanied by the presentation of the original for comparison.”.

13. To add Clause 3, Article 38 as follows: 

“3. The procedures for certification of modification or cancellation of a transaction as prescribed in this Article shall be carried out directly, via postal service, or online in the electronic environment.”.

14. To add Clause 3, Article 39 as follows:

“3. The procedures for correction of errors in certified transactions as prescribed in this Article shall be carried out directly, via postal service, or online in the electronic environment, and the results shall be notified directly or through the public postal service.”.

15. To amend and supplement Article 43 as follows:

“Article 43. Responsibilities of People’s Committees at all levels for certification

1. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall perform the state management of certification in their localities, having the following tasks and powers:

a) To organize the implementation of legal documents on certification in their localities;

b) To provide guidance and professional training in certification for certification officers of commune-level People’s Committees and notaries of notarial practice organizations;

c) To organize the dissemination and public communication of legal provisions on certification; to adopt measures to redress the abuse of the requirement for certified copies of papers and documents upon carrying out administrative procedures in their localities;

d) To apply information technology to certification and state management of certification within their localities, to meet requirements on information supply and exchange;

dd) To supervise and inspect certification activities of commune-level People’s Committees and notarial practice organizations in their localities;

e) To compile and post the list of persons authorized to sign certifications on behalf of commune-level People’s Committees on e-portals or websites of the provincial-level Justice Departments and to update this list upon any change;

g) To settle complaints, denunciations, petitions, and reports of individuals and organizations, and handle certification-related administrative violations according to their competence;

h) To consider the transfer of all or part of the certification of copies from originals and certification of signatures to notarial practice organizations in communes where at least one notarial practice organization is operating stably and effectively at the time of transfer, provided that such organizations are reasonably distributed and convenient for individuals and organizations requesting certification in localities;

i) To review the situation of, and make statistics on, certification in their localities and report them to the Ministry of Justice according to regulations.

Provincial-level Justice Departments shall assist provincial-level People’s Committees in performing the tasks specified at Points a, b, c, d, e, g, h and i of this Clause, and examine certification activities of commune-level People’s Committees and notarial practice organizations in localities.

2. Commune-level People’s Committees shall perform the state management of certification within their localities, having the following tasks and powers:

a) To manage the performance of the certification tasks specified in this Decree;

b) To organize public information on, and mobilize people to observe, the law on certification;

c) To grant certified copies from certified original transactions;

d) To settle complaints, denunciations, petitions, and reports of individuals and organizations, and handle certification-related administrative violations according to their competence;

dd) To review the situation of, and make statistics on, certification and report them to the provincial-level Justice Departments according to regulations. 

Offices of e People’s Councils and People’s Committees shall coordinate with Public Administrative Service Centers to assist the commune-level People’s Committees in performing the tasks prescribed at Points a, b, and c of this Clause.

Chairpersons of commune-level People’s Committees, and persons authorized or assigned to perform certification tasks in accordance with Clause 2, Article 5 of this Decree, must notify the provincial-level Justice Departments of their specimen signatures used for certification.”.

16. To amend and supplement Article 47 as follows:

“Article 47. Transitional provisions

1. For transactions certified by Justice Divisions or commune-level People’s Committees before July 01, 2025, the modification, or cancellation of certified transactions, correction of errors in certified transactions, and the issuance of certified copies from certified original transactions shall be carried out at the commune-level People’s Committees that keep the certified transaction dossiers. 

2. Registers of certification of copies from originals, registers of certification of signatures/fingerprints, registers of certification of translators’ signatures, and registers of certification of transactions established before the effective date of this Decree shall continue to be used until December 31, 2025.”.

Article 2. Replacing a number of phrases and appendices of Decree No. 23/2015/ND-CP on grant of duplicates from master registers, certification of copies from originals, certification of signatures and certification of contracts and transactions, as amended and supplemented under Decree No. 07/2025/ND-CP

1. To replace the following phrases:

a) To replace the phrase “The original or a certified copy of his/her people’s identity card/citizen’s identity card/identity card/identity certificate/passport/immigration paper/international travel document which remains valid, or an electronic identity card” at Point a, Clause 1, Article 24 and Clause 2, Article 40, with the phrase “any of the following papers: the electronic identity card; the original or copy of the citizen identity card, identity card, identity certificate, passport, immigration paper, or international travel document which remains valid”.

b) To replace the phrase “people’s identity card/citizen’s identity card/identity card/electronic identity card/identity certificate or passport/immigration paper/international travel document” in Clause 2, Article 25 with the phrase “electronic identity card, citizen’s identity card, identity card, identity certificate, passport, immigration paper or international travel document”.

c) To replace the phrase “contracts or transactions” with the phrase “transactions” in the title of the Decree, title of Chapter III, and in Article 1; Clause 8, Article 2; the title of Article 3, and Clause 4, Article 3; Clause 3, Article 9; Clause 1, Article 10; Article 11; Clause 3, Article 14; Clause 4, Article 25 and Articles 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40.

d) To replace the phrase “fees” with the phrase “charges” in Clause 3, Article 10; Clause 4, Article 14; the title of Article 15, and Clauses 1, 2, Article 15.

2. To replace appendices on forms of certification statement and forms of certification register, to Decree No. 23/2015/ND-CP on grant of duplicates from master registers, certification of copies from originals, certification of signatures and certification of contracts and transactions, as amended and supplemented under Decree No. 07/2025/ND-CP, with appendices on forms of certification statement and forms of certification register to this Decree.

Article 3. Effect

1. This Decree takes effect from November 01, 2025.

2. To annul the concerned provisions:

a) Article 1 of Decree No. 07/2025/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decrees concerning to civil status, citizenship and certification;

b) Articles 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and Clause 2, Article 24 of Decree No. 120/2025/ND-CP providing regulations on delineation of authority of two-tier local administrations under the Ministry of Justice's state management;

c) Article 64 of Decree No. 104/2025/ND-CP detailing a number of articles of, and providing measures to implement, the Law on Notarization.

Article 4. Implementation responsibility

1. The Minister of Justice shall organize the implementation of this Decree.

2. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this Decree.