4 outstanding new policies taking effect from the beginning of April 2018

1. Cases where credit institutions disburse loan capital in cash

This is the highlight of Circular 21/2017/TT-NHNN on regulations on loan disbursement methods of credit institutions and foreign bank branches to customers.

Accordingly, credit institutions are considered to decide to disburse loan capital in cash in the following cases:

Customers make payments to beneficiaries (excluding legal entities) that do not have a payment account at a payment service provider;

The customer is a beneficiary (excluding legal entities) that meets the following conditions:

+ No payment account at a payment service provider;

+ Has advanced own capital to pay for expenses related to the business plan or project or life-serving plan or project decided to lend by the lending credit institution according to the provisions of law.

The customer must send to the lending credit institution a written commitment from the beneficiary that the beneficiary does not have a payment account at the payment service provider.

Circular 21/2017/TT-NHNN takes effect from April 2, 2018.

2. Responsibility for reporting environmental protection work for construction industry production facilities

From April 1, 2018, Circular 02/2018/TT-BXD regulating environmental protection in construction works and reporting regime on environmental protection work in the construction industry comes into effect.

Accordingly, it is stipulated that establishments producing construction materials, exploiting minerals for construction materials, and manufacturing construction mechanical products are responsible for reporting on environmental protection work as follows:

- Prepare environmental protection work reports according to the form in Appendix 1 issued with this Circular periodically once a year and send them to the Department of Construction before December 31 every year.

- Update and store information and data of environmental protection reports at the website address: http://dulieumoitruong.xaydung.gov.vn.

3. Issuing new national technical regulations in the field of road traffic

Circular 31/2017/TT-BGTVT (effective from April 1, 2018) promulgates a number of new national technical regulations on spare parts of road motor vehicles, specifically:

- Technical regulation No. QCVN 32:2017/BGTVT on safety glass of automobiles.

- Technical regulation No. QCVN 34:2017/BGTVT on pneumatic tires of automobiles.

- Technical regulation No. QCVN 35:2017/BGTVT on optical characteristics of front lights of road motor vehicles,

At the same time, this Circular also abolishes Clauses 1 and 3, Article 1 of Circular 57/2011/TT-BGTVT and Clause 1, Article 1 of Circular 39/2010/TT-BGTVT.

4. Types of organizations providing consulting and copyright and related rights services

According to Decree 22/2018/ND-CP (effective from April 10, 2018) on guidelines for the 2005 Law on Intellectual Property (amended and supplemented in 2009), copyright and related rights consulting and service organizations include:

Enterprises are established and operate in accordance with the law on enterprises.

Cooperatives and cooperative unions are established and operate under the law on cooperatives.

Public service unit.

Law practice organizations are established and operate according to the law on lawyers, except:

+ Branch of foreign law practice organization;

+ 100% foreign-owned limited liability law firm;

+ Limited liability law firm in the form of a joint venture between a Vietnamese law practice organization and a foreign law practice organization.