Proposal to issue electronic criminal record certificates, removing administrative boundary barriers.
The draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Criminal Records adds provisions on electronic criminal record certificates and allows citizens to submit applications for certificates in any locality, regardless of administrative boundaries.
On the morning of October 27th, entering its second week of work, the 10th Session of the 15th National Assembly held a plenary session in the Assembly Hall, chaired by Comrade Tran Thanh Man - Member of the Political Bureau and Chairman of the National Assembly.
The delegation of National Assembly deputies from Nghe An province included Ms. Vo Thi Minh Sinh - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province, Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An province, and other delegates attending the meeting.
There is no distinction based on administrative boundaries when requesting a criminal record certificate.
The National Assembly heard the presentation and the review report on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Criminal Records.
The draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Criminal Records consists of 3 articles. Article 1 amends and supplements 21 out of 57 articles; adds 2 new articles; and repeals 5 out of 57 articles of the current Law on Criminal Records. Articles 2 and 3 stipulate the implementing and transitional provisions.
Notably, the draft Law stipulates several provisions regarding the reduction and simplification of administrative procedures and the decentralization and delegation of authority. Accordingly, it adds regulations on electronic criminal record certificates, diversifies methods for issuing criminal record certificates, and reduces the issuance time to 5 days.
Simultaneously, regulations have been added regarding the non-discrimination based on administrative boundaries in the application for criminal record certificates, whereby individuals have the right to submit applications for criminal record certificates directly to any provincial or commune-level police station.
To enhance decentralization and delegation of authority in handling administrative procedures for issuing criminal record certificates, the draft Law has added provisions on decentralizing the authority to commune-level police in receiving and returning results of administrative procedures in the field of criminal records.
According to the Government's submission, the amendment and supplementation of the 2009 Law on Criminal Records aims to implement the Party and State's policies and directives on transferring the State management of criminal records and the provision of public services for issuing Criminal Record Certificates from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Public Security.
In conjunction with that, we will promote the application of science and technology in building the criminal record database and issuing criminal record certificates; overcome obstacles and inadequacies in the management model of the criminal record database, and limit the abuse of the right to request criminal record certificate No. 2,...
Simultaneously, amending and supplementing the Law on Criminal Records also aims to institutionalize the Party and State's policy of streamlining the political system's apparatus and reforming the administration to serve the people, organizations, and businesses.
The government stated that in the future, after the criminal record database and related information fields have been fully updated and completed to ensure accuracy, completeness, cleanliness, viability, consistency, and shared use, and comprehensive connection with the national population database, agencies and organizations can access criminal record information in the electronic identification and authentication system, or individuals can present their verified criminal records through the national identification application to handle administrative procedures.
In that case, individuals would no longer need to request a criminal record certificate, there would be no need for separate regulations on criminal record certificates, and a review and revision of the Law on Criminal Records would be conducted to abolish it.
We agree to submit it to the National Assembly for consideration and approval using the simplified procedure.
The National Assembly's Committee on Law and Justice, in its report on the draft Law on Criminal Records (amended), highly appreciated the Government's proactive research and proposals of many new contents aimed at improving the effectiveness of state management of criminal records and improving the quality of public services in issuing criminal record certificates.
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Agreeing with the scope and content of the amendments and additions submitted by the Government, the Committee on Law and Justice concurs on the inclusion of a provision allowing the issuance of electronic criminal record certificates.
Accordingly, the electronic criminal record certificate has the same legal validity as the paper certificate, ensuring compliance with regulations on handling administrative procedures in an electronic environment and meeting the requirements of developing a digital government and a digital society.
Accordingly, criminal record certificates are issued to citizens primarily in electronic form, integrated into the national electronic identification and authentication system (VNeID).
In cases where individuals require it, the competent authority will still issue paper copies to ensure convenience for citizens and in accordance with the requirements of Directive No. 24/CT-TTg dated September 13, 2025, of the Prime Minister…
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In addition, the National Assembly's Committee on Law and Justice also mentioned several issues that need further refinement before being submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval at this session, following a simplified procedure.
Also on this morning's agenda, the National Assembly heard presentations and reports on the review of the following draft laws: the Law on the Execution of Temporary Detention, Custody, and Prohibition from Leaving the Place of Residence; the Law on the Execution of Criminal Sentences (amended); and heard reports explaining, accepting, and revising four draft laws: the Law on Extradition; the Law on the Transfer of Persons Serving Prison Sentences; the Law on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters; and the Law on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil Matters. These four draft laws were then discussed in the plenary session.
Later that afternoon, the National Assembly heard presentations and reports on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Intellectual Property; and discussed in the plenary session some remaining points of disagreement in the draft Law on Emergency Situations.
