Vietnam Issues Draft Rules on Foreigner’s Electronic Identification Registration
Vietnam has issued draft rules on electronic identification (e-ID) and authentication, which will apply to both foreign and domestic entities involved in registration procedures. It replaces Decree 59/2022/ND-CP after coming into effect on July 1, 2024, and incorporates many existing regulations.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has released a draft decree regulating procedures for the registration of foreigners’ electronic identification (“e-ID”), which allows foreign individuals and companies to provide verified information on themselves when conducting online tasks and procedures. The draft decree, officially titled the , applies to both foreign organizations and individuals, as well as Vietnamese agencies and organizations handling the registration procedures. When passed, the new decree will replace the current passed in September 2022. Many of the regulations stipulated in the draft decree feature in Decree 59/2022/ND-CP, and are therefore already in effect. The draft decree will come into force on July 1, 2024.
What is an e-ID?
E-ID is defined in the draft decree and the current Decree 59/2022/ND-CP as information about an individual or an organization that is stored on a digital system to enable unique identification of the user.- Level 1 e-ID accounts for individuals;
- Level 2 e-ID accounts for individuals; and
- Level 2 e-ID accounts for organizations.
Information Requirements for E-IDs |
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Level 1 |
Level 2 |
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Foreign resident |
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Foreign organization | NA |
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What are e-IDs used for?
E-IDs are used to verify personal information when carrying out online activities and transactions. Level 1 e-ID accounts are valid for verifying the information required for the account (listed in the table above) when performing activities and transactions requiring the provision of personal information.How do you register for an e-ID?
Foreigners can register for a Level 1 e-ID account by downloading the VNeID mobile application on their mobile phone and filling in the requisite information. The application will then be submitted to the identity management and electronic verification authority, who will notify the applicant of the result through the app, an SMS message, or an email. This will take no more than one working day. Registering for a Level 2 e-ID account is a bit more complicated. Foreigners will need to go to the immigration management agency under the MPS or provincial police to register for the account, present their passport or valid international travel document, provide contact information, such as an email address or mobile phone number, and request additional information to be integrated into the e-ID account. The on-site officer will then receive and input information provided by the applicant, take headshots, collect fingerprints, and confirm consent to register and establish an e-ID account. The immigration management agency will send a request to issue an e-ID account to the identity management and electronic verification authority, which in turn will notify the applicant of the registration result through the app, an SMS message, or email. This will take up to three working days, except in cases where there are no photographs or fingerprints of the applicant in the National Immigration Database, in which case it may take up to seven working days. To register for a Level 2 e-ID account for an organization, the organization’s legal representative or head (who must already have an e-ID card if they are a Vietnamese citizen or a Level 2 e-ID account if they are a foreign citizen) must log into the VNeID app and provide all of the requisite information to register an e-ID account. This application is then submitted to the identity management and electronic verification authority, who will verify the information by cross-referencing it with the information listed in the national database for business registration, national databases, and other specialized databases. In cases where the information about the organization is not available in these databases, it will verify the information with the organization. If the organization has multiple legal representatives, the identity management and electronic verification authority will send requests for verification of consent to register e-ID accounts for the organization to each legal representative through the app. The identity management and electronic verification authority will notify the registration result of the application through the app, an SMS message, or email. If all of the information provided is already in one of the databases, the result will be provided in no more than one working day. However, if some of the information needs to be verified as it is missing from the national databases, then it may take up to 15 days.When can the e-ID account be used?
The user can activate the e-ID account within seven days from the date of receiving the notification of the account’s issuance. If it has not been activated after seven days, the user must contact the identity management and electronic verification authority through the reception hotline to activate the account.About Us
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