Decree No. 196/2025/ND-CP supplements Section 2a, Chapter II, regulating the order and procedures for consular certification and electronic consular legalization.
Decree providing specific regulations on receiving and handling requests for consular certification and consular legalization in the electronic environment:
1. Applicants for consular certification and consular legalization submit their applications online in the following manner:
- Log in to your account on the National Public Service Portal using an electronic identification account in accordance with the law on electronic identification and authentication; provide information in an interactive electronic form, upload electronic copies of papers and documents requesting consular certification and consular legalization.
- For applications for consular legalization, the applicant must upload an electronic copy of the translation of the documents and papers requested for consular legalization into Vietnamese or English, if the documents and papers are not prepared in the above languages.
2. After completing the application, the applicant is given 01 administrative procedure file code to monitor, look up the progress of the application or access to complete the application when requested by the competent authority for consular certification or consular legalization. The applicant is responsible for keeping and ensuring the confidentiality of the administrative procedure file code.
3. On the same working day, upon receiving the online consular certification and consular legalization request, the competent consular certification and consular legalization authority shall check the accuracy and completeness of the application.
a) In case the dossier is incomplete or inappropriate, the applicant is required to supplement and complete the necessary documents according to the form of Request for supplement and completion of dossier;
b) In case the dossier is complete and does not fall into 2 cases (cases exempted from consular legalization; cases where papers and documents are not consularly certified or legalized), immediately send a fee payment notice to the applicant via email or send a text message via mobile phone to the applicant or the function of sending a message to the applicant of the National Public Service Portal;
c) Application dossiers will only be officially received for processing and issuance of a dossier receipt and appointment for results via the method specified in Point b above when they have been completed, supplemented, ensured to be complete, appropriate and the prescribed fee has been paid.
Clause 5, Article 11 stipulates that the processing time is 01 working day from the date of receiving a complete and valid dossier for cases with 1-4 papers and documents. In cases with 5-9 papers and documents, the processing time shall not exceed 2 working days. In cases with 10 or more papers and documents, the processing time may be longer but shall not exceed 4 working days.
The settlement period is prescribed in Clause 5, Article 11 of this Decree and is calculated from the time of sending the Receipt of Application and appointment to return results or sending a message to the applicant with an appointment to return results.
d) In case the electronic copy of the papers and documents falls under the cases specified in Articles 9 and 10 of this Decree, the dossier receiving agency shall refuse to accept it, stating the reasons in the form of a Refusal to process the dossier and sending it to the applicant in the manner specified in Point b.
d) In case it is necessary to check, verify and clarify or due to other reasons the results cannot be returned on time, the dossier receiving agency shall send an apology note and reschedule the date for returning the results in the manner prescribed in Point b. The dossier receiving agency shall carry out the verification process in accordance with the corresponding provisions in Clause 6, Article 11, Clause 4, Article 13, Clause 5, Article 14, Clause 5, Article 15 of this Decree.
4. Consular certification and electronic legalization of documents are carried out on the basis of:
a) Verify the authenticity of the electronic signature of the competent authority or organization of Vietnam on the electronic copy of the papers and documents requesting consular certification according to the provisions of law related to electronic transactions, digital signatures and digital certificates; or
b) Verify the authenticity of the electronic signature of the diplomatic representative agency, consular agency or other agency authorized to perform consular functions of a foreign country in Vietnam that has been notified or officially introduced through diplomatic channels on the electronic copy of the papers and documents requesting consular legalization at the competent authority in the country or verify the authenticity of the electronic signature of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or other competent authority of the foreign country where the Representative Agency or concurrent Representative Agency is located that has been notified or officially introduced through diplomatic channels on the electronic copy of the papers and documents requesting consular legalization at the representative agency abroad; or
c) Verification results of competent Vietnamese agencies and organizations confirm the authenticity of the digital signature on the electronic copy of the documents and papers requested for consular certification or response results of competent foreign agencies confirm the authenticity of the digital signature on the electronic copy of the documents and papers requested for consular legalization.
5. The person requesting consular certification and consular legalization in the electronic environment shall receive the result as an electronic copy of the document or paper with an electronic certification stamp and digital signature of the competent authority for consular certification and consular legalization sent via email, the electronic data management warehouse of that organization or individual or sent to a digital device, through a suitable data transmission method, ensuring information security and confidentiality.
6. The digital signature of the agency or person authorized to certify consular documents and legalize them shall comply with legal regulations on digital signatures for specialized public service.
7. Forms of Document Receipt and Appointment for Return of Results, Request for Additional Documents, Document Completion, Document Rejection, Apology and Reschedulement Form for Return of Results shall comply with legal regulations on implementing the one-stop and one-stop mechanism in handling administrative procedures.
Decree No. 196/2025/ND-CP takes effect from August 3, 2025. Regulations on consular certification and electronic consular legalization apply from January 1, 2026.
Phuong Nhi
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/quy-dinh-moi-ve-thu-tuc-chung-nhan-lanh-su-hop-phap-hoa-lanh-su-dien-tu-102250704184805687.htm
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