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The Ministry of Public Security is currently collecting feedback from agencies, organisations and individuals on the draft decree, which comprises three articles and applies to agencies, organisations, Vietnamese citizens and foreign entities and individuals residing or operating in Vietnam who participate in or are related to electronic identification, authentication and electronic citizenship activities.
One notable addition is the regulation on social welfare benefit accounts within the National Identification Application. A 'social welfare benefit account' is a collection of information from agencies, organisations and individuals, along with bank accounts, electronic wallets, telecom e-wallets and other payment accounts integrated into the National Identification Application. This aims to facilitate the disbursement of support, pensions, insurance and other payments from state agencies to beneficiaries.
To expand coverage and assist foreign residents in Vietnam, the draft decree revises the regulations on classification and eligibility for electronic identification accounts. According to the draft, foreigners aged six and above who legally reside in Vietnam for 90 days or more, or who hold valid long-term visas, are eligible to be granted electronic identification accounts of level one or two upon request.
For Vietnamese citizens, the regulation remains unchanged: individuals aged 14 and above are eligible for level one or two electronic identification accounts, while those under 14 or under six may also be granted accounts based on demand.
Furthermore, both Vietnamese and foreigners living and working abroad will be able to continue using their electronic identification accounts and the services on the National Identification Application through the internationally connected and interoperable platform.
The draft decree also amends regulations to establish a legal framework for updating, sharing and integrating documents of individuals, organisations and businesses into the electronic identification and authentication system.
Information and documents from national databases such as the National Population Database, civil status, citizen identification and business registration databases will be automatically updated into the identification system.
Documents issued to businesses, organisations and individuals by authorised state agencies will be integrated and displayed on the National Identification Application. At the same time, individuals can access their own information and documents, while agencies and organisations may retrieve data in accordance with their functions and duties.
Currently, the system automatically locks identification accounts when citizen identification cards expire, causing inconvenience for users whose other documents remain valid. To address this, the draft decree revises the regulation so that when identification cards or other documents expire, the system will only hide the information and notify the citizen to renew it, rather than locking the entire account as before.
In line with administrative reform policies, the draft decree also shortens the processing time for administrative procedures related to the grant of the Certificate of Eligibility for Providing Electronic Authentication Services to organisations and businesses by 30 per cent.
The full text of the draft decree is available on the Ministry of Public Security’s portal for public feedback over 10 days.
Earlier, during a limited-time campaign by the public security ministry starting in July, foreign nationals residing in Vietnam could register for a Level-2 Electronic Identification (eID) account through the VNeID mobile application. The new system promised to make it easier for foreigners to access digital public services, complete administrative procedures and manage their residency information.
The eID account offers several benefits for foreign residents. It simplifies procedures related to immigration, residence registration and licensing, provides secure access to banking and financial services, allows faster check-ins at hotels and other accommodation facilities where digital ID is accepted.
The account also enables users to store residence cards, visas and work permits digitally, and to use them in online declarations, health insurance and tax filing. In many cases, the digital ID can replace physical documents.
VNS/VLLF
