Vietnam's electronic ID appVNeIDwas updated to version 2.2.10 in July, adding a flow that completes everything from application to receipt of a criminal record certificate (Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp, often translated in Japanese documents as a 'certificate of no criminal record') within the app. Dak Lak province police's records division called on residents to update on July 20, and Kenh14 and others carried that notice. For Japanese residents who are asked for this document each time they renew a work permit or temporary residence card, whether the trip to line up at a counter disappears matters directly. But reading the underlying Ministry of Public Security circular, foreigners who can apply online face conditions.
Three features added in VNeID 2.2.10
According to a notice from the records division of the Dak Lak provincial police, the Ministry of Public Security upgraded VNeID to 2.2.10 and added three functions. At the core is a service for issuing criminal record certificates, in effect from July 1, 2026 under Ministry of Public Security Circular No. 101/2026/TT-BCA. Users can create an application in the app, track its progress, and receive the result as prescribed.
The remaining two are a feature to report, via the app, delays or errors in issuing the ID card (thẻ căn cước), and one that lets families of war martyrs look up and connect information digitally.
The notice asks residents for three things: keep the app on the latest version, and for the electronic ID account,Level 2activating it, and using the integrated functions yourself. This Level 2 condition also affects foreigners in another way.
Jurisdiction itself moved from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Public Security
It looks like the app just gained one function, but underneath, the legal foundation has been swapped out. On December 5, 2025, Vietnam's National Assembly passed the amended Judicial Records Law (Law No. 107/2025/QH15). Government media report 437 of 441 present in favor -- 92.39% of all deputies. It takes effect July 1, 2026.
With this amendment, management of judicial records (lý lịch tư pháp) moved from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Public Security. The issuing body also switched from the provincial/city Justice Departments (Sở Tư pháp) to the Ministry of Public Security's Records Bureau (Cục Hồ sơ nghiệp vụ) and the public security of each province and centrally governed city, with the database consolidated at the Ministry of Public Security and linked to the national population database.
The substance moved at the same time. The standard processing period is shortened from 10 days to five business days, and even when verification is needed it won't exceed 15 days. The eligible age to apply is 16 and over, and the electronic version has the same legal force as paper. Furthermore, when an agency, organization, or individual, to the person,Type 2 certificateRequiring submission of it is now prohibited. Because the No. 2 form lists even expunged prior convictions, this puts a brake on it being casually demanded in hiring or licensing.
The trend of moving administrative procedures onto the app continues; in June, immigration-related procedures were consolidated into VNeID (From June, Vietnam's immigration procedures are consolidated into VNeID), and in July vehicle inspections went paperless (The new rule from July that lets vehicle inspection be completed within VNeID). Among these, the criminal record certificate cuts deepest into foreigners' lives.
What changed around July 1
Here is only what could be confirmed in published materials. The processing time and the change in jurisdiction matter most in practice.
| Item | Until June 30, 2026 | From July 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Governing authority | Ministry of Justice | Ministry of Public Security |
| Issuing authority | The provincial or city justice department | Ministry of Public Security Records Bureau / provincial-level public security |
| Standard processing period | 10 days | 5 business days |
| When confirmation is needed | Extension provisions apply | No more than 15 days |
| Validity of the electronic version | Paper as the rule | Equivalent to paper |
| Online portal | National public services portal | The same portal or VNeID |
| Type 2 certificate | There were situations where submission was required | Agencies, organizations and individuals may not require it |
Fees are set by Ministry of Finance Circular 16/2025/TT-BTC. Yen conversions use about 162 dong to the yen (as of July 2026).
| Classification | Fee (dong) | Approximate yen conversion |
|---|---|---|
| General (per person, per request) | 200,000 | About 1,230 yen |
| Pupils and students aged 16 and over, people with revolutionary merit, and families of martyrs | 100,000 | About 620 yen |
| Additional copies from the third onward in a single application | 5,000 per copy | about 31 yen |
| Children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and poor / near-poor households | Exemption | — |
The 170,000-dong online discount applied in 2025 was a time-limited measure that ended on December 31 that year. In 2026, 200,000 dong is the standard both online and at the counter.
The explanations from the Ministry of Public Security and the provincial police, respectively
Ngo Thi Hoang Yen, head of the Ministry of Public Security's records department, explains that from July 1, judicial-history information will be shown on VNeID, removing the need to reapply for the certificate over and over. Once an electronic version is issued, subsequent information is designed to update automatically to the person's account.
Minister of Public Security General Luong Tam Quang indicated in National Assembly deliberations that both the No. 1 and No. 2 forms would be kept. Rather than abolishing the No. 2, the approach is to prohibit others from making a person submit it. Circular 101 was also issued under the minister's signature on June 24.
The voice closest to the ground is the Dak Lak police's appeal at the top. It reflects the operating side's sense that a new function is useless without the groundwork in place. The burden on users eased in part, too. The minimum age to apply is set at 16, and if the person collecting the certificate is the applicant's parent, spouse, or child, no power of attorney is needed -- though a document proving the relationship is required.
Where can resident Japanese and business travelers actually apply?
Circular 101/2026/TT-BCA separates the provisions setting the online-application procedure from those setting the counter and postal procedures. Cross-checking the legal-database commentary, those who can use the online route (the National Public Service Portal or VNeID) are Vietnamese nationals holding a Level 2 electronic ID account,Foreigners with an electronic identity account, individuals applying on behalf of a parent, spouse, child or ward. Those routed to in-person or postal application are Vietnamese citizens without Level 2, foreigners without an electronic identity account, and authorized agents.
By the structure of the text, the dividing line is 'whether you have an electronic identity account,' and foreigners aren't uniformly shut out. Electronic identity accounts for foreigners began being issued on July 1, 2025, with Decree No. 69/2024/ND-CP as the basis. Obtaining one requires a valid temporary residence card (the tam tru) or permanent residence card, and you submit form TK01 at an immigration office where your photo and fingerprints are taken. There's also been a move consolidating stay-declaration counters onto a new site (Foreigners' temporary-residence declarations consolidated onto a new site), residents' information keeps consolidating into the app and portal.
There are two points to avoid asserting. The text specifies “Level 2” for Vietnamese nationals, while for foreigners it says only “those holding an electronic ID account.” As the Dak Lak provincial police recommend activating Level 2, in practice it's on the safe side to plan on the premise of Level 2. Another: whether the VNeID app's criminal-record-certificate screen actually works with a foreigner's account can't be confirmed from official guidance. Whether a Japanese person can complete it in the app alone—please check with the provincial police where you reside before the procedure.
An alternative route is provided in the text. Foreigners residing in Vietnam can apply at a counter or by mail to the provincial-level police with jurisdiction over their residence. Foreigners who have already left are handled by sending to the Ministry of Public Security's issuing body. The procedure guide on the ministry's public-service portal lists factors such as residence history in multiple areas, time spent abroad, and being a foreigner as grounds for extension, noting up to 15 days. Packing a schedule on the premise of five business days is risky.
It's worth grasping the tie to work permits too. A foreign worker's work-permit application requires a criminal-record certificate or an equivalent confirmation, and it must be no more than six months from issue to submission. If the purpose is employment, a work permit or renewing a temporary residence card, the one to choose is the No. 1. If a company asks for the No. 2, you can simply point out that it can no longer be required from July 1. The framework is set by Decree 219/2025/NĐ-CP.
The knock-on effects for recruiting, administrative scriveners, and corporate labor affairs
The first to see their work change are the agents who've handled acquisition on clients' behalf. Once the setup lets the individual obtain it via the app in five business days, the value of simple intermediation thins. What remains are the issues specific to foreigners: support for obtaining an electronic ID account, forecasting for cases involving residence-history checks, and combining it with a criminal-record certificate from the home country.
Employers' HR moves too. Since demanding submission of the No. 2 certificate is now prohibited, if “No. 2” remains on the onboarding checklist it needs rewriting. The No. 1 is also limited to cases where the law requires it, so a practice of collecting it uniformly without checking the basis is subject to review.
Because the electronic version is now treated as equivalent to paper, the question of whether the recipient accepts the electronic version also arises. While Vietnamese domestic agencies will follow the system change, whether a recipient on the Japan side accepts an electronic file with a QR code as-is is a separate matter. For now, the realistic approach is to obtain the electronic version and, if needed, also request a paper issuance alongside it.
Items to check before applying
Here's a checklist to run before you start the procedure. For amounts, timelines, and governing laws, only what's stated in published materials is included.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Document name | Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp (No. 1 / No. 2) |
| Choosing the type by purpose | For employment, work permits and temporary residence card renewal, use the No. 1 |
| Age eligible to apply | 16 and older |
| Online portal | National Public Service Portal / VNeID app |
| Conditions of use for foreigners | Holding an electronic identity account (confirm with provincial police) |
| Where to submit in person or by post | The province-level police with jurisdiction over your residence; for those who have left the country, the Ministry of Public Security's issuing office |
| Documents required for foreigners | Passport, a document showing residence such as a temporary-residence card, and the prescribed application form |
| Fee | 200,000 dong (about 1,230 yen) / the reduced tier is 100,000 dong |
| Processing time | 5 business days; within 15 days where verification is needed |
| Validity period on a work permit | Within six months from issue date to submission date |
| Form number | Type 1 = 06/2026/LLTP, Type 2 = 07/2026/LLTP |
An old app version won't show the new flow, so update to 2.2.10 or later. Since you'll still operate parts in Vietnamese, learning the shape of just three phrases—Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp, số 1, số 2—makes it harder to get lost.
Summary
What to do comes down to three things. Check the status of your electronic identity account, and if you don't have one, bring your temporary residence card to an immigration office and register for Level 2. Next, go to or call your local provincial police and ask directly whether you can apply through VNeID with a foreigner's account. Even if the text allows it, it's meaningless if the screen doesn't support it. Last, if a work permit or temporary residence card renewal is coming up, count back allowing 15 days rather than five business days.
The fee is 200,000 dong, the type is No. 1, and the validity is six months. Pin down these three and you won't panic even if HR suddenly asks for the document. Because regional variation in counter practice is likely in a period when jurisdiction has just moved, please check once more on the official page below just before applying.
Sources:Kenh14／Dak Lak Provincial Police／LuatVietnam／Báo Chính phủ／VOV／Thư viện pháp luật／Báo Pháp luật／Ministry of Public Security public-service portal／Foreigners' electronic identity (Báo Chính phủ)／Dân Việt
