August 27, 2020
Visa tips

How to Request for a Vietnamese Judicial Certification

There are many instances when a foreigner living in Vietnam will need to request for a Vietnamese Judicial Certification. Also known as the police clearance certificate, this document will serve as proof of whether or not the person has been convicted of a crime while living in Vietnam. This document is needed when applying for a job, requesting a work permit, and other purposes.

Requesting for a Vietnamese judicial certification is easy. Whether you are in Vietnam or outside the country, it is possible to request the certificate.

What is Vietnamese Judicial Certification?

A Vietnamese Judicial Certification is a certificate that’s issued by the Vietnamese agency that’s responsible for managing the country’s judicial record database. This document will serve as proof of whether or not the person has previous convictions in Vietnam. It will also prove if the person is banned from taking any positions in Vietnam or if he or she is not permitted to establish or manage companies or cooperatives that were declared bankrupt by the court.

Everyone who has lived in Vietnam regardless of the length of their stay in the country, have every right to request for a Vietnamese judicial certification from Vietnam’s Dept. of Justice.

Types of Vietnamese Judicial Certification

As stated in Article 41 of Vietnam’s Law on Criminal Records, there are two types of Vietnamese Judicial Certifications:

  1. Criminal Record Form No. 1
  2. Criminal Record Form No. 2

Form No. 1 will only record sentences that were not removed from the judicial record database of Vietnam. If a case has been deleted, the document will state, “no criminal record”.

On the other hand, Form No. 2 will display all the criminal convictions of the person, regardless if it has been deleted from the database or not.

So which type of Vietnamese Judicial Certification should you request? This will mainly depend on the purpose of the document or how you will use it. Foreigners who need the document for the application of work permits in Vietnam should choose Form No. 1.

How to Request for a Vietnamese Judicial Certificate

The Vietnamese Judicial Certification will be issued to all individuals who have resided temporarily in Vietnam. This document can be requested from the provincial Department of Justice of the place they have resided. For instance, if you live in Ho Chi Minh City, then you can request for the Vietnamese Judicial Certification from the Dept. of Justice in Ho Chi Minh.

You have two options to request for the document, online or in-person:

Request for Judicial Certificate Online

If you’re unable to visit in person, you can lodge your application online. You will be asked to fill out the application form, which includes the address where you need the document to be sent. Make sure you take note of the application code that will be shown on the screen after you finish the application. When applying online, you need to submit a notarized copy of your passport showing a valid Vietnam visa. You also need to submit an original copy of the temporary residence confirmation, which you can obtain from the local police office.

Request for Judicial Certificate In-person

To apply in person, simply bring all the necessary documents to the office of the Provincial Department of Justice. The documents include the completed application form, passport copy with a valid visa, and the temporary residence confirmation from the local police office.

It will take 15 working days for the Vietnamese Judicial Certificate to be processed, regardless of the method you choose to apply. You will be asked to pay VND 200,000 as statutory fees during your application. If you cannot claim the document personally, you can have it sent through courier but you have to shoulder the fees.

Requesting for Temporary Residence Confirmation

One of the most important requirements that you need to submit when requesting for the Vietnamese Judicial Certification is the temporary residence confirmation. Usually, this document can be requested from your landlords. But if the landlord is not available or can’t provide the document for some reason, this document can be requested from the Ward Police. This will come in the form of a letter signed by the local police to confirm that you have indeed lived in Vietnam.

When you choose to request for the Vietnamese Judicial Certification online, you’ll be asked to send this document by post. Make sure you send the original copy of the signed letter. If the original copy cannot be sent, a notarized copy will be required.

As for the expiry date of the Vietnamese Judicial Certification, it will mainly depend on the specific use or purpose of the document. For instance, if you will use it for work permit application, the law states that the Judicial Certificate must have been issued no later than 6 months from the date of application.

PERHAPS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN

A judicial record certificate is a document issued by the agency in Vietnam that manages the criminal record database in Vietnam. The certificate will serve as valid proof of whether or not the person has a previous criminal conviction in Vietnam.

Foreigners, regardless of how long they actually reside in Vietnam, have every right to request from the Dept. of Justice for a judicial record certificate.

The judicial record certificate is an important requirement for various purposes in Vietnam. This document is also known as police clearance, criminal record certificate, and police check.

When a foreigner in Vietnam applies for a work permit, one of the requirements that he or she is required to submit is the judicial record certificate. This document is also required in some immigration procedures.

There are many reasons why a foreigner may need to request a judicial record certificate in Vietnam. But it usually has something to do with applying for a work permit.

Also known as the police clearance certificate, the judicial record certificate can be obtained in three different ways. You can either: Go directly to the National Center for Criminal Records or the Ministry of Justice of Vietnam to apply in person.

The judicial record certificate is legal proof of an individual’s criminal convictions in Vietnam. These are based on the criminal decisions and judgments made by the court.