Circular No. 02/1999/TT-BTP guiding travel expenses for state officials and civil servants in the judicial sector when on domestic business trips

 CIRCULAR

Guidelines on travel expenses for civil servants under the Justice Sector going on domestic business trips.

Implementing the Ordinance on thrift and anti-waste, the Ministry of Finance issued Circular No. 94/1998/TT-BTC dated June 30, 1998, stipulating travel expense regulations for civil servants of the State going on domestic business trips.

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To be suitable with the characteristics of the sector, the Ministry of Justice has specified the travel expense regulations for civil servants of the Justice Sector funded by the Ministry as follows:

1. Civil servants going on business trips must use travel expenses to pay necessary costs at ordinary levels for food, accommodation, and transportation during their working days. The units sending civil servants on business trips and the units receiving them shall not use state budget funds to provide additional expenses in any form for civil servants going on and arriving at business trips.

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS:

Civil servants before going on business trips may temporarily borrow travel expenses.

2. Heads of units must carefully consider the dispatch of civil servants on business trips to ensure economy and effectiveness. It is strictly prohibited to take advantage of business trips for personal matters. Unit accountants have the right to refuse payment of travel expenses if there are no valid and legal receipts.

II. SPECIFIC PROVISIONS ON TRAVEL EXPENSES:

Travel expenses include the following contents:

Purchase of train and bus tickets for travel from the unit to the place of work;

Travel allowance;

Rent for accommodation at the place of work;

Monthly travel expense allowance due to the need to travel regularly but lacking conditions to settle expenses on a daily basis.

The above travel expense items are settled according to specific provisions as follows:

1. Settlement of train and bus fares:

a) Civil servants going on business trips with legal train and bus tickets according to the usual rates set by the State shall be reimbursed for train and bus fares including:

The cost of purchasing train and bus tickets according to the usual rates set by the State at the local level;

The cost of purchasing ferry and river crossing tickets;

Bridge and road fees;

Airport fees;

Fees for bicycle and motorcycle storage;

Transportation charges for luggage directly paid by civil servants for the business trip.

b) In cases where civil servants self-fund their means of transportation for business trips, they will be reimbursed for train and bus fares according to the passenger transport rates of state-owned buses at the local level for the actual distance traveled. If self-funding transportation in mountainous areas, islands, border regions, or remote areas, they will be reimbursed twice the passenger transport rates of state-owned buses at the local level for the actual distance traveled. Where there are no bus passenger rates, the head of the unit should contact the local Transport Office or Price and Material Management Office to know the specific rates.

c) In cases of air travel, civil servants will be reimbursed for air tickets according to the usual fare including:

For the Ministry and its subordinate units

Leaders at the Department level or equivalent and above, senior specialists, and other positions with salary grades of 4.75 or higher.:

In cases where the Ministry's subordinate units need to send staff to handle urgent matters without meeting the criteria for airfare reimbursement, the Minister will review and decide on reimbursement.

For localities:

Chief Judges and Deputy Chief Judges of People's Courts of provinces and centrally-administered cities.

Other civil servants (including Heads and Deputy Heads of Enforcement Units) with salary grades of 4.47 or higher.

2. Travel Allowance:

a) To align with the level of travel allowance reimbursement for civil servants of units located in each province,

the Ministry allows units in each province to apply the travel allowance reimbursement system according to the regulations of the provincial People's Committee.The Ministry requests People's Courts of provinces to send documents detailing their own travel expense regulations to the Ministry of Justice (Financial Affairs Department) for annual audit purposes. People's Courts and Enforcement Units at the county level should contact the local Financial and Price Management Office to obtain the local travel allowance regulations.b) Subordinate units of the Ministry (University of Law, Ministry Office...) implement the travel allowance reimbursement system according to Circular No. 94/1998/TT-BTC dated July 15, 1998, issued by the Ministry of Finance.

Reimbursement for accommodation rental at the place of work.

3. a) Civil servants are reimbursed for room rental at the place of work based on actual receipts but not exceeding the following maximum amounts:

90,000 VND/day for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

60,000 VND/day for other provinces.

40,000 VND/day for districts directly under provinces.

b) In cases where civil servants go on business trips alone or when a mixed-gender group requires separate rooms, the maximum reimbursement rate is as follows:

150,000 VND/day/person for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

90,000 VND/day/person for other provinces.

60,000 VND/day/person for districts directly under provinces.

c) In cases where civil servants going on business trips must stay overnight in places without guesthouses or hotels and without receipts, they will be reimbursed at a fixed rate of 30,000 VND/day/person. This fixed rate does not apply to civil servants staying in places with guesthouses or hotels.

4. Monthly travel expense allowance:

Civil servants in Enforcement and People's Court units who frequently travel for more than 15 days/month are entitled to a monthly travel expense allowance according to the following regulations:

Officials and civil servants of the Enforcement Agency and People's Court who frequently travel on business for more than 15 days/month shall be entitled to monthly subsistence allowance as prescribed below:

AMOUNT OF MONTHLY TRAVEL ALLOWANCE PER PERSON (D)

In addition to the monthly allowance mentioned above, when traveling outside the province, officials and civil servants will also be reimbursed travel expenses according to the travel route permit for each trip.

Based on the assigned tasks of each individual, the head of the agency/unit must present the list of officials and civil servants to the collective body, approve each case entitled to monthly travel allowance, then compile a list of those entitled to monthly travel allowance at the aforementioned levels, which will be approved by the head of the agency/unit. After each quarter, the aforementioned list must be recompiled based on the actual work of each official/civil servant to prevent it from becoming a new additional allowance.

The head of the agency/unit is responsible for monitoring the travel schedule of officials during the month to serve as the basis for approving the monthly travel allowance and reimbursing travel expenses for the next quarter. If officials/civil servants do not travel or the number of travel days is lower than the above regulations, they will not be entitled to the monthly travel allowance reimbursement.

5. CASES NOT ELIGIBLE FOR TRAVEL ALLOWANCE REIMBURSEMENT:

The following cases are not eligible for travel allowance reimbursement but are entitled to other benefits under current regulations:

Time spent in hospitals, health stations, recuperation houses, or convalescent homes;

Days working privately during travel time;

Days attending long-term or short-term training courses, days assigned to reside or be seconded to another location or agency, except for travel days and return days to the agency which are reimbursable.

III. MANAGEMENT OF TRAVEL EXPENSES:

1. Annually, the Ministry will allocate the state budget expenditure plan for subordinate units including travel allowances, based on regional characteristics.

In cases where the allocated travel allowance is not fully utilized in a year, the Ministry allows its reallocation to other expense categories, with the unit submitting a request to the Ministry and the State Treasury for category transfer.

2. DOCUMENTATION FOR TRAVEL ALLOWANCE REIMBURSEMENT:

a) For officials and civil servants traveling by official vehicle, fuel costs incurred during the trip will be reimbursed according to the principle:

Vehicle dispatch order: Form C09-H, issued pursuant to Decision No. 999-TC/QĐ/CĐQT dated November 2, 1996 of the Ministry of Finance;

Fuel purchase invoice equivalent to the distance traveled, absolutely no handwritten receipts will be accepted;

The distance traveled by the driver must be based on the mileage gauge of the Vietnam Road Administration, and the excess mileage during work at the destination must be confirmed by the team leader;

Parking fees (if applicable).

b) Travel allowance reimbursement:

All travel allowance reimbursements must be recorded in detail on the travel route permit (Form 007-H, issued pursuant to Decision No. 999/TC/QĐ/CĐKT dated November 2, 1996 of the Ministry of Finance), minimizing handwritten receipts;

When reimbursing travel expenses, valid documentation must be ensured, accurate and truthful records of departure and arrival dates must be made, and confirmation from both sending and receiving agencies is required. The head of the agency must approve the travel allowance reimbursement request of officials and civil servants in the unit.

c) In cases of inter-departmental or inter-agency work teams, the leading agency/unit will cover common expenses such as office supplies, car rental, etc., and the agency/unit sending officials to work is responsible for reimbursing travel expenses for their staff (including transportation fees, travel allowance supplements, room rental fees).

III. IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS

This Circular takes effect fifteen days from the date of signature.

During implementation, if there are any issues, please report them to the Ministry (Financial Management Department) for consideration and resolution./.