Circular No. 07/2008/TT-BNV guiding the implementation of certain provisions on civil service grade promotion examinations

CIRCULAR

Guidelines for Implementing Certain Provisions on Promotion Examinations for Civil Servants

________________________________

Pursuant to Decree No. 117/2003/ND-CP dated October 10, 2003 of the Government on Recruitment, Utilization, and Management of Cadres and Civil Servants in State Administrative Agencies (hereinafter referred to as Decree No. 117/2003/ND-CP); Decree No. 09/2007/ND-CP dated January 15, 2007 of the Government amending and supplementing certain articles of Decree No. 117/2003/ND-CP;

Pursuant to Decree No. 116/2003/ND-CP dated October 10, 2003 of the Government on Recruitment, Utilization, and Management of Cadres and Civil Servants in State-Owned Enterprises (hereinafter referred to as Decree No. 116/2003/ND-CP); Decree No. 121/2006/ND-CP dated October 23, 2006 of the Government amending and supplementing certain articles of Decree No. 116/2003/ND-CP;

Pursuant to Decree No. 48/2008/ND-CP dated April 17, 2008 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Home Affairs;

After reaching consensus with ministries and agencies equivalent to ministries managing civil servant grades, the Ministry of Home Affairs guides certain provisions regarding promotion examinations for civil servants as follows:

I. SCOPE OF REGULATION AND APPLICABLE OBJECTS

Thông tư này quy định chi tiết khoản 4 Điều 38 Luật Thủy sản số 18/2017/QH14 đã được sửa đổi, bổ sung tại điểm c khoản 21 Điều 14 Luật số 146/2025/QH15.

This Circular provides guidelines for implementing certain provisions concerning standards, conditions for examination registration, and exemption from some subjects in the examination for promotion from the specialist grade to the senior specialist grade; from the senior specialist grade to the principal specialist grade; from the equivalent civil service grade to the equivalent senior specialist grade; and from the equivalent senior specialist grade to the equivalent principal specialist grade.

The equivalent civil service grades to the specialist grade, senior specialist grade, and principal specialist grade are determined based on Decision No. 78/2004/QĐ-BNV dated November 3, 2004 of the Minister of Home Affairs on issuing the list of civil service grades and vocational grades. For civil service grades issued after November 3, 2004, they shall be determined based on the regulations of the competent authority issuing the civil service grade to identify the equivalent grade to the specialist grade, senior specialist grade, and principal specialist grade.

Thông tư này áp dụng đối với tổ chức, cá nhân có liên quan đến hoạt động kinh doanh đối tượng thủy sản nuôi chủ lực trên lãnh thổ Việt Nam.

a) Officials and civil servants currently working in state administrative agencies at provincial level or higher;

b) Officials, civil servants, and employees currently working in leadership and management positions in state-owned enterprises;

c) Officials and civil servants within the state budget who are assigned to work at associations, non-governmental organizations, projects, and international organizations located in Vietnam.

II. CONDITIONS AND STANDARDS FOR REGISTRATION IN PROMOTION EXAMINATIONS TO SENIOR SPECIALIST GRADE OR EQUIVALENT

1. Conditions for Registration

a) Officials, civil servants, and employees registering for the promotion examination to the senior specialist grade must be currently holding the specialist grade, have the ability to assume or be working in positions consistent with the responsibilities and duties of the senior specialist grade as prescribed in Decision No. 414/TCCP-VC dated May 29, 2003 of the Minister, Head of the Government Organizational Structure and Cadre Department (now the Minister of Home Affairs) on issuing the professional standards for civil service grades in the administrative sector (hereinafter referred to as Decision No. 414/TCCP-VC).

Officials, civil servants, and employees registering for the promotion examination to the equivalent civil service grade to the senior specialist grade must be currently holding the equivalent civil service grade to the specialist grade in the same field, have the ability to assume or be directly working in positions consistent with the responsibilities and duties of the equivalent civil service grade to the senior specialist grade according to the regulations of the competent authority issuing the professional standards for civil service grades in the relevant field;

b) Be evaluated by the employing agency as having satisfactorily completed their tasks over the last three consecutive years, possessing good moral character; not being under disciplinary action or under consideration for disciplinary action according to the law (with comments from the competent authority managing officials, civil servants, and employees);

c) Have held the specialist grade or equivalent for at least nine years (excluding probationary and trial periods);

d) Conditions regarding salary coefficient:

- Achieve a salary coefficient of 3.66 or higher if applying for civil service grades classified under Group 1 Type A2 (A2.1) as specified in Table 2 (the table of salaries for professional and technical staff in state administrative agencies) promulgated together with Decree No. 204/2004/ND-CP dated December 14, 2004 of the Government on the wage system for cadres, civil servants, employees, and armed forces personnel (hereinafter referred to as Table 2).

- Achieve a salary coefficient of 3.33 or higher if applying for civil service grades classified under Group 2 Type A2 (A2.2) according to Table 2.

e) Be nominated by the competent authority managing officials, civil servants, and employees to take the promotion examination.

2. Standards for Registration

Officials, civil servants, and employees registered for the promotion examination to the senior specialist grade or equivalent, in addition to meeting the conditions stipulated for the grade in Clause 1 of Section II hereof, must also meet the following standards:

a) Holding a bachelor's degree or higher;

b) Possess a certificate of training in public administration for the senior specialist grade or an equivalent degree recognized by law.

Specifically, for the 2008 civil service promotion examination, certificates of training in public administration for the specialist grade (lasting at least twelve weeks); certificates of training for the senior specialist grade (formerly intermediate and advanced levels) issued by the National Academy of Public Administration or by political and administrative schools of provinces and centrally-administered cities and training institutions of ministries and sectors authorized by the National Academy of Public Administration will continue to be applicable. For the promotion examination to the equivalent civil service grade to the senior specialist grade, candidates must also hold a certificate of training in their specific field.

c) Possess a computer office skills certificate (or the candidate commits to proficiently using office computer skills, which is acknowledged in writing by the head of the employing agency or organization).

d) Hold a foreign language certificate at level B or higher (or the candidate commits to using the tested foreign language fluently from level B or higher, which is confirmed in writing by the head of the agency or organization authorized to use civil servants, public officials, and civil servants).

đ) Have a project or work as prescribed for the rank being applied for (confirmed in writing by the agency authorized to manage civil servants, public officials, and civil servants).

3. Cases exempted from submitting certificates

In cases where candidates meet the conditions to be exempted from taking the foreign language and information technology subjects as stipulated in Clause 1, Section IV of this Circular, they shall also be exempted from submitting foreign language and information technology certificates.

III. CONDITIONS AND STANDARDS FOR APPLYING TO TAKE THE RANK PROMOTION EXAMINATION FOR SENIOR SPECIALIST RANK OR EQUIVALENT

1. Conditions for Registration

a) Civil servants, public officials, and civil servants applying to take the examination to promote to the Senior Specialist Rank must currently hold the Specialist Rank, have the ability to assume or are working in positions suitable for the responsibilities and tasks of the Senior Specialist Rank as prescribed in Decision No. 414/TTCP-VC.

Civil servants, public officials, and civil servants applying to take the examination to promote to a civil service rank equivalent to the Senior Specialist Rank must currently hold a civil service rank equivalent to the Specialist Rank in the same field, have the ability to assume and are directly working in positions suitable for the responsibilities and tasks of the civil service rank equivalent to the Senior Specialist Rank as prescribed by the authority issuing the professional standards for civil service ranks in that field.

b) Be evaluated by the agency using civil servants, public officials, and civil servants as having satisfactorily completed their duties over the last three consecutive years, with good moral character; not during a period of disciplinary action or under consideration for disciplinary action according to the law (with comments from the agency authorized to manage civil servants, public officials, and civil servants).

c) Have held the Specialist Rank or equivalent for at least six years.

d) Salary coefficient condition:

- Achieve a salary coefficient of 5.42 or higher if applying for civil service ranks classified under Group 1 Type A3 (A3.1) according to Pay Scale No. 2;

- Achieve a salary coefficient of 5.02 or higher if applying for civil service ranks classified under Group 2 Type A3 (A3.2) according to Pay Scale No. 2;

e) Be nominated by the competent authority managing officials, civil servants, and employees to take the promotion examination.

2. Standards for Registration

Civil servants, public officials, and civil servants applying to promote to the Senior Specialist Rank or equivalent, in addition to meeting the conditions prescribed for the rank being applied for in Clause 1, Section III of this Circular, must also meet the following standards:

a) Holding a bachelor's degree or higher;

b) Hold a certificate of state administration management training for the Senior Specialist Rank or an equivalent degree as prescribed by law.

For the examination to promote to a civil service rank equivalent to the Senior Specialist Rank, civil servants, public officials, and civil servants applying to take the examination must also have a certificate of specialized vocational training.

c) Hold a high-level political theory graduation certificate.

d) Hold an office computer skills certificate (or the candidate commits to using office computer skills fluently, which is confirmed in writing by the head of the agency or organization authorized to use civil servants, public officials, and civil servants).

đ) Hold a foreign language certificate at level C or higher (or the candidate commits to using the tested foreign language fluently from level C or higher, which is confirmed in writing by the head of the agency or organization authorized to use civil servants, public officials, and civil servants).

e) Have a project or work as prescribed for the rank being applied for (confirmed in writing by the agency authorized to manage civil servants, public officials, and civil servants).

3. Cases exempted from submitting certificates

In cases where candidates meet the conditions to be exempted from taking the foreign language and information technology subjects as stipulated in Clause 2, Section IV of this Circular, they shall also be exempted from submitting foreign language and information technology certificates.

IV. CONDITIONS FOR EXEMPTION FROM SOME SUBJECTS IN THE RANK PROMOTION EXAMINATION FOR CIVIL SERVANTS

1. For the examination to promote to the Specialist Rank or equivalent

a) Exemption from the foreign language subject in the following cases:

- Civil servants, public officials, and civil servants, as of December 31 of the year organizing the rank promotion examination, are aged 55 or older for men and 50 or older for women.

Specifically, for the 2008 civil service rank promotion examination, the age exemption for the foreign language subject (men aged 50 or older, women aged 45 or older as of December 31, 2008) applies to civil servants, public officials, and civil servants applying to work in agencies, organizations, units in provinces; suburban districts of cities: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Can Tho, and civil servants belonging to the establishment as of December 31, 2008 of Ha Tay Province.

- Civil servants, public officials, and civil servants working in ethnic minority areas, holding a certificate in ethnic minority languages, Lao, or Khmer issued by the training institution within its authority;

- Ethnic minority civil servants, public officials, and civil servants working in ethnic minority areas;

- Civil servants, public officials, and civil servants holding a second bachelor's degree in a foreign language;

- Civil servants, public officials, and civil servants who graduated from a university or postgraduate program abroad or in Vietnam in a foreign language.

b) Exemption from the information technology subject for civil servants, public officials, and civil servants who have graduated from a technical information science college or higher.

2. For the examination to promote to the Senior Specialist Rank or equivalent

a) Exemption from the foreign language subject in the following cases:

- Civil servants, public officials, and civil servants holding a second bachelor's degree in a foreign language;

- Civil servants, public officials, and civil servants who graduated from a university or postgraduate program abroad or in Vietnam in a foreign language.

b) Exemption from the information technology subject for civil servants, public officials, and civil servants who have graduated from a technical information science college or higher.

V. IMPLEMENTATION

1. This Circular takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

2. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies; People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities, and heads of associations and non-governmental organizations assigned staffing by the State shall nominate civil servants, public officials, and civil servants to take the rank promotion examination based on the conditions and standards prescribed in this Circular and bear responsibility for the conditions and standards of the nominees.

3. The Ministry of Home Affairs will inspect and supervise the nomination of civil servants, public officials, and civil servants to take the rank promotion examination as guided by this Circular.

4. Guidelines for the standards and conditions for taking the rank promotion examination and exemption from some subjects in the rank promotion examination for civil servants and public officials working in political organizations and political-social organizations shall be implemented according to the guidance of the Party Central Committee's Organization Bureau.

During the implementation process, if any difficulties arise, the ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial people's committees, and municipal people's committees under central governance shall report to the Ministry of Home Affairs for study and resolution./.