Decree No. 247/2025/ND-CP Amending and supplementing some articles of Decree No. 171/2016/ND-CP dated December 27, 2016 of the Government on registration, deregistration, purchase, sale, and construction of new ships, which has been amended and supplemented by Decree No. 86/2020/ND-CP dated July 23, 2020.

DECREE

Amending and supplementing some articles of Decree No. 171/2016/NĐ-CP

dated December 27, 2016 of the Government on ship registration, deregistration, purchase, sale, and new construction of ships which has been amended and supplemented by

Decree No. 86/2020/NĐ-CP dated July 23, 2020

of the Vietnamese Maritime Code No. 95/2015/QH13;

^{_____________} 

On the basis of 61/2014/QH13;

On the basis of 171/2016/NĐ-CP

At the proposal of the Minister of Construction;

THE GOVERNMENT ISSUES THE DECREE AMENDING AND SUPPLEMENTING CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF DECREE NO. dated December 27, 2016 of the Government stipulating on ship registration, deregistration, purchase, sale, and new construction of ships which has been amended and supplemented by Decree No. 86/2020/NĐ-CP dated July 23, 2020. Article 1. Amending and supplementing some articles of Decree No. 171/2016/NĐ-CP dated December 27, 2016 of the Government stipulating on ship registration, deregistration, purchase, sale, and new construction of ships which has been amended and supplemented by Decree No. 86/2020/NĐ-CP dated July 23, 2020 of the Government:

1. Amending and supplementing Clause 10 of Article 3 as follows:

"10. The registered port of the ship includes Haiphong, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. The ship owner selects one registered port to register the ship in accordance with the regulations."

2. Amending and supplementing Clause 11 of Article 3 as follows:

"11. The age of the ship is calculated in years and starts from the date of delivery of the ship.

The date of delivery of the ship is the date of completion of the first inspection before the ship is put into service as the basis for issuing technical safety certificates in accordance with the laws and international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member and recorded on such safety technical certificates."

3. Amending Clause 1 of Article 4 as follows:

"1. The Vietnam Maritime Administration performs the function of the registration authority."

4. Amending Clause 2 of Article 4 as follows:

"2. The Maritime Branches and Port Control Units perform the task of ship registration under the delegation of the Vietnam Maritime Administration."

5. Amending Clause 4 of Article 5 as follows:

"4. Announcing specific information on the website of the Vietnam Maritime Administration regarding the address and account of the ship registration authority for organizations and individuals to submit applications through postal services and pay fees and charges according to regulations via bank transfer services."

6. Amending Clause 1 of Article 6 as follows:

"1. The National Ship Register of Vietnam is used to record information related to ships, state-owned ships, submarines, diving vessels, floating storage units, and mobile platforms that have been registered or deregistered in accordance with the regulations. The National Ship Register of Vietnam is maintained in both paper records and electronic databases."

7. Amending and supplementing Point c of Clause 1 of Article 7 as follows:

"c) Special cases as follows:

Special cases decided by the Minister of Construction, specifically as follows: Not exceeding 17 years for container ships with a carrying capacity of 1,500 TEUs or more; not exceeding 20 years for chemical tankers, liquefied gas carriers, oil tankers, or floating storage units; not exceeding 25 years for research vessels, training vessels, and rescue vessels donated, gifted, presented, contributed, or sponsored to the Government of Vietnam.

Other special cases decided by the Prime Minister."

8. Amending and supplementing Clause 2 of Article 7 as follows:

"2. The age limit for foreign-flagged ships specified in Clause 1 of this Article does not apply to foreign-owned ships sold at auction in Vietnam pursuant to a compulsory decision by an authorized agency. Certificates of foreign-flagged ships when applying for registration under the Vietnamese flag are exempt from legalization."

9. Amending and supplementing Article 8 as follows:

"Article 8. Approval of ship naming

2. Documents for requesting approval of ship naming include:

1. The ship owner shall independently name the ship and such name must comply with the provisions set out in Article 21 of the Maritime Code of Vietnam 2015.

a) Application form for ship naming according to Form No. 05 prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decree;

b) Original or certified copy or electronic copy issued from the original book or certified electronic copy from the original or certified copy with the original for comparison of the ship purchase, sale contract or new construction contract or other equivalent legal evidence of ownership of the ship (accompanied by the original or certified copy or certified electronic copy from the original of the notarized translation if the contract is in a foreign language);

c) Original or electronic copy issued from the original book or certified electronic copy from the original or certified copy with the original for comparison: Certificate of registration of cooperatives or cooperative federations (in case the ship owner is a cooperative) or establishment permit of branch offices or representative offices in Vietnam (in case the ship owner is a foreign organization);

d) Certified copy or certified electronic copy from the original or certified copy with the original for comparison of passport for individual foreign owners.

3. Organizations and individuals may submit one set of documents directly or send them through the postal system or online public service system to the ship registration authority.

4. The ship registration authority receives the documents and processes them according to the following procedures:

a) In case of direct submission, if the documents are incomplete, they will be immediately guided to complete the documents; if the documents are complete, they will be entered into the tracking log, a receipt will be issued, and a result will be returned within the prescribed time;

b) In case of submission through the postal system, if the documents are incomplete according to regulations, the ship registration authority will issue a guidance letter to complete the documents and send it to the submitting organization or individual within two working days from the date of receipt;

c) In case of submission through the online public service system, if the documents are incomplete, the ship registration authority will guide to complete the documents through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system within eight hours from the time the system receives the documents."

c) In case the application is submitted through the online public service system, if the application is not valid, within no later than eight working hours from the time the system receives it, the ship registration authority shall guide the completion of the application through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system;

d) Within two working days from the date of receiving all valid documents, the ship registration authority shall respond to the ship owner in writing according to Form No. 12 prescribed in the Appendix accompanying this Decree regarding the approval of the ship name chosen by the ship owner; in case of disapproval, it must be notified in writing with specific reasons. The ship registration authority shall deliver the result directly, through the postal service system, or through the online public service system to the ship owner.”

10. Amend and supplement Article 9 as follows:

“Article 9. Procedures for registering ships without time limit

1. Certificate of Registration of Vietnamese Ships.

a) The Certificate of Registration of Vietnamese Ships is issued to ships registered without time limit that meet the required conditions and have been registered in the National Ship Register of Vietnam in accordance with the procedures stipulated in this Decree;

b) The Certificate of Registration of Vietnamese Ships is issued one original copy according to Form No. 06 prescribed in the Appendix accompanying this Decree;

c) The Certificate of Registration of Vietnamese Ships becomes effective from the date of issuance and loses its validity from the date of loss or the date when the ship is deregistered.

2. Documents for registering ships without time limit include:

a) Application for registration according to Form No. 01 prescribed in the Appendix accompanying this Decree;

b) Original: Certificate of Deregistration of foreign-flagged ships or Certificate of Deregistration of inland waterway vessels for used inland waterway vessels with VR-SB certificates or handover report for newly built ships;

c) Original: Purchase and sale contract of ships or new construction contract of ships or other legally equivalent evidences proving ownership of the ship (accompanied by original or certified copy or electronically certified copy from the original notarized translation if the contract is in a foreign language);

d) Certified copy or copy accompanied by original for comparison or electronically certified copy issued from the original book or electronically certified copy from the original Certificate of Gross Tonnage of Ships;

đ) Certified copy or copy accompanied by original for comparison or electronically certified copy issued from the original book or electronically certified copy from the original Certificate of Classification of Ships;

e) Copy accompanied by original for comparison, certified copy or electronically certified copy issued from the original book or electronically certified copy from the original: Evidence proving payment of stamp duty including Stamp Duty Declaration, notification of payment from tax authorities and proof of payment into the state budget; in case the ship is exempt from stamp duty, submit the Stamp Duty Declaration and notification of payment from tax authorities;

g) Original or certified copy or electronically certified copy issued from the original book or electronically certified copy from the original or copy accompanied by original for comparison: Certificate of Registration of Cooperatives or Association of Cooperatives (in case the ship owner is a cooperative) or establishment permit of branch or representative office in Vietnam (in case the ship owner is a foreign organization);

h) Certified copy or electronically certified copy from the original or copy accompanied by original for comparison passport for cases where the ship owner is a foreign individual.

4. The ship registration authority receives the documents and processes them according to the following procedures:

a) In case of direct submission, if the documents are incomplete, they will be immediately guided to complete the documents; if the documents are complete, they will be entered into the tracking log, a receipt will be issued, and a result will be returned within the prescribed time;

b) In case of submission through the postal system, if the documents are incomplete according to regulations, the ship registration authority will issue a guidance letter to complete the documents and send it to the submitting organization or individual within two working days from the date of receipt;

c) In case of submission through the online public service system, if the documents are incomplete, the ship registration authority will guide to complete the documents through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system within eight hours from the time the system receives the documents."

c) In case the application is submitted through the online public service system, if the application is not valid, within no later than eight working hours from the time the system receives it, the ship registration authority shall guide the completion of the application through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system;

d) Within two working days from the date of receiving all valid documents, the ship registration authority shall issue the Certificate of Registration; in case of non-issuance of the certificate, it must be notified in writing with specific reasons. The ship registration authority shall deliver the result directly, through the postal service system, or through the online public service system to the ship owner.

5. The ship owner shall pay the registration fee for ships in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Finance, either directly or transferred to the account of the ship registration authority or through the online public service portal before receiving the result; bear all costs of sending documents and related transfer fees.”

11. Amend and supplement Article 10 as follows:

“Article 10. Procedures for registering ships with time limit

1. Certificate of Registration with Time Limit.

a) The registration period of the ship recorded in the certificate corresponds to the term of the ship purchase lease contract or bareboat charter contract or at the request of the ship owner. In case the ship has a Temporary Suspension of Registration Certificate, the registration period of the ship shall not exceed the period recorded in the Temporary Suspension of Registration Certificate;

b) The Certificate of Registration with Time Limit is issued one original copy according to Form No. 07 prescribed in the Appendix accompanying this Decree.

2. Documents for registering ships with time limit in cases where the ship owner is a Vietnamese organization or individual leasing or purchasing ships or bareboat chartering, include:

a) Application for registration of ships according to Form No. 01 prescribed in the Appendix accompanying this Decree;

b) Certified copy or copy accompanied by original for comparison or electronically certified copy issued from the original book or electronically certified copy from the original Certificate of Gross Tonnage of Ships;

c) Certified copy or copy accompanied by original for comparison or electronically certified copy issued from the original book or electronically certified copy from the original Certificate of Classification of Ships;

d) Certified copy or copy accompanied by original for comparison or electronically certified copy issued from the original book or electronically certified copy from the original: Certificate of Registration of Cooperatives or Association of Cooperatives (in case the ship owner is a cooperative);

đ) Original: Temporary Suspension of Registration Certificate (for cases where the ship is registered abroad) or Deregistration Certificate of Ships;

e) Original: Ship purchase lease contract or bareboat charter contract (accompanied by original or certified copy or electronically certified copy from the original notarized translation if the contract is in a foreign language);

g) Original: Handover report (accompanied by notarized translation or electronically certified copy of notarized translation from the original if the handover report is in a foreign language);

h) A certified copy accompanied by the original for comparison, a notarized copy or an electronic copy issued from the original register or an electronically certified copy from the original: Evidence proving the payment of stamp duty as prescribed, including the Stamp Duty Declaration Form, the tax authority's notice to pay, and the payment receipt to the state budget; in cases where the ship is exempted from stamp duty, submit the Stamp Duty Declaration Form and the tax authority's notice to pay.

3. The registration dossier for ships with a validity period when the ship owner is a foreign organization or individual includes the documents stipulated in points a, b, c, đ, e, g, and h of Clause 2 of this Article; a certified copy or a copy accompanied by the original for comparison or an electronic copy issued from the original register or an electronically certified copy from the original: certificate of establishment of branch or representative office in Vietnam or passport.

4. Organizations and individuals shall directly submit one set of the dossier or send it through the postal system or the online public service system to the ship registration authority.

5. The ship registration authority shall accept the dossier and proceed according to the following procedure:

b) In case of submission through the postal system, if the documents are incomplete according to regulations, the ship registration authority will issue a guidance letter to complete the documents and send it to the submitting organization or individual within two working days from the date of receipt;

c) In case of submission through the online public service system, if the documents are incomplete, the ship registration authority will guide to complete the documents through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system within eight hours from the time the system receives the documents."

c) In case the application is submitted through the online public service system, if the application is not valid, within no later than eight working hours from the time the system receives it, the ship registration authority shall guide the completion of the application through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system;

d) Within the latest two working days from the date of receiving a complete and valid dossier, the ship registration authority shall issue the Certificate of Registration; if the Certificate of Registration is not issued, the authority must provide a written response stating the reasons. The ship registration authority shall deliver the results directly or through the postal system or the online public service system to the ship owner.

6. The ship owner shall pay the ship registration fee as prescribed by the Ministry of Finance, either directly or by transferring to the account of the ship registration authority or through the online public service portal before receiving the result; the ship owner shall bear all costs for sending the dossier, documents, and related transfer fees.

12. Amend and supplement Article 11 as follows:

"Article 11. Temporary Ship Registration Procedures

1. Certificate of Temporary Ship Registration of Vietnam:

a) The Certificate of Temporary Ship Registration of Vietnam shall be issued one original copy to the ship owner registering a temporary ship flying the flag of Vietnam according to Model No. 08 prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decree;

b) The Certificate of Temporary Ship Registration of Vietnam is valid for use for 180 days from the date of issuance;

c) In case the Certificate of Temporary Ship Registration of Vietnam expires while the ship cannot return to Vietnam to complete the formal registration procedures as prescribed in this Decree, the ship registration authority that issued the Certificate of Temporary Ship Registration of Vietnam may extend the registration once, but the extension period shall not exceed 180 days from the expiration date of the first issued Certificate of Temporary Ship Registration of Vietnam;

d) In case, after extending the Certificate of Temporary Ship Registration of Vietnam as prescribed in point c of this clause, the ship still cannot return to Vietnam to complete the formal registration procedures due to force majeure, the Director of the Vietnam Maritime and Inland Waterway Administration shall decide to extend the temporary ship registration period, but the extension period shall not exceed 180 days;

đ) In case, after extending the Certificate of Temporary Ship Registration of Vietnam as prescribed in point d of this clause due to force majeure, the ship owner cannot complete the formal registration procedures for the ship, the Minister of Construction shall decide to extend the temporary ship registration period, but the extension period shall not exceed 180 days.

2. Dossier for Temporary Ship Registration, including:

a) In case no fees or charges have been paid, the registration dossier shall include: the ship registration declaration form according to Model No. 01 prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decree; the documents stipulated in points b, c, g, and h of Clause 2 of Article 9 of this Decree, and a copy or an electronic copy: Certificate of Gross Tonnage of the Ship, Existing Classification Certificate of the Ship;

b) In case there is no Certificate of Deletion of Ship Registration, the registration dossier shall include: the ship registration declaration form according to Model No. 01 prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decree; the documents stipulated in points c, g, and h of Clause 2 of Article 9 of this Decree, and a copy or an electronic copy: Certificate of Gross Tonnage of the Ship, Existing Classification Certificate of the Ship;

c) In case of testing a newly built ship, the registration dossier shall include: the ship registration declaration form according to Model No. 01 prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decree; the documents stipulated in points c, g, and h of Clause 2 of Article 9 of this Decree, and the tonnage data of the ship;

d) In case of receiving a newly built ship based on a shipbuilding contract to register at the designated place, the registration dossier shall include: the ship registration declaration form according to Model No. 01 prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decree; the documents stipulated in points c, d, đ, g, and h of Clause 2 of Article 9 of this Decree.

3. Organizations and individuals shall directly submit one set of the dossier or send it through the postal system or the online public service system to the ship registration authority.

a) In case of direct submission, if the documents are incomplete, they will be immediately guided to complete the documents; if the documents are complete, they will be entered into the tracking log, a receipt will be issued, and a result will be returned within the prescribed time;

b) In case of submission through the postal system, if the documents are incomplete according to regulations, the ship registration authority will issue a guidance letter to complete the documents and send it to the submitting organization or individual within two working days from the date of receipt;

c) In case of submission through the online public service system, if the documents are incomplete, the ship registration authority will guide to complete the documents through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system within eight hours from the time the system receives the documents."

c) In case the application is submitted through the online public service system, if the application is not valid, within no later than eight working hours from the time the system receives it, the ship registration authority shall guide the completion of the application through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system;

d) Within the latest two working days from the date of receiving a complete and valid dossier, the ship registration authority shall issue the Certificate of Registration; if the Certificate of Registration is not issued, the authority must provide a written response stating the reasons. The ship registration authority shall deliver the results directly or through the postal system or the online public service system to the ship owner.

5. The ship owner shall pay the ship registration fee as prescribed by the Ministry of Finance, either directly or by transferring to the account of the ship registration authority or through the online public service portal before receiving the result; the ship owner shall bear all costs for sending the dossier, documents, and related transfer fees.

13. Amend and supplement Article 13 as follows:

"Article 13. Procedures for Registering Ships Under Construction

1. Certificate of Registration for Ships Under Construction:

a) The Certificate of Registration for Ships Under Construction shall be issued one original copy according to Model No. 09 prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decree;

b) The Certificate of Registration for Ships Under Construction does not have the value to replace the Certificate of Registration for Ships;

2. Dossier for Registering Ships Under Construction, including:

a) Application for registration according to Form No. 01 prescribed in the Appendix accompanying this Decree;

b) Original: New shipbuilding contract or purchase contract for ships under construction (accompanied by a notarized translation or an electronically certified copy of the notarized translation from the original if the handover protocol is written in a foreign language);

c) Original: A certificate confirming that the ship has been installed with the main keel at the shipbuilding facility, certified by the classification organization; in cases where the ship does not have a main keel, a certificate from the shipbuilding facility shall be used, accompanied by certification from the classification organization regarding the completion of the assembly of the ship's hull to a weight of 50 tons or 1% of the total estimated weight of materials used for the ship's hull.

d) Original or certified copy or electronic copy issued from the original register or certified electronic copy issued from the original or certified copy together with the original for comparison: Certificate of registration of a cooperative or association of cooperatives (in cases where the ship owner is a cooperative) or a branch establishment license or representative office license in Vietnam (in cases where the ship owner is a foreign organization).

đ) Certified copy or certified copy together with the original for comparison or certified electronic copy issued from the original passport for cases where the ship owner is a foreign individual.

4. The ship registration authority receives the documents and processes them according to the following procedures:

a) In case of direct submission, if the documents are incomplete, they will be immediately guided to complete the documents; if the documents are complete, they will be entered into the tracking log, a receipt will be issued, and a result will be returned within the prescribed time;

b) In case of submission through the postal system, if the documents are incomplete according to regulations, the ship registration authority will issue a guidance letter to complete the documents and send it to the submitting organization or individual within two working days from the date of receipt;

c) In case of submission through the online public service system, if the documents are incomplete, the ship registration authority will guide to complete the documents through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system within eight hours from the time the system receives the documents."

c) In case the application is submitted through the online public service system, if the application is not valid, within no later than eight working hours from the time the system receives it, the ship registration authority shall guide the completion of the application through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system;

d) Within the latest two working days from the date of receipt of complete and valid application files, the ship registry authority shall issue the certificate; in cases where the certificate is not issued, a written response stating the reasons must be provided. The ship registry authority shall deliver the results directly, through the postal system, or through the online public service system to the ship owner.

5. The ship owner shall pay the registration fee for ships in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Finance, either directly or transferred to the account of the ship registration authority or through the online public service portal before receiving the result; bear all costs of sending documents and related transfer fees.”

14. Amend and supplement Article 14 as follows:

“Article 14. Procedures for registering small ships

1. The certificate of registration for small ships shall be issued in one original according to Form No. 06 prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decree.

2. The application file for registering small ships includes:

a) Application for registration according to Form No. 01 prescribed in the Appendix accompanying this Decree;

b) Original: Certificate of Deregistration of foreign-flagged ships or Certificate of Deregistration of inland waterway vessels for used inland waterway vessels with VR-SB certificates or handover report for newly built ships;

c) Original: Purchase or sale contract of the ship or new construction contract of the ship or other legally equivalent evidences proving ownership of the ship (accompanied by a notarized translation or certified electronic copy of the notarized translation if the contract is in a foreign language);

d) Certified copy together with the original for comparison, certified copy or electronic copy issued from the original register or certified electronic copy issued from the original: Evidence of payment of stamp duty as prescribed, including the stamp duty declaration form, tax authority payment notification, and proof of payment into the state budget; in cases where the ship is exempted from stamp duty, submit the stamp duty declaration form and tax authority payment notification;

đ) Original or certified copy together with the original for comparison or certified copy or electronic copy issued from the original register or certified electronic copy issued from the original: Certificate of registration of a cooperative or association of cooperatives (in cases where the ship owner is a cooperative) or branch establishment license or representative office license in Vietnam (in cases where the ship owner is a foreign organization);

e) Certified copy or certified copy together with the original for comparison or certified electronic copy issued from the original passport for cases where the ship owner is a foreign individual.

g) Certified copy or certified copy together with the original for comparison or electronic copy issued from the original register or certified electronic copy issued from the original: Certificate of technical safety and environmental protection of the ship.”

3. Organizations and individuals shall directly submit one set of the dossier or send it through the postal system or the online public service system to the ship registration authority.

a) In case of direct submission, if the documents are incomplete, they will be immediately guided to complete the documents; if the documents are complete, they will be entered into the tracking log, a receipt will be issued, and a result will be returned within the prescribed time;

b) In case of submission through the postal system, if the documents are incomplete according to regulations, the ship registration authority will issue a guidance letter to complete the documents and send it to the submitting organization or individual within two working days from the date of receipt;

c) In case of submission through the online public service system, if the documents are incomplete, the ship registration authority will guide to complete the documents through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system within eight hours from the time the system receives the documents."

c) In case the application is submitted through the online public service system, if the application is not valid, within no later than eight working hours from the time the system receives it, the ship registration authority shall guide the completion of the application through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system;

d) Within the latest two working days from the date of receipt of complete and valid application files, the ship registry authority shall issue the certificate; in cases where the certificate is not issued, a written response stating the reasons must be provided. The ship registry authority shall deliver the results directly, through the postal system, or through the online public service system to the ship owner.

5. The ship owner shall pay the registration fee for ships in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Finance, either directly or transferred to the account of the ship registration authority or through the online public service portal before receiving the result; bear all costs of sending documents and related transfer fees.”

15. Amend and supplement Article 15 as follows:

“Article 15. Procedures for registering changes in content

1. In cases where there is a change in the information recorded in the Certificate of Registration of Ships as stipulated in Clause 4, Article 3 of this Decree, the ship owner must complete the procedures for registering the change and obtain a new Certificate of Registration of Ships corresponding to the previous registration method within the latest thirty days.

2. The application file for registering changes in content includes:

a) Application form for registering changes in content according to Form No. 02 prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decree;

b) Certified copy or certified copy together with the original for comparison or certified electronic copy issued from the original: Certificate of classification of ships, certificate of tonnage of ships (in cases of changes in technical specifications and functions of the ship, the ship classification organization);

c) If the ship is currently mortgaged, an additional original document of consent from the mortgagee must be submitted.

d) Original certificate of deregistration in cases of transfer of the registration authority.

3. Organizations and individuals may submit one set of application files directly, send them through the postal system, or through the online public service system to the ship registry authority where the ship was previously registered or to the new ship registry authority in cases of changing the registration authority.

a) In case of direct submission, if the documents are incomplete, they will be immediately guided to complete the documents; if the documents are complete, they will be entered into the tracking log, a receipt will be issued, and a result will be returned within the prescribed time;

b) In case of submission through the postal system, if the documents are incomplete according to regulations, the ship registration authority will issue a guidance letter to complete the documents and send it to the submitting organization or individual within two working days from the date of receipt;

c) In case of submission through the online public service system, if the documents are incomplete, the ship registration authority will guide to complete the documents through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system within eight hours from the time the system receives the documents."

c) In case the application is submitted through the online public service system, if the application is not valid, within no later than eight working hours from the time the system receives it, the ship registration authority shall guide the completion of the application through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system;

d) Within the latest two working days from the date of receipt of complete and valid application files, the ship registry authority shall issue a new certificate to organizations and individuals; simultaneously, it shall retrieve and cancel the original old certificate on the system. In cases where the certificate is not issued, a written response stating the reasons must be provided. The ship registry authority shall deliver the results directly, through the postal system, or through the online public service system to the ship owner.

5. The ship owner shall pay the registration fee for ships according to the regulations of the Ministry of Finance, either directly or transferred to the account of the ship registry authority or the online public service portal before receiving the result; immediately return the original old certificate of registration to the ship registry authority upon receipt of the result; bear all costs of sending the application files, documents, and related transfer fees.”

16. Amend and supplement Article 16 as follows:

“Article 16. Procedures for reissuing the certificate of registration of ships

1. In cases where the certificate of registration of ships is lost or damaged, the ship registry authority shall reissue it to the ship owner based on the previous registration method of the ship.

2. Application file for reissuing the certificate of registration of ships:

Application form for reissuing the certificate of registration according to Form No. 04 prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decree.

3. Organizations and individuals submit directly one set of application files or send through the postal system or through the online public service system to the vessel registration authority.

a) In case of direct submission, if the documents are incomplete, they will be immediately guided to complete the documents; if the documents are complete, they will be entered into the tracking log, a receipt will be issued, and a result will be returned within the prescribed time;

b) In case of submission through the postal system, if the documents are incomplete according to regulations, the ship registration authority will issue a guidance letter to complete the documents and send it to the submitting organization or individual within two working days from the date of receipt;

c) In case of submission through the online public service system, if the documents are incomplete, the ship registration authority will guide to complete the documents through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system within eight hours from the time the system receives the documents."

c) In case the application is submitted through the online public service system, if the application is not valid, within no later than eight working hours from the time the system receives it, the ship registration authority shall guide the completion of the application through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system;

d) Within the latest two working days from the date of receiving complete valid application files, the vessel registration authority shall issue a new certificate of registration for organizations and individuals; carry out the recovery and cancellation of the original certificate of registration (in case it is damaged); at the same time, notify the mortgagee in writing about the issuance of a new certificate if the vessel is mortgaged; in case of non-issuance of the certificate, provide a written response stating the reasons. The vessel registration authority delivers the results directly or through the postal system or through the online public service system to the shipowner.

5. The ship owner shall pay the registration fee for ships according to the regulations of the Ministry of Finance, either directly or transferred to the account of the ship registry authority or the online public service portal before receiving the result; immediately return the original old certificate of registration to the ship registry authority upon receipt of the result; bear all costs of sending the application files, documents, and related transfer fees.”

17. Amend and supplement Clause 2 of Article 18 as follows:

“2. In the case of registering a government service vessel, the shipowner submits the Decision on establishment of the agency or unit of the competent authority (certified copy or certified electronic copy issued from the original book or certified electronic copy from the original or a copy accompanied by the original for comparison) instead of the file component prescribed in point c, Clause 2 of Article 8; point g, Clause 2 of Article 9; point d, Clause 2 of Article 10; point g, Clause 2 of Article 12; point d, Clause 2 of Article 13 and point đ, Clause 2 of Article 14 of this Decree.”

18. Amend and supplement Article 20 as follows:

“Article 20. Procedures for deregistration

1. The certificate of deregistration is issued one original copy to the shipowner according to Model No. 10 stipulated in the Appendix promulgated together with this Decree.

In the case where the vessel is mortgaged, the procedure for deregistering the mortgage must be completed before proceeding with the deregistration of the vessel.

2. Deregistration files:

Application for deregistration according to Model No. 03 stipulated in the Appendix promulgated together with this Decree.

4. The ship registration authority receives the documents and processes them according to the following procedures:

a) In case of direct submission, if the documents are incomplete, they will be immediately guided to complete the documents; if the documents are complete, they will be entered into the tracking log, a receipt will be issued, and a result will be returned within the prescribed time;

b) In case of submission through the postal system, if the documents are incomplete according to regulations, the ship registration authority will issue a guidance letter to complete the documents and send it to the submitting organization or individual within two working days from the date of receipt;

c) In case of submission through the online public service system, if the documents are incomplete, the ship registration authority will guide to complete the documents through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system within eight hours from the time the system receives the documents."

c) In case the application is submitted through the online public service system, if the application is not valid, within no later than eight working hours from the time the system receives it, the ship registration authority shall guide the completion of the application through the organization's or individual's account on the online public service system;

d) Within the latest two working days from the date of receiving complete valid application files, the vessel registration authority shall issue the Certificate of Deregistration; at the same time, recover and cancel the original certificate of registration on the system; in case of non-issuance of the certificate, provide a written response stating the reasons. The vessel registration authority delivers the results directly or through the postal system or through the online public service system to the shipowner.

5. The shipowner pays the deregistration fee as prescribed by the Ministry of Finance, either directly or transferred into the account of the vessel registration authority or through the online public service system before receiving the result; immediately return the original certificate of registration to the vessel registration authority after receiving the result; bear all costs for sending the files, documents, and related transfer fees.”

19. Amend Clause 1 of Article 21 as follows:

“1. The purchase, sale, and construction of vessels using state budget funds as prescribed by the Law on State Budget, the Law on Public Investment, lawful revenue sources as prescribed by law of state agencies, public service units, state-owned enterprises as prescribed by the Law on Enterprises, and enterprises held 100% by state-owned enterprises shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Bidding and other relevant regulations.”

20. Supplement Clause 1a of Article 21 as follows:

“1a. Organizations and individuals engaged in the purchase, sale, and construction of vessels not falling under the cases prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article may independently decide to apply entirely or selectively specific articles, clauses, and points of the Law on Bidding and other relevant regulations.”

21. Amend Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 29 as follows:

“1. Based on decisions on purchasing, selling, and constructing vessels; contracts for purchasing, selling, and constructing vessels; and handover records of vessels, customs authorities are responsible for handling export and import procedures for vessels. Organizations and individuals must handle the import procedures for vessels purchased from abroad at their first entry following the completion of the purchase procedures to register under the flag of Vietnam.

2. In the case of needing to handle export procedures for vessels that have already departed, the shipowner must handle the export procedures within thirty days from the date of signing the purchase and sale contract; customs authorities will proceed with the export procedures without having to bring the vessel back to Vietnam. The shipowner is responsible under the law for ensuring that the vessel has completed all departure procedures as required.”

22. Amend Clause 2 of Article 30 as follows:

“2. Vessels owned by Vietnamese organizations and individuals but without state capital may be registered under the flag of another country based on the decision of the vessel owner. Within thirty days from the date of registration under the flag of another country or change of registration information or expiration of registration or deregistration, the shipowner must submit a notification along with one copy of the Certificate of Registration or Deregistration of the vessel to the National Vessel Registration Authority of Vietnam for management purposes.”

23. Replace Model No. 01, Model No. 02, Model No. 03, Model No. 04, and Model No. 05 in the Appendix promulgated with Decree No. 171/2016/NĐ-CP with Model No. 01, Model No. 02, Model No. 03, Model No. 04, and Model No. 05 in the Appendix promulgated with this Decree.

24. Supplement Model No. 12 in the Appendix promulgated with this Decree.

Article 2. Repeal Clause 12, 13, 14, 15 of Article 3; Point i of Clause 2 of Article 10; Clause 5 of Article 12; Point c of Clause 2 of Article 15; Point b of Clause 2 of Article 16; Point b of Clause 2 of Article 20 and Articles 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 of Decree No. 171/2016/ND-CP dated December 27, 2016 of the Government on ship registration, cancellation of registration, purchase, sale, and construction of ships. 1. For applications for issuance of ship registration certificates, cancellation of ship registration that have been accepted by the ship registration authority before this Decree takes effect, continue to implement according to the provisions of Decree No. 171/2016/ND-CP dated December 27, 2016 of the Government on ship registration, cancellation of registration, purchase, sale, and construction of ships which has been amended and supplemented by Decree No. 86/2020/ND-CP dated July 23, 2020.

Article 3. Transitional Provisions

2. For projects of purchasing, selling, constructing ships that have been approved before this Decree takes effect, continue to implement according to the provisions of Decree No. 171/2016/ND-CP dated December 27, 2016 of the Government on ship registration, cancellation of registration, purchase, sale, and construction of ships which has been amended and supplemented by Decree No. 86/2020/ND-CP dated July 23, 2020.

3. For foreign-flagged ships purchased by Vietnamese organizations or individuals through loan purchase or lease purchase contracts signed before this Decree takes effect, the age of the ship when registering in Vietnam shall continue to be implemented according to the provisions of Decree No. 171/2016/ND-CP dated December 27, 2016 of the Government on ship registration, cancellation of registration, purchase, sale, and construction of ships which has been amended and supplemented by Decree No. 86/2020/ND-CP dated July 23, 2020.

4. Ship registration certificates issued before this Decree takes effect shall continue to have legal validity and are not required to be renewed according to new templates until they are reissued according to regulations.

1. This Decree takes effect from October 30, 2025.

Article 4. Effective date

2. Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government-affiliated agencies, Chairpersons of provincial People's Committees directly under the central government within their respective functions and duties shall be responsible for guiding and implementing this Decree.

FORMS OF APPLICATIONS AND CERTIFICATES USED IN SHIP REGISTRATION, CANCELLATION OF REGISTRATION, PUBLIC SERVICE SHIPS, SUBMARINES, DIVE SHIPS, FLOATING STORAGE UNITS, MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS

 

 

ANNEX

(Attached to Decree No. 247/2025/ND-CP dated September 15, 2025 of the Government)
APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION

 

Form No. 01

 

Note: The ship registration authority must fully utilize the national database on population and the national database on business registration to verify relevant information such as the name and address of the owner. Only request the person performing the administrative procedure to provide evidence documents in cases where the national databases return inaccurate results for the information in the application form.

 

Form No. 02

 

Note: The ship registration authority must fully utilize the national database on population and the national database on business registration to verify relevant information such as the name and address of the owner. Only request the person performing the administrative procedure to provide evidence documents in cases where the national databases return inaccurate results for the information in the application form.

 

Implementation Report of Production Projects of Supporting Industry Products Confirmed with Incentives

 

Note: The ship registration authority must fully utilize the national database on population and the national database on business registration to verify relevant information such as the name and address of the owner. Only request the person performing the administrative procedure to provide evidence documents in cases where the national databases return inaccurate results for the information in the application form.

 

Form number 04

Note: The ship registration authority must fully utilize the national database on population and the national database on business registration to verify relevant information such as the name and address of the owner. Only request the person performing the administrative procedure to provide evidence documents in cases where the national databases return inaccurate results for the information in the application form.

 

Form number 05

 

Note: The ship registration authority must fully utilize the national database on population and the national database on business registration to verify relevant information such as the name and address of the owner. Only request the person performing the administrative procedure to provide evidence documents in cases where the national databases return inaccurate results for the information in the application form.

 

Form number 06

Note: Certificate of registry issued from 01/01/2027 must have a two-dimensional code (QR) for quick reading, decoding information and connecting to the ship registration information system

 

Form No. 07

 

Note: Certificate of periodic registry issued from 01/01/2027 must have a two-dimensional code (QR) for quick reading, decoding information and connecting to the ship registration information system.

 

Form No. 08

Note: Certificate of provisional registry issued from 01/01/2027 must have a two-dimensional code (QR) for quick reading, decoding information and connecting to the ship registration information system.

 

Form No. 09

Note: Certificate of registry issued from 01/01/2027 must have a two-dimensional code (QR) for quick reading, decoding information and connecting to the ship registration information system.

 

Form No. 10

Note: Certificate of deregistration issued from 01/01/2027 must have a two-dimensional code (QR) for quick reading, decoding information and connecting to the ship registration information system.

 

Form No. 11

 

Form No. 12