Decision No. 784/QD-BTNMT Issuing Regulations on Standards and Levels of Expenditure for Travel Expenses and Conference Fees Using State Budget in Administrative Agencies and Public Service Units under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

Pursuant to …;

Issuing Regulations on Standards and Levels of Expenditure for Travel Expenses and Conference Fees from State Budget

in Administrative Agencies and Public Service Units under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

______________________________

 MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

Pursuant to Decree No. 25/2008/ND-CP dated March 4, 2008 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Decree No. 19/2010/ND-CP dated March 8, 2010, and Decree No. 89/2010/ND-CP dated August 16, 2010 of the Government amending and supplementing certain articles of Decree No. 25/2008/ND-CP dated March 4, 2008 of the Government;

Pursuant to Decision No. 59/2007/QD-TTg dated May 7, 2007 of the Prime Minister promulgating Regulations on Standards, Quotas, and Management and Usage Regimes for Vehicles in State Agencies and Public Service Units;

Pursuant to Circular No. 97/2010/TT-BTC dated July 6, 2010 of the Ministry of Finance stipulating the travel expense regime and expenditure regime for organizing conferences for state agencies and public service units;

Considering the work requirements and the special nature of activities in administrative agencies and public service units under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment;

On the proposal of the Director of the Finance Department,

DECISION:

Article 1. These Regulations on Standards and Levels of Expenditure for Travel Expenses and Conference Fees from State Budget in Administrative Agencies and Public Service Units under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment are hereby issued together with this Decision.

Article 2. This Decision takes effect from the date of signature and replaces Decision No. 2069/QD-BTNMT dated November 3, 2010 of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment.

Article 3. The Heads of the Office of the Ministry, Department Directors of the Departments of Finance and Planning, the Inspector General of the Ministry, and the Heads of Administrative Agencies and Public Service Units under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment are responsible for implementing this Decision.

REGULATIONS

Standards and Levels of Expenditure for Travel Expenses and Conference Fees from State Budget in Administrative Agencies and Public Service Units under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

(Issued together with Decision No. 784/QD-BTNMT dated May 29, 2012 of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment)

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

1. This Decision specifies certain standards and levels of expenditure for travel expenses and conference fees for implementing projects, programs, research topics, and tasks funded from non-recurring budget funds (non-budgeted funds) allocated annually by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to subordinate administrative agencies and public service units.

2. For recurring budget funds allocated for self-management (budgeted funds), the Heads of Units may decide on higher expenditure levels for travel expenses and conference organization costs not exceeding 20% or lower than those specified in this Decision, but such decisions must be clearly stipulated in the internal expenditure regulations of the unit, ensuring principles of thrift, efficiency, and suitability with the budget capacity and operational characteristics of each unit.

Article 2. Principles for managing travel expenses and conference fees

1. The dispatch of officials on business trips or the organization of meetings and conferences must be based on plans and programs of work, the contents of projects, programs, topics, and non-recurring tasks approved by competent authorities.

2. To use funds economically within the budget estimates assigned by competent authorities, heads of agencies and units must carefully consider when sending people on business trips (both in terms of the number of people and duration of the trip) to ensure compliance with the requirements of the work content.

3. To enhance the efficiency of budget fund usage, agencies and units must reasonably arrange meeting locations, strengthen direct meeting forms (online), especially for national conferences; integrate relevant issues and tasks to reduce the number of conferences; determine the number of participants according to the composition, purpose, and content of the conference; refrain from organizing receptions, banquets, hiring cultural performances; do not allocate funds for combined sightseeing or vacation activities; do not allocate funds for gifts or souvenirs.

4. Agencies and units organizing conferences must comply with the standards and expenditure limits for travel expenses and conference costs as stipulated in this Decision. In special cases requiring higher expenditure levels, the head of the agency or unit must examine and decide each specific case and bear responsibility for their decisions.

5. To improve the utilization of assets provided by the State, agencies and units should maximize the use of their own assets (such as cars, conference halls, meeting rooms, other equipment) to serve work and organize conferences; minimize renting vehicles for business trips or renting venues and equipment for conferences.

6. Settlement of travel expenses and conference costs must be based on approved budgets, accompanied by complete settlement documents and vouchers as prescribed. During inspection, if violations of travel expense and conference cost regulations in this Decision are discovered, the inspecting body has the right to reject the settlement and request the recovery and repayment to the budget. The person who issued incorrect payment orders shall be responsible for fully reimbursing the incorrectly paid amount to the agency or unit, and will be subject to legal penalties depending on the severity of the violation.

Article 3. Standards and Expenditure Limits for Travel Expenses

1. Standards and Expenditure Limits for Travel Vehicles

a) Regarding the standard for using cars for domestic business trips:

The standard for using cars for domestic business trips is applied according to the provisions of Decision No. 59/2007/QĐ-TTg dated May 7, 2007, of the Government Chairman on the issuance of Regulations on Standards, Quotas, and Management and Usage of Travel Vehicles in State Agencies and Publicly Owned Enterprises; specifically as follows:

- Leaders with a position allowance coefficient of 1.25 or higher are equipped with cars for work purposes. Agencies and units are responsible for ensuring cars for work purposes according to the prescribed standards.

- Leaders with a position allowance coefficient of 0.7 to less than 1.25 can use shared cars for work purposes. If agencies and units cannot arrange cars according to the standards, they may rent cars for business trips, with reimbursement equivalent to taxi fares (for round trips within 100 kilometers) or competitive prices (for round trips exceeding 100 kilometers or rental services by the day).

- For cadres and civil servants without car allocation standards when on business trips (as mentioned above), public transportation should be used; reimbursement is based on ticket prices or purchase invoices. In cases where public transportation is unavailable for business trips more than 10 kilometers from the office (in highland, island areas; difficult mountainous regions, remote areas) and more than 15 kilometers (for the remaining areas), self-funded transportation costs are reimbursed at a rate of 0.2 liters of gasoline per kilometer (based on the gasoline price at the time of the trip) according to actual kilometers traveled.

If cadres and civil servants have been arranged to travel together with leaders entitled to car usage (as specified above), they are not entitled to self-funded transportation reimbursements. If it is found that cadres have been provided with transportation but still request reimbursement for self-funded transportation costs, they must return the reimbursed amount to the agency or unit and be subject to disciplinary action under the law on cadres and civil servants.

b) Regarding the standard for purchasing air or train tickets for domestic business trips:

- Business class air tickets are for Ministers and Deputy Ministers;

- Regular class air tickets are for leaders with a position allowance coefficient of 0.7 to 1.25 and senior specialists;

- Train tickets are for the remaining positions.

- Cadres and civil servants who do not meet the criteria for air travel but require urgent work demands and need to shorten travel time, may request air travel upon approval by the head of the agency or unit within the approved budget.

2. Standards and Expenditure Limits for Accommodation Allowances

a) Cadres and civil servants dispatched to work on islands or sea areas are entitled to accommodation allowances (applicable to both working days on islands and travel days at sea) as follows:

- For short-term business trips (within 20 days), the maximum accommodation allowance is 200,000 VND per person per day;

- For long-term business trips (over 20 days), the maximum accommodation allowance is 150,000 VND per person per day;

- In cases where certain specialized sectors have been authorized to stipulate allowances for business trips to islands or sea areas, the highest stipulated allowance can be chosen for reimbursement to cadres and civil servants.

- In cases where certain specialized sectors have implemented a subsidy system for travel expenses when working on islands or at sea, which has been stipulated by competent authorities at a higher rate than that provided in this Decision, the accommodation allowance specified in this Decision shall not be applied to pay for officials and civil servants.

b) Traveling to mountainous areas, remote areas, border areas, and particularly difficult regions (regions with a regional coefficient of 0.5 or higher):

- For short-term trips (within 20 days), the maximum accommodation allowance payable is not more than 150,000 VND per person per day;

- For long-term trips (more than 20 days), the maximum accommodation allowance payable is not more than 100,000 VND per person per day.

c) Traveling to districts within Hanoi City, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong City, Can Tho City, Da Nang City; cities classified as type I urban centers under provincial administration:

- For short-term trips (within 20 days), the maximum accommodation allowance payable is not more than 120,000 VND per person per day;

- For long-term trips (more than 20 days), the maximum accommodation allowance payable is not more than 100,000 VND per person per day.

d) Traveling to other regions:

- For short-term trips (within 20 days), the maximum accommodation allowance payable is not more than 100,000 VND per person per day;

- For long-term trips (more than 20 days), the maximum accommodation allowance payable is not more than 80,000 VND per person per day.

đ) For trips conducted within the same day (returning on the same day), if the distance from the office exceeds 30 kilometers, the accommodation allowance will be paid at 50% of the amount stipulated in points a, b, c, and d above.

3. Standards and expenditure limits for renting rooms at the destination:

a) For Ministers, the actual cost of renting a room (with a valid invoice) is reimbursed up to a maximum of 2,500,000 VND per day per room according to the standard of one person per room (regardless of the destination).

b) For Vice Ministers, General Directors, and senior officials with a position allowance coefficient of 1.25 to 1.3:

- When traveling to districts within Hanoi City, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong City, Can Tho City, Da Nang City; cities classified as type I urban centers under provincial administration, the actual cost of renting a room (with a valid invoice) is reimbursed up to a maximum of 1,200,000 VND per day per room according to the standard of one person per room;

- When traveling to other regions, the actual cost of renting a room (with a valid invoice) is reimbursed up to a maximum of 1,000,000 VND per day per room according to the standard of one person per room.

c) For senior officials with a position allowance coefficient of 0.7 to less than 1.25 and high-level specialists:

- When traveling to districts within Hanoi City, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong City, Can Tho City, Da Nang City; cities classified as type I urban centers under provincial administration, the actual cost of renting a room (with a valid invoice) is reimbursed up to a maximum of 900,000 VND per day per room according to the standard of two people per room. If there is no valid invoice, the maximum allocation is not more than 350,000 VND per day per person;

- When traveling to other regions, the actual cost of renting a room (with a valid invoice) is reimbursed up to a maximum of 600,000 VND per day per room according to the standard of two people per room. If there is no valid invoice, the maximum allocation is not more than 250,000 VND per day per person.

d) For other civil servants:

- When traveling to districts within Hanoi City, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong City, Can Tho City, Da Nang City; cities classified as type I urban centers under provincial administration, the actual cost of renting a room (with a valid invoice) is reimbursed up to a maximum of 800,000 VND per day per room according to the standard of two people per room. If there is no valid invoice, the maximum allocation is not more than 300,000 VND per day per person;

- When traveling to other regions, the actual cost of renting a room (with a valid invoice) is reimbursed up to a maximum of 500,000 VND per day per room according to the standard of two people per room. If there is no valid invoice, the maximum allocation is not more than 200,000 VND per day per person.

đ) In cases where civil servants must complete work until the end of the day or due to only being able to book transportation (airplane, train, car) from 18:00 to 24:00 on the same day, they are entitled to reimbursement for half-day accommodation costs, equivalent to 50% of the corresponding room rental payment.

e) In special cases requiring a higher room rental fee at the destination than the standard set out in points c and d above, the civil servant must submit a report to the head of the agency or unit for consideration and decision within the approved budget.

f) In cases where a civil servant travels alone or a group has an odd number of members or includes different genders, they may rent a single room according to the corresponding standard for two people per room.

4. Traveling in inter-departmental or inter-agency teams:

a) Where an agency or unit needs to summon officials, civil servants, or employees from other agencies or units to collaborate on inter-departmental tasks to fulfill its political mission, the requesting agency or unit must issue a summons letter (invitation letter, new circular) to officials, civil servants, or employees from other agencies or units to travel. The letter should clearly state that the leading agency or unit of the team is responsible for covering all related expenses for the trip, including travel expenses, baggage fees, documents carried for work (if any), accommodation allowances, and room rental fees at the destination for the traveling officials. The agency or unit sending personnel on the trip shall not reimburse travel expenses for its own dispatched personnel to avoid duplication.

b) In cases where travel is organized in inter-departmental or inter-agency teams summoned by the superior administrative authority's head or for joint execution of tasks assigned to each agency or unit, the leading agency or unit of the team is responsible for covering travel expenses and baggage fees for the traveling personnel. The agency or unit dispatching personnel is responsible for paying accommodation allowances and room rental fees for its dispatched personnel.

Article 4. Conditions for reimbursement of travel expenses:

1. Fulfilling assigned tasks.

2. Being dispatched by the head of the agency or unit to perform tasks required by the unit; or being invited to join a working delegation related to professional work with an invitation letter from the main organizing agency or unit.

3. Having all necessary payment vouchers as prescribed, specifically:

a) Payment vouchers for travel means include:

- Travel route permit of the person on business with confirmation from the receiving agency (or hotel, guesthouse);

- Tickets, ticket purchase invoices; invoices for baggage and document transportation fees provided by service providers; for airfare payment vouchers, apart from the ticket stub (or e-ticket), boarding pass must be attached;

- In case of hiring service vehicles, there must be a contract, settlement contract, and invoice; if the vehicle rental cost is under VND 200,000, a receipt or acknowledgment from the vehicle owner can be used as payment basis;

- For lump-sum payment vouchers for travel means, there must be a mileage statement of the business trip submitted for approval by the head of the agency or unit as the basis for payment;

- Note: The payment price for travel means does not include other service costs (such as sightseeing tours, special services according to requirements).

b) Payment vouchers for accommodation allowance include: Written document or work plan approved by the head of the agency or unit and dispatching the person on business; travel route permit stamped by the dispatching agency or unit and signed confirmed with arrival and departure dates by the receiving agency (or hotel, guesthouse).

c) Payment vouchers for accommodation rental fees include: Written document or work plan approved by the head of the agency or unit for the number of days dispatched on business; travel route permit stamped by the dispatching agency or unit and signed confirmed with arrival and departure dates by the receiving agency (or hotel, guesthouse) and valid invoice (except in cases of lump-sum payment).

If the agency or unit (where the staff member goes on business) has arranged accommodation without charge, the person on business shall not be reimbursed for the lump-sum accommodation rental fee. If it is discovered that staff members have been provided free accommodation by the receiving agency or unit but still request reimbursement for the lump-sum accommodation rental fee, the person on business must return the amount already reimbursed to the dispatching agency or unit and will be subject to disciplinary action according to laws governing civil servants.

d) Besides payment vouchers for travel expenses, accommodation allowance, and accommodation rental fees at the place of business as stipulated above; when reimbursing travel expenses for inter-departmental delegations, there must also be a summons letter (invitation letter) from the main organizing agency or unit; if the travel expenses and accommodation rental fees for staff on business exceed the standard regulations, additional approval documents from the head of the agency or unit must be attached based on urgent or special requirements for each specific case.

4. The following situations are not eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses:

a) Time spent in medical treatment, convalescence at healthcare facilities, rehabilitation centers.

b) Days attending long-term or short-term training courses where staff members receive benefits for attending training.

c) Personal work days during the business trip period.

d) Days assigned to reside or be seconded to another locality or agency according to the decision of the competent authority.

Article 5. Contents and levels of expenditure for organizing conferences:

1. Agencies and units organizing conferences may expend on the following contents:

a) Rent for conference halls, projectors, and equipment directly serving the conference (in cases where the agency or unit does not have a venue or has but cannot accommodate the number of participants).

b) Expenses for documents; pens, paper (if any) for conference participants.

c) Rent for lecturers and report presenters.

d) Rent for transportation to pick up and drop off participants from their accommodation to the conference venue (in cases where the agency or unit does not have transportation or has but cannot accommodate the number of participants).

đ) Water expenses during the meeting.

e) Subsidies for meals, accommodation rental, and travel expenses for invited participants who do not receive salaries from the state budget.

g) Additional compensation for the difference (between actual centralized meal expenses and the amount collected from per diem allowances) for participants receiving salaries from the state budget, participants from public service units, and participants from enterprises.

h) Other expenditures such as overtime pay, common medical expenses, hall decoration, etc.

2. Specific expenditure levels:

a) Rental expenses for services supporting the conference (such as renting conference halls, equipment directly serving the conference, printing and duplicating documents, office supplies, and transportation for picking up and dropping off participants): shall be implemented according to the current regulations on selecting service provision prices.

b) Lecturer and report presenter subsidies: shall be implemented in accordance with the Ministry of Finance's guidelines on managing and using training and cadre development funds.

c) Water expenses during the meeting: maximum not exceeding 30,000 VND/day/participant; or 15,000 VND/session/participant (if the meeting lasts half a day).

d) Subsidies for accommodation and travel expenses for invited participants who do not receive salaries from the state budget: shall be implemented according to the standards and expenditure levels for travel expenses and accommodation rentals at the destination as stipulated in Article 3, Clause 1 and Clause 3 of this Decision.

đ) Meal subsidies (in the form of cash allowances) for invited participants who do not receive salaries from the state budget.

- Conferences held in central urban areas of centrally-administered cities: Maximum meal subsidy level not exceeding 150,000 VND/day/person; or 75,000 VND/session/person (if the meeting lasts half a day);

- Conferences held in central urban and town areas of provincial cities: Maximum meal subsidy level not exceeding 100,000 VND/day/person; or 50,000 VND/session/person (if the meeting lasts half a day);

- Conferences held in districts and towns within provinces: Maximum meal subsidy level not exceeding 60,000 VND/day/person; or 30,000 VND/session/person (if the meeting lasts half a day).

e) Additional compensation for the difference in meal expenses for participants receiving salaries from the state budget in centralized meal arrangements (between actual expenses and the amount collected from per diem allowances of participants): the maximum additional compensation shall not exceed 30% of the meal subsidy level for invited participants who do not receive salaries from the state budget as stipulated above.

h) Other expenditures such as common medical expenses, hall decoration, etc., based on reasonable actual costs.

Article 6. Conditions for reimbursement of conference fees:

1. The time for organizing conferences shall be applied according to the provisions of Decision No. 114/2006/QĐ-TTg dated May 25, 2006, issued by the Prime Minister on meeting regulations in the operation of administrative state agencies, specifically as follows:

- Special topic conferences from one working day to one day; for large, complex topics, projects, the duration may be extended but not exceeding two days;

- Training, implementation, and summary conferences of specialized tasks from one to three days depending on the nature and content of the issue;

Training classes funded from the training and cadre development budget of state civil servants; from program and project budgets, the class opening time shall be carried out according to the approved training program by the competent authority.

2. Payment vouchers:

a) Summoning decision or invitation letter of the agency or unit organizing the conference, specifying the content, location, time of the conference, and the list of invited participants.

b) For conference service rental expenses (such as renting conference halls, printing materials, purchasing office supplies, renting vehicles to transport delegates...): there must be a contract, settlement contract, and payment invoice from the service provider; in cases where service costs are under VND 200,000, a receipt or service provider's acknowledgment can be used as a basis for payment. Conference hall or meeting room rental fees will not be reimbursed if the unit has sufficient space for the number of attendees.

c) Lecturer and speaker allowances: Based on the list of speakers, hours presented, hourly payment amount, and lecturer or speaker signature (approved by the head of the agency or unit organizing the conference).

d) Refreshment expenses during meetings: Must have a list of attending delegates and purchase receipts for drinks, snacks, or fruits used during the meeting, approved by the head of the agency or unit organizing the conference as a basis for payment.

đ) Accommodation and travel support for guest delegates who do not receive salary from the state budget: Payment vouchers according to Article 4, Clause 3, Points a and c of this Decision.

e) Meal allowance (in the form of a cash quota): Based on the list of guest delegates who do not receive salary from the state budget, number of days attended, payment amount, and delegate signature (approved by the head of the agency or unit organizing the conference).

g) Additional compensation for discrepancies: Must have a list of guest delegates receiving salary from the state budget, number of days attended, income from travel expenses, discrepancy compensation amount, and actual meal organization expense payment vouchers (approved by the head of the agency or unit organizing the conference) as a basis for payment.

Article 7. Sources of funds:

1. The sources of funds for implementing the travel expense system and conference organization expense regulations stipulated in this Decision shall be used from the annual state budget allocation for projects, programs, topics, and non-recurring tasks approved by the competent authority.

2. In 2010, agencies and units shall review and adjust the number of people traveling and organizing conferences to ensure that they do not exceed the approved budget and within the allocated state budget.

Article 8. Implementation Organization:

1. Heads of administrative agencies and units under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment are responsible for strictly adhering to the travel expense standards and conference organization expense regulations stipulated in this Decision and publicly announcing them within their agencies and units.

2. If there are difficulties during implementation, units are requested to report to the Ministry (through the Finance Department) for examination and guidance./.