Colonel Ngo Nhu Cuong, deputy head of the Department for Administrative Management of Social Order under the Ministry of Public Security. Photo: Ministry of Public Security

The new provision took effect on July 1 under Law No. 118, which amends and supplements several articles across 10 laws related to security and public order, including the Law on Residence.

According to Colonel Ngo Nhu Cuong, deputy head of the Department for Administrative Management of Social Order under the Ministry of Public Security, the revised residency notification rule primarily expands the categories of individuals responsible for reporting overnight stays, clarifies legal obligations, and offers multiple reporting methods.

In addition to households, accommodation providers, and medical facilities, owners or managers of vehicles are now also required to notify authorities when individuals stay overnight on those vehicles.

If neither the head of the household nor another household member is present, the overnight guest is responsible for making the notification personally.

The notification must include basic information such as the guest’s full name, date of birth, personal identification number or passport number, the reason for the stay, and the location and duration of the overnight accommodation.

Notifications must be submitted before 11:00 pm on the first day of the stay.

If the guest arrives after 11:00 pm, the notification must be made before 8:00 am the following day.

The maximum temporary stay under a single notification is 30 days.

Citizens may complete the notification through various channels, including telephone, email, the website of the residency registration authority, the National Public Service Portal, the VNeID application, or dedicated residency notification software.

There is no requirement to visit a police office in person.

The ministry said the policy is designed to ensure that citizens’ places of residence are accurately and comprehensively recorded, supporting residency management, public security, crime prevention, search and rescue operations, and the development of social welfare policies.

The new rule is intended to minimize inconvenience, Colonel Cuong said, noting that notifications are free of charge, involve simple procedures, and rely primarily on digital information already stored through VNeID.

Officials from the immigration office under the Hanoi Department of Public Security inspect and review apartments rented by foreign nationals. Photo: Supplied

5 major amendments to Law on Residence

Colonel Cuong outlined five major amendments to the Law on Residence.

The revisions align residency registration procedures with Vietnam’s two-tiered administration model, simplify registration requirements for children under six, and expand the automatic updating of residency information through national databases.

Other amendments are to introduce new responsibilities for reporting temporary stays on vehicles, and revise regulations governing the cancellation of permanent and temporary residence registrations to ensure consistency with nationality laws.

Colonel Cuong also highlighted key updates contained in Circular No. 116, which aims to streamline administrative procedures and further digitalize residency management.

Under the new rules, citizens submitting residency applications in person are only required to provide basic personal information and details demonstrating their eligibility for registration.

Officials are responsible for retrieving existing data from the national population database and other connected systems to create electronic application files.

Each application will be assigned a tracking number, allowing applicants to monitor processing progress.

Authorities are also prohibited from requesting documents that are already available in government databases or integrated into the VNeID digital identity platform.

If the necessary information has been connected, shared, or verified electronically, applicants will not be required to submit or present the same documents again.

The circular also broadens the methods through which authorities may announce application results, clarifies rules on authorizing another person to complete residency procedures, and expands channels for citizens to submit feedback or complaints.

These channels include in-person submissions, telephone hotlines, email, official websites, VNeID, and other communication platforms.