According to statistics, currently, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Nghe An province are the 3 localities with the largest number of requests for Criminal Record Certificates in the country.

From 2021 to 2023, on average each year Hanoi City issues 51,211 Judicial Records, Ho Chi Minh City issues 95,979 Judicial Records, Nghe An province issues 56,900 Judicial Records.

“In the context of limited human resources, equipment, and facilities of the Department of Justice, receiving a large number of files has caused overload for the criminal record department in these localities. There were times when people had to queue very early to submit their applications for a Criminal Record Certificate, causing public outrage,” according to the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice believes that the pilot decentralization of the issuance of criminal records to district-level administrative units in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Nghe An province is extremely necessary at the present stage, contributing to reducing direct pressure on the Department of Justice in handling procedures for issuing criminal records as well as creating more convenience for people when they can go to the district-level justice department to carry out procedures for issuing criminal records, increasing the initiative of district-level administrative units in handling administrative procedures.

The Ministry of Justice proposed a 2-year pilot period for this policy, which is enough time for localities to prepare resources for implementation, and also enough time for preliminary and final review before proposing amendments to the law's provisions for nationwide application.

Based on the above grounds, the Ministry of Justice submits to the Government a proposal to develop a National Assembly Resolution to pilot decentralization of the issuance of Criminal Record Certificates to a number of judicial departments under the People's Committees at the district level in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Nghe An province.

Currently, Hanoi City has 30 district-level administrative units; Ho Chi Minh City has 22 district-level administrative units; Nghe An province has 21 district-level administrative units.

It is known that the Department of Justice has 3 civil servants (1 department leader (concurrently), 1 leader of the administrative justice department (concurrently), and 1 specialist of the administrative justice department) and 4 contract employees performing the work of issuing Judicial Records.

At the Provincial Public Administration Service Center, 2 civil servants are assigned to receive applications for issuance of Criminal Record Certificates and 1 civil servant is assigned to return results for issuance of Criminal Record Certificates.

The Department of Justice has fully arranged equipment and facilities to serve the work of issuing Judicial Records; ensuring that the reception, digitization of records, sending and receiving results of judicial record information verification, processing records and digitizing results of issuing Judicial Records are carried out in a closed manner on the software systems of the Ministry of Justice and the province.

From October 2, 2020, the receipt of dossiers and return of results for issuance of Judicial Records Certificates will be carried out at the Provincial Public Administration Service Center; People, agencies and organizations submitting dossiers requesting issuance of Judicial Records Certificates can choose to submit dossiers directly or via public post to the Nghe An Provincial Public Administration Service Center or submit dossiers via the province's Level 4 Online Public Service Portal.

From January 1, 2021 to October 30, 2023, Nghe An Department of Justice received 171,041 applications for Criminal Record Certificates, the number of applications continuously increased over the years (34,189 applications received in 2021; 67,390 applications received in 2022, 69,462 applications received in the first 10 months of 2023); most people submitted applications in person, the rest by post and online.