On June 11, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang signed Decision No. 498/QD-TTg approving the Plan to reduce and simplify regulations and administrative procedures related to Judicial Records.

Accordingly, a number of regulations and administrative procedures related to Criminal Records in 14 fields are cut: Science and technology, diplomacy, interior affairs, agriculture and rural development, finance, justice, construction, health, state bank, culture, sports and tourism, labor - war invalids and social affairs, police, national defense, and transportation.

Specifically, for the procedures for civil servant recruitment and selection, the requirement for submission of a Criminal Record from individuals will be removed, replaced by a measure whereby the recruiting agency proactively requests a Criminal Record as prescribed in Clause 3, Article 7 of the Law on Criminal Records dated June 17, 2009 (amended and supplemented) to facilitate, reduce time and social costs, and exercise the right to request a Criminal Record of state agencies.

Accordingly, Point b, Clause 1, Article 16 of Decree No. 138/2020/ND-CP dated November 27, 2020 of the Government regulating the recruitment, use and management of civil servants will be amended; and the regulation on the recruitment agency requiring the issuance of a Judicial Record Certificate in Decree No. 138/2020/ND-CP will be added.

For the procedure of granting a License to operate a service of sending workers to work abroad, the requirement to submit a Criminal Record Certificate will be abolished.

If necessary, the administrative procedure settlement agency shall request the agency managing the criminal record database to issue a Criminal Record Certificate to complete the dossier; or the individual may present an electronic copy of the Criminal Record Certificate issued on the VneID electronic identification and authentication application to save time and costs, creating convenience for the individual in the process of carrying out administrative procedures.

Specifically, it will amend Clause 2, Article 7 of Decree No. 112/2021/ND-CP dated December 10, 2021 of the Government detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Law on Vietnamese Workers Working Abroad under Contract.

For the procedure of Registration of Domestic Adoption, the agency handling the administrative procedure is responsible for requesting the agency managing the criminal record database to issue a Criminal Record Certificate when people carry out the procedure of Registration of Domestic Adoption. In addition, specific regulations will be added on how to carry out the procedure of Registration of Domestic Adoption; and additional regulations on the components of the administrative procedure to be carried out electronically.

Specifically, Clause 3, Article 17 of the Law on Adoption will be amended and supplemented. In addition, specific regulations on how to carry out the procedure for registering domestic adoption will be added; regulations on the components of administrative procedures to be carried out electronically in the Law on Adoption, or Decree No. 19/2011/ND-CP dated March 21, 2011 of the Government detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Adoption will be added.

With the procedure for settling adoption involving foreign elements in cases where stepfathers and stepmothers adopt their spouse's children; paternal aunts and paternal uncles adopt their nephews and nieces, the administrative procedure settlement agency is responsible for requesting the agency managing the criminal record database to issue a Criminal Record Certificate (for cases where Vietnamese citizens are subject to the competent authority of Vietnam handling the procedure for issuing a Criminal Record Certificate) when people carry out the procedure for settling adoption involving foreign elements in cases where stepfathers and stepmothers adopt their spouse's children; paternal aunts and paternal uncles adopt their nephews and nieces.

At the same time, remove the regulation on the validity period of the Judicial Record Certificate as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 5 of Decree No. 19/2011/ND-CP dated March 21, 2011 of the Government detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Adoption.

In addition, specific regulations are added on how to carry out procedures for settling adoptions involving foreign elements in cases where stepfathers and stepmothers adopt their spouse's children; paternal aunts and paternal uncles adopt their nephews and nieces; and regulations are added on the components of administrative procedures to be carried out electronically.

Specifically, it will amend and supplement Clause 2, Article 5, Point g, Clause 1, Article 31 of the 2010 Law on Adoption. In addition, it will add specific regulations on how to carry out procedures for settling adoptions involving foreign elements in cases where stepfathers and stepmothers adopt their spouse's children; paternal aunts and paternal uncles adopt their grandchildren; and add regulations on the components of administrative procedures to be carried out electronically in the Law on Adoption, or Decree No. 19/2011/ND-CP dated March 21, 2011 of the Government detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Adoption.

For the procedure for granting a pharmacy practice certificate in the form of an exam/file review, the "criminal record" will be removed from the dossier for the procedure for granting a pharmacy practice certificate (including cases where a pharmacy practice certificate is granted but the pharmacy practice certificate is revoked according to regulations in the Pharmacy Law) in the form of an exam/file review.

TM