Guidelines for digitizing administrative procedures in Nam Dong commune.

Proactive and ensuring feasibility.

In the context of administrative reform, the development of digital government, and the establishment of a two-tiered local government model, the implementation of the Law on Civil Registration is of significant importance, linked to the legitimate rights, interests, and daily lives of citizens. In line with the policy of decentralization and delegation of authority, prior to July 1, 2025, the Department of Justice advised the City People's Committee to issue two plans and numerous guiding documents for commune and ward-level People's Committees, ensuring they have the necessary conditions to receive full civil registration authority.

The Department of Justice also promptly published a list of administrative procedures, approved internal and electronic processes, creating a basis for communes and wards to handle dossiers from the very first day of operation of the new model; at the same time, it organized training conferences on civil registration, helping grassroots officials to firmly grasp regulations and procedures, and minimize confusion when taking on tasks.

Ms. Van Thi Phuong, a judicial and civil registration officer in Dan Dien commune, said that the transfer of civil registration authority to the commune level has brought civil registration closer to the people. Commune officials have received thorough training from the Department of Justice on procedures, professional skills, and electronic software; internal and electronic procedural lists and processes have been issued promptly, ensuring uninterrupted processing of applications. When problems arise, local officials can communicate online with the Department's support team for quick guidance and efficient handling of complex cases.

Mr. Pham Cong Phuoc, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dan Dien commune, shared that in the early days of taking over the entire authority for civil registration, commune officials inevitably faced difficulties, especially with files involving foreign elements. Furthermore, the outdated computer system with low specifications and insufficient network capacity hampered the processing and handling of procedures. The Department of Justice provided timely support, particularly through online support channels, which helped commune officials gradually gain more confidence, process files correctly, and minimize errors.

Thanks to synchronized solutions, civil registration work in the city after July 1, 2025, has operated relatively stably, meeting the needs of the people and avoiding prolonged bottlenecks. However, the workload at the commune level is very large while staffing has not increased correspondingly, especially in densely populated urban areas; some complex procedures transferred from the district level to the commune level have resulted in operational errors, forcing the Department of Justice to advise the City People's Committee to cancel or revoke some files to ensure legal validity.

Breakthrough in online civil registration

Alongside the decentralization of authority, the Department of Justice has accelerated the implementation of online civil registration and the processing of procedures regardless of place of residence. The results are quite significant: from January 1, 2025 to November 2025, the People's Committees of communes and wards received and processed 8,981 civil registration dossiers, of which online dossiers accounted for 99%.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Phuoc, Head of the Legal Dissemination and Judicial Administration Department of the Department of Justice, the city has so far digitized more than 1.2 million cases from paper civil registration books, becoming one of the first localities nationwide to complete this task. The work of reviewing and cleaning up marriage data was implemented according to a 90-day intensive plan, contributing to reducing procedures for confirming marital status and easing inconvenience for citizens.

From April 2025, the issuance of copies of civil registry extracts regardless of place of residence will be implemented, significantly facilitating citizens. Electronic interconnected administrative procedures such as birth registration - permanent residence registration - issuance of health insurance cards for children under 6 years old, or death registration - removal of permanent residence registration - funeral allowance have helped shorten processing time and reduce the number of trips.

As a direct beneficiary, Ms. Tran Thi Lan, a resident of Chan May commune, Lang Co district, said that previously, obtaining a birth certificate for her child required multiple trips. Now, she only needs to submit the application online, with procedures interconnected between agencies, making it convenient, transparent, and time-saving.

Currently, Hue City has 118 civil servants in the judicial and civil registration sector, the majority of whom hold a university degree in law or higher and have received professional training. This is the core force ensuring the quality of civil registration work at the grassroots level; however, some communes still only have one civil servant in the judicial and civil registration sector, posing a potential risk of work disruption, and many newly appointed civil servants lack experience in handling complex cases.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Director of the Department of Justice, affirmed that transferring all civil registration authority to the commune-level People's Committees is correct and consistent with administrative reform. Practical experience in Hue shows that this policy is feasible with thorough preparation, close collaboration, and synchronized investment in human resources and infrastructure. In the future, the Department of Justice will continue to propose strengthening professional training, improving software, and allocating more personnel and equipment to commune-level authorities to better serve the people.

Through continuous efforts, the Department of Justice is gradually realizing its goal of bringing civil registration services closer to the people, making them convenient for the people and for their benefit, contributing to building a modern, professional, and efficient administrative system.

Text and photos: THAI BINH

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-polit-xa-hoi/dua-cong-tac-ho-tich-ve-cap-xa-161330.html