Decree No. 280/2025/ND-CP: A step forward to promote digital transformation in authentication

(Chinhphu.vn) - Decree No. 280/2025/ND-CP of the Government issued on October 27, 2025, is considered an important step to promote digital transformation in the field of authentication, towards a modern administration, better serving people and organizations.

People do not have to submit or present documents integrated on VNeID, helping to reduce paperwork, saving time and costs. Photo: VGP/Kim Lien

To better understand the contents of Decree 280/2025/ND-CP, reporters of the Government Electronic Newspaper had an interview with Mr. Le Xuan Hong, Director of the Department of Judicial Assistance ( Ministry of Justice ) on this issue.

Increase flexibility and initiative of the person performing the certification

Sir, Decree No. 280/2025/ND-CP on authentication was just issued by the Government on October 27, 2025. So, in your opinion, what are the important highlights in Decree No. 280/2025/ND-CP on authentication?

Mr. Le Xuan Hong: In order to promptly remove difficulties and obstacles in certification activities when operating two-level local governments, ensuring smooth certification activities, creating favorable conditions for people, organizations and businesses, the Ministry of Justice has advised the Government to issue Decree No. 280/2025/ND-CP dated October 27, 2025 amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 23/2015/ND-CP on issuing copies from original books, certifying copies from originals, certifying signatures and certifying contracts and transactions, amended and supplemented by Decree No. 07/2025/ND-CP.

Some important new points of Decree No. 280/2025/ND-CP are as follows:

The authority to certify at the People's Committee at the commune level is stipulated to belong to the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level (instead of the authority of the People's Committee at the commune level as before), and at the same time, the responsibility of the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level in directing and organizing the implementation of certification activities in the area is stipulated. On that basis, the subject of certification is expanded to be the person authorized or assigned by the Chairman of the People's Committee to perform the certification task according to regulations.

Amending and supplementing regulations to implement the policy of "non-administrative boundaries" when handling administrative procedures for people and businesses such as: Not regulating administrative boundaries for the authentication of wills, authentication of documents refusing to receive inheritance, authentication of authorization documents related to the implementation of rights of land and housing users...

Amending and supplementing regulations to reduce and simplify administrative procedures in certification activities such as: Reducing certification procedures; not requiring the person requesting certification to submit or present the original or a copy of the papers and documents that have been integrated on VNeID when the person requesting certification has presented the corresponding information from VNeID; in case the person requesting certification requests and the person performing the certification can exploit information and papers from the National Population Database or other databases as prescribed by law, the person performing the certification is responsible for exploiting information and papers from these databases, not requiring the person requesting certification to present the original, a copy from the original book or a certified copy of the exploited information and papers; increasing the number of certification procedures performed online throughout the process...

Supplementing regulations on the People's Committees at the provincial level to consider and transfer all or part of the work of certifying copies from originals and certifying signatures to notary organizations in commune-level areas where notary organizations have developed to reduce the workload for the People's Committees at the commune level.

How does the expansion of the subject of certification to be the person authorized or assigned to perform the certification task in this Decree affect the implementation of certification by the people, sir?

Mr. Le Xuan Hong: Regarding the People's Committee at the commune level, Decree 23/2015/ND-CP stipulates that the authority to certify is the People's Committee at the commune level and the certifying person is the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level, limiting the expansion of the subjects performing certification at the People's Committee at the commune level. This regulation is no longer suitable when implementing a 2-level local government with the workload in general and certification in particular at the commune level increasing (previously, certification was also performed at the Justice Department under the People's Committee at the district level). This is one of the reasons leading to the overload in performing certification in some localities.

Decree No. 280/2025/ND-CP stipulates that the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level has the authority to direct and organize the implementation of certification activities in the locality; can authorize and assign the implementation of certification work and the signing and use of seals when performing certification are carried out in accordance with the provisions of law.

Accordingly, based on the provisions of Decree No. 280/2025/ND-CP, the provisions of the Law on Organization of Local Government and related documents, the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level can: Directly perform the authentication; Authorize the head of a specialized agency, other administrative organization, public service unit under the People's Committee at his/her level, authorize civil servants under the People's Committee at his/her level; Assign to the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level, the head of a specialized agency, other administrative organization, public service unit under the People's Committee at the commune level can assign his/her deputy to perform the authentication task.

Thus, together with regulations on reducing and simplifying certification procedures, this regulation reduces the workload and helps increase the flexibility and initiative of those performing certification, thereby resolving certification for people and businesses faster and more effectively.

Helps reduce paperwork, save time and costs

The regulation that the person performing the authentication does not require the person requesting the authentication to submit or present the original or a copy of the documents and papers that have been integrated on VNeID when the person requesting the authentication has presented the corresponding information from VNeID is considered a big step forward in administrative procedure reform. So how do you evaluate this regulation?

Mr. Le Xuan Hong: The fact that people do not have to submit or present documents integrated on VNeID helps reduce paperwork, save time and costs, and at the same time increase accuracy and transparency in handling procedures. This is also an important step to promote digital transformation in the field of authentication, towards a modern administration, better serving people and organizations.

Sir, after the Decree is issued, how will the Ministry of Justice implement this Decree to ensure consistency and effectiveness nationwide?

Mr. Le Xuan Hong: Decree No. 280/2025/ND-CP takes effect from November 1, 2025. To ensure the unified and effective implementation of the Decree, the Ministry of Justice is currently urgently carrying out a number of tasks such as: Developing implementation plans/documents; disseminating the contents of the Decree to People's Committees at all levels, especially commune-level People's Committees, relevant agencies and organizations;

In addition, strengthen communication work so that people and society understand and implement correctly; organize meetings, training, and guide agencies and organizations, first of all the People's Committees at the commune level to implement correctly and consistently; at the same time, during the implementation process, organize inspections and rectify the implementation...

In fact, in some localities, there is still a situation of overload when people come to perform certification. So, in your opinion, what solutions are needed to overcome this situation in the near future?

Mr. Le Xuan Hong: In recent times, the Ministry of Justice has been implementing many solutions to reduce workload and congestion when handling administrative procedures at People's Committees at all levels regarding judicial work in general and authentication in particular. In the coming time, in my opinion, to reduce workload and quickly resolve authentication procedures for people and businesses, it is necessary to focus on timely and effective implementation of Decree No. 280/2025/ND-CP of the Government;

Continue to research and review the decentralization and delegation of authority to handle administrative procedures for localities; reduce administrative procedures; exploit databases and technology applications to avoid requiring paper copies for certification as well as promote online implementation;

At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen training, fostering and guidance to improve the capacity of civil servants doing certification work;

Promote the socialization of certification work, thereby transferring the certification of copies from originals and signature certification to notary organizations in commune-level areas where there is at least one notary organization operating stably and effectively;

In addition, thoroughly disseminate and propagate so that agencies, organizations and people understand and properly implement regulations on certification and the implementation of procedures related to certification, accordingly, do not require certification of types of documents that the law does not require certification when carrying out related procedures.

Thank you very much!

Kim Lien (performed)

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/nghi-dinh-so-280-2025-nd-cp-buoc-tien-thuc-day-chuyen-doi-so-trong-chung-thuc-102251030215943576.htm