The National Assembly agrees to expand the scope of those exempt from construction permits.

8 cases where construction permits are not required.

On the afternoon of December 10th, with 437 out of 439 participating delegates voting in favor, the National Assembly passed the amended Construction Law, which will take effect from July 1st, 2026.

The amended Construction Law expands the scope of construction projects exempt from building permits, including 8 cases:

State secret projects; urgent and emergency construction projects; projects under special public investment projects; projects under investment projects with special investment procedures; temporary construction projects as prescribed in this Law; construction projects in areas of land used for national defense and security purposes as prescribed by land law.

The National Assembly votes to pass the amended Construction Law. Photo: National Assembly Media

Public investment projects are those whose investment and construction decisions are made by the Prime Minister, heads of central agencies of political organizations, the Supreme People's Procuracy, the Supreme People's Court, the State Audit Office, the Office of the President , the Office of the National Assembly, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, central agencies of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations, and chairpersons of People's Committees at all levels.

The amended Construction Law stipulates eight groups of construction projects that are exempt from construction permits. Photo: National Assembly Media

Linear construction projects located within the territory of two or more provincial-level administrative units; linear construction projects outside areas designated for urban development, as determined by urban and rural planning or detailed sectoral planning approved by competent state agencies or with approved route plans by competent authorities.

Offshore structures belonging to offshore construction investment projects that have been allocated a sea area by competent authorities for project implementation; airports, airport facilities, and air traffic control facilities outside airports.

Advertising structures are not subject to construction permit requirements under the law on advertising; passive telecommunications infrastructure.

The construction works under the investment project have had their feasibility study report and revised feasibility study report appraised by the specialized construction agency and have been approved in accordance with regulations.

Construction projects classified as Category IV, individual houses with a scale of less than 7 floors and a total floor area of less than 500 m2, and not located in any of the following areas: functional areas, urban development areas identified in the city's master plan; functional areas, rural residential areas, urban development areas identified in the general urban plan of the province, city, economic zone master plan, national tourism zone master plan; construction areas identified in the commune's master plan; areas with existing architectural management regulations.

Repair and renovation work inside or outside a building not adjacent to a road in an urban area is subject to architectural management requirements as stipulated by the competent state agency; the repair and renovation work must not change the purpose and function of the building, must not affect the structural safety of the building, and must ensure fire safety, environmental protection, and connectivity to technical infrastructure.

Reduce the time and cost of obtaining construction permits by at least 30%.

Previously, some National Assembly deputies suggested that while expanding the scope of exemptions from construction permits facilitates investment, there is a need to strengthen post-inspection work, paying attention to inspection, examination, and handling of violations.

In its explanatory report, the Government stated that the drafting agency stipulated regulations to ensure that exemptions from construction permits are accompanied by strict control measures such as: Regulations on notification of commencement of construction projects to provide information and a basis for the construction order management agency;

The regulations include supplementing content on construction order management, shifting some aspects from pre-inspection to post-inspection; adding framework regulations on the installation of signs and monitoring equipment at construction sites, and making information public to encourage community participation in monitoring and providing feedback...

For construction projects located in the territory of two or more provinces, the regulations only exempt construction permits for projects that run across two or more provinces.

The licensing procedures will be simplified to the maximum extent in the Decree, focusing on: implementing the entire process online; simplifying documentation and requirements; enhancing the responsibility of design consultants in ensuring construction safety; and minimizing the time required for licensing (expected maximum of 7-10 days). These regulations will reduce time/costs by at least 30%, as requested by the Government.

Source: https://laodong.vn/thoi-su/quoc-hoi-dong-y-mo-rong-doi-tuong-duoc-mien-giay-phep-xay-dung-1623240.ldo