The Ministry of Justice recently submitted a report explaining and incorporating feedback from National Assembly delegates regarding the draft amended Civil Status Law. A notable point in the draft allows commune-level People's Committees to register civil status matters irrespective of a citizen's permanent or temporary residence.

The applicable procedures include: birth registration, marriage, guardianship, parent-child recognition, changes to civil status information, marital status confirmation, and death registration. Compared to current regulations, this represents a significant change aimed at facilitating administrative procedures for citizens, removing dependence on administrative boundaries.

However, during discussions, some delegates expressed concern that the new regulation could overwhelm areas with large hospitals. These locations concentrate many birth and death registrations, potentially increasing pressure on commune-level justice and civil status officials. The delegates requested the drafting agency to fully assess the impact and propose solutions for managing the workload.

In response to these concerns, the Ministry of Justice stated that the implementation has a practical basis and assured conditions. Regarding technology infrastructure, the Ministry has developed and operates an Electronic Civil Status Database under a two-tier local government model. The system currently stores over 146 million records, including newly registered data updated in real-time and historical data digitized from civil status books dating back to the early 20th century.

This database connects with the National Population Database, enabling information sharing and utilization to support administrative procedures. According to the Ministry of Justice, this forms a crucial platform for distributing the processing workload, preventing concentration at specific locations.

Officials working at Da Nang City Administrative Center, 5/2025. *Photo: Nguyen Dong*

Concerning human resources, Vietnam currently has 8,082 civil status officials working across 3,321 commune-level administrative units, with nearly 90% having received professional training. The draft Law also mandates continued review and strengthening of this team, ensuring they meet professional requirements and information technology application skills.

The Ministry of Justice cited practical experience since 1/7/2025, when the two-tier local government model was implemented. Most civil status procedures have since been conducted without dependence on administrative boundaries. Localities have reported no sudden increase in application volumes, even in areas with large maternity and pediatric hospitals.

Based on these foundations, the Ministry of Justice believes that the regulation allowing civil status registration independent of administrative boundaries is feasible. It can be implemented immediately once the Law takes effect, simultaneously reducing procedures and enhancing convenience for citizens.

The National Assembly is expected to vote on the draft amended Civil Status Law during the second part of its ky hop thu nhat, from 20 to 23/4.

Son Ha