Procedures For Household Registration Book Removal And Residence Verification

It is not an exaggeration to say that the concept of ‘household registration’ has deeply permeated every aspect of the lives of the Vietnamese people for a long time.  Almost every legal administrative document is closely tied to the requirement of providing a household registration.  From buying and selling assets, seeking employment, enrolling children in schools, and more, everything involves the presence of a household registration booklet.  At one point, even in social interactions, people used to silently judge each other based on their ‘household registration.’  It was quite peculiar to have a label as ‘urban household registration.’

However, in line with the principles of development and modernization, the official household registration booklet has been phased out as of December 31, 2022.  The management of household registration will be replaced by modern technology and software.  With a sense of nostalgia for the old ways and hopes of escaping the constraints and inconveniences brought about by household registration, people are now uncertain about how matters related to household registration will be resolved in the future.  How do you verify your place of residence when you no longer have a household registration?  What are the important considerations when removing the household registration?

The official household registration booklet has been officially abolished

Clause 3 Article 38 of the Law on Residence 2020 specifies that the household registration booklet is valid as a confirmation document for residence until December 31, 2022.  From January 1, 2023, all household registration booklets and temporary residence booklets will no longer be valid.  Furthermore, Clause 2 Article 26 of Circular No. 55/2021/TT-BCA dated May 15, 2021, issued by the Minister of Public Security, outlines certain provisions and measures for implementing the Law on Residence.  When citizens carry out procedures for permanent residence registration, adjustment of information in the residence database, splitting households, canceling permanent residence registration, registering temporary residence, extending temporary residence, or canceling temporary residence registration, which results in changes to the information in the household registration booklet and temporary residence booklet, the registration authorities are responsible for withdrawing the household registration booklet and temporary residence booklet previously issued.  They will then adjust and update the information in the residence database by the provisions of the Law on Residence, without issuing new household registration booklets or temporary residence booklets.  Therefore, the official household registration booklet has been abolished.

The removal of the household registration booklet is perhaps the most widely supported policy by the people.  In reality, for many years, having a household registration booklet was necessary to handle various legal administrative transactions and procedures, which caused significant inconvenience and difficulties for the people.  Since July 1, 2021, when the 2020 Law on Residence came into effect, household registration booklets and temporary residence booklets were revoked in cases of information changes.  New registrations for place of residence and temporary residence were no longer issued.  Starting from January 1, 2023, all place of residence and temporary residence registrations will no longer be valid.  Instead, all information concerning household registration and residence will be updated in the national population database and the residence database.  The official household registration booklet has been abolished, and the method of management has shifted from a paper-based household registration booklet to electronic technology.

What to Do When Removing the Household Registration

Currently, the national population database is operational.  Citizens can use residence information in the national population database to carry out administrative procedures and public services.  When citizens access the system, their personal information, such as name, gender, date of birth, and permanent address, will automatically appear.  Public servants will check if the provided information matches the data stored in the national population database.  Therefore, when the household registration booklet is no longer valid, to ensure smooth transactions and avoid incomplete personal information, citizens should perform the following tasks:

1. Update information in the national population database. The national population database is a collection of basic information for all Vietnamese citizens, standardized, digitized, stored, and managed through an information infrastructure to serve the state management and transactions of agencies, organizations, and individuals.  According to Article 9 of the Law on Citizen Identification, the collected and updated information includes full name, date of birth, gender, place of birth, hometown, ethnicity, religion, nationality, marital status, permanent residence, current residence, blood type, etc.  Therefore, citizens need to update their information in the national population database to facilitate administrative procedures after December 31, 2022.  The updated information will replace the household registration booklet and temporary residence booklet.
2. Register for an electronic identification account. An electronic identification account through the VneID application will be used to confirm identity and conduct administrative procedures in place of the chip-based citizen identification card as stipulated by Government Decree No. 59/2020/NĐ-CP.  To register for an electronic identification account, citizens should register through the VNeID application on their mobile phones or visit the local police department to complete the procedure.  The electronic identification account has two levels.  At level 1, it includes personal information and a portrait photo.  At this level, citizens can use basic features such as online public service notifications, permanent residence registration, temporary residence registration, temporary absence declaration, and more.  At level 2, the electronic identification account includes biometric data of citizens.  A level 2 electronic identification account of Vietnamese citizens is equivalent to a chip-based citizen identification card.  With this account, citizens can use all integrated features, including driving licenses, vehicle registration, health insurance, electronic payment of utility bills for electricity and water, and money transfers.
3. Apply for a chip-based citizen identification card.  According to Article 12 of the Law on Citizen Identification, the personal identification number is established from the national database to connect, update, share, and exploit information about citizens. The personal identification number is unified and managed nationwide by the Ministry of Public Security, which issues a unique personal identification number for everyone.  When conducting administrative procedures, authorities will use the personal identification number to access, update, and adjust information in the national database.  Citizens who currently hold a 9-digit identification card and do not know their personal identification number may face difficulties when requesting information about their residence.  Therefore, citizens must obtain a chip-based citizen identification card to facilitate administrative procedures.
4. Obtain a residence information confirmation certificate. Citizens can use a residence information confirmation certificate as an alternative when presenting documents to verify their information.  The certificate includes details about the registration time, location, and method of residence registration.  According to Article 17 of Circular No. 55/2021 issued by the Ministry of Public Security, citizens can request a residence information confirmation certificate in the following ways: visit the communal or district police department and request the certificate, send a request for residence information confirmation through the Ministry of Public Security’s e-government portal, the residence management e-government portal, or the national e-government portal.

How to Prove Your Place of Residence without a Household Registration Booklet

With the removal of the household registration booklet, the government continues to manage the population while changing the method from paper booklets to modern information technology.  Information regarding a citizen’s place of residence will be updated electronically and uniformly managed.  Each person will have their own personal identification number, which is printed on their chip-based citizen identification card.  This card will contain all relevant information, such as hometown, name, age, gender, date of birth, and place of residence.  Citizens will still need to register for permanent residence and temporary residence as before.  However, when registering for permanent or temporary residence, instead of being issued a household registration booklet or temporary residence booklet in paper form, citizens’ information will be updated in the national population database and the residence database.  Based on their unique identification number, they can use it to carry out transactions, such as buying and selling property, registering vehicles, registering births, and more.  Citizens will no longer need to carry paper documents; they only need their identification cards for verification.  This card will provide access to their data in a matter of seconds.  Therefore, to confirm your place of residence, you only need to check the integrated information on your citizen identification card.

These are some important considerations to verify your place of residence once the household registration is removed.  We hope that the information above has been helpful to you when performing administrative procedures.  If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at letran@familylawyers.vn