VI In the administrative and commercial management system in Vietnam, a seal is not only a tool to confirm the legal validity of documents but also a symbol of the official presence of an organization or agency. Due to its important nature and the potential for misuse for illicit gain, seal production is classified by the State as a conditional business investment line in terms of security and order. To be licensed for operation, a business establishment must meet a series of strict standards. To clearly understand the legal roadmap and specific criteria to prepare before entering this specialized market, let’s explore the conditions for seal production under current regulations with Pham Consult.
I. Is seal production a conditional business line?
Seal production includes: Manufacturing seals bearing the National Emblem of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, seals with symbols, and seals without symbols in accordance with the law on the management and use of seals.
According to the list of conditional business lines effective from July 1, 2026, attached to the Investment Law 2025, seal production is a conditional business investment line. Specifically, according to Article 3 of Decree 96/2016/ND-CP, seal production belongs to the group of business lines subject to conditions regarding security, order, and management scope. These are business lines that, during their investment and operation process, involve complex factors related to security and order, making them susceptible to exploitation for criminal activities and other legal violations.
II. Conditions for seal production
According to Article 7 and Article 13 of Decree 96/2016/ND-CP (amended and supplemented by Decree 58/2026/ND-CP), business establishments must meet the following security and order conditions to produce seals:
1. Be registered, licensed, or established in accordance with Vietnamese law.
2. The person responsible for security and order of the business establishment must not fall into any of the following cases:
– For Vietnamese nationals:
+ Have been criminally prosecuted and are currently under investigation, prosecution, or trial by Vietnamese or foreign procedural agencies.
+ Have a criminal record for crimes infringing upon national security or other intentional crimes sentenced to more than 03 years in prison without having their criminal record cleared; currently serving a prison sentence but granted a suspended sentence; currently during a stay of execution of a prison sentence; currently serving a non-custodial reform sentence; currently under probation, prohibited from residence, prohibited from holding certain positions, or prohibited from conducting conditional business lines related to security and order according to a Court decision.
+ Currently subject to educational measures at the commune, ward, or special district level; subject to a decision on administrative handling measures while awaiting execution; addicted to drugs; currently granted a stay or suspension of execution of a decision for placement in a compulsory educational institution or compulsory detoxification center; have been subject to administrative handling measures but have not reached the time limit to be considered as not having been subject to such measures.
– For overseas Vietnamese with foreign passports and foreigners: Have not been granted a residence permit by the competent Vietnamese authority.
3. Meet fire safety and firefighting conditions as prescribed by the law on fire prevention and fighting.
Accordingly, enterprises and household businesses with a Certificate of Eligibility for Security and Order are permitted to produce various types of seals. However:
– Only business establishments under the Ministry of Public Security may produce seals bearing the National Emblem of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or the Public Security Force emblem.
– Only business establishments under the Ministry of National Defense may produce seals bearing the Military emblem, except for establishments that were operating prior to the effective date of Decree 96/2016/ND-CP.
III. Dossier for the Certificate of Eligibility for Security and Order
The Certificate of Eligibility for Security and Order is a document issued by the competent Public Security authority to establishments investing in business lines specified in Article 3 of Decree 96/2016/ND-CP. This certificate is issued in paper or electronic form and has equal legal validity. Upon request, both forms can be issued simultaneously once the Public Service Portal and the administrative procedure information system of the Ministry of Public Security are fully operational. The certificate does not have an expiry date, except for cases specified in Clause 2, Article 15 of Decree 96/2016/ND-CP.
According to Article 19 of Decree 96/2016/ND-CP (amended and supplemented in 2026), the application dossier includes:
– An application form for the Certificate of Eligibility for Security and Order from the business establishment.
– A valid copy of one of the following documents:
+ Investment Registration Certificate; Enterprise Registration Certificate; Registration Certificate for branch operation or business location; Cooperative/Union of Cooperatives Registration Certificate; Household Business Registration Certificate; Notice of tax identification number for business locations; establishment document or operation permit accompanied by a notice of tax identification number for revenue-generating non-business units.
If the above documents do not specify the business line, the establishment must supplement documents proving that the business line for which the certificate is requested has been approved by the business registration authority or competent authority.
Note: Business establishments do not need to submit these documents if the State management database has been connected and shared in an electronic environment.
– For enterprises without raw material or product warehouses as prescribed, they must have a warehouse lease contract that ensures fire safety and rescue conditions.
– The person responsible for security and order must submit:
+ For domestic Vietnamese: A Judicial Record Card (except for those currently on the payroll of the armed forces).
+ For overseas Vietnamese and foreigners: A personal declaration form, a valid copy of their Passport, and a Permanent Residence Card, Temporary Residence Card, or a valid Visa for staying in Vietnam.
IV. Order and procedures for applying for the Certificate
The business establishment submits one set of dossiers to the competent Public Security authority via one of the following methods:
– Direct submission;
– Submission via public postal services;
– Submission via the National Public Service Portal or the National Identification Application (VNeID) (except for documents not permitted to be uploaded online by law).
Processing time: 04 working days.
If the certificate is not granted, within 08 working hours (for online applications) or 02 working days (for direct/postal applications) from receipt of the dossier, the Public Security authority must provide a written response stating the reasons.
V. Actions to be taken after receiving the Certificate:
– Within 05 days of starting operations, the business must send a Notice of Eligibility for Security and Order along with a copy of the Certificate to the local Commune/Ward/Special District Police.
– Within 20 days of starting operations, the business is responsible for providing the following to the competent Public Security authority:
+ A list of employees.
+ Curriculum vitae and personal declarations of the persons responsible for security and order (excluding the person named on the Certificate).
+ Documents proving fulfillment of conditions for each specific business line.
+ Statistics of security equipment (if any).
– Organize training on security and order for security guards and relevant staff.
– Maintain a Business Activity Management Log according to the Ministry of Public Security’s template.
– Publicly post the process for receiving seal production dossiers and engraving prices at the enterprise.
– Strictly preserve and transfer seals to the competent Public Security authority for registration; do not deliver seals directly to customers, except for enterprise seals not under the management of the Public Security authority.
– Periodic reporting: Quarterly reports must be submitted before March 2nd, June 2nd, September 2nd, and December 2nd.
– Reporting on the situation and results of implementing security and order regulations of the business establishment shall be sent to the directly managing Public Security authority.
Reporting data shall be based on the following timelines: Quarter I: From December 1st of the previous year to the last day of February of the reporting year; Quarter II: From March 1st to May 31st; Quarter III: From June 1st to August 31st; Quarter IV: From September 1st to November 30th.
– The business establishment is responsible for providing ad-hoc reports on cases, incidents, or information related to security and order occurring at the establishment to the commune-level Public Security authority where the business operates and the directly managing Public Security authority.
