Legal regulations on construction permits in Vietnam

Construction permits are important legal document in construction activities. Let’s find out this issue with Lawyer X through the following situation: “Dear Lawyer! I want to ask what are types of construction permits? What are Major contents of a construction permit? Thanks for answering my questions!”

Legal grounds

• 2014 Vietnam Construction Law

Works subject to, and types of, construction permits

– Before starting construction of works, project owners shall obtain construction permits granted by competent state agencies in accordance with 2014 Vietnam Construction Law, except the cases prescribed in Clause 2 of this Article.

– Works exempted from construction permit include:

+ Works involving state secrets, works constructed under emergency orders and works located in the territories of two or more provincial-level administrative units;

+ Works of construction investment projects in which investment is decided by the Prime Minister, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies or chairpersons of People’s Committees at different levels;

+ Makeshift construction works to serve the construction of main works;

+ Works constructed in lines outside urban areas which conform to construction master plans approved by competent state agencies or in lines of which the direction has been approved by competent state agencies;

+ Construction works of projects on industrial parks, export processing zones or hi- tech parks with detailed 1:500-scale plans already approved by competent state agencies and construction designs already appraised in accordance with 2014 Vietnam Construction Law;

+ Houses of urban development projects or housing development projects with under 7 stories and a total floor area of under 500 m² and detailed 1:500-scale plans already approved by competent state agencies;

+ Works undergoing repair, renovation or installation of interior equipment which does not alter their force-bearing structure and utilities and affect the environment and safety of these works;

+ Works undergoing repair and renovation to alter their external architecture not facing roads in urban centers subject to architecture management requirements;

+ Technical infrastructure works in rural areas for which only construction investment economic-technical reports are required and in areas without approved detailed construction plans on rural residential points;

+ Construction works in rural areas without approved urban development plans and detailed construction plans; separate houses in rural areas, except separate houses built in conservation zones or historical and cultural relic zones;

+ Project owners of works exempted from construction permit prescribed at Points b, d, dd and i of this Clause shall send written notices of the time of construction commencement enclosed with construction design dossiers to local construction management agencies for monitoring and filing.

– Construction permits include:

+ New construction permit;

+ Repair and renovation permit;

+ Relocation permit.

– Works of special grade and grade I shall be granted stage-based construction permits after having construction designs appraised in accordance with 2014 Vietnam Construction Law.

– For construction investment projects consisting of multiple works, construction permits may be granted for one, several or all of these works when the technical infrastructure in the construction site has been built according to construction master plans approved by competent state agencies.

Major contents of a construction permit

– Name of the work under the project.

– Name and address of project owner.

– Location and position for the work construction; the work construction line, for works built in lines.

– Type and grade of the work.

– Work construction level.

– Red-line and construction boundaries.

– Construction density (if any).

– Land use coefficient (if any).

– For civil works, industrial works and separate houses, in addition to the contents specified in Clauses 1 thru 8 of this Article, their construction permits must contain contents on total construction area, construction area of the first (groun+ floor, number of stories (including basement, attic, technical story and staircase roo+, and maximum elevation of the entire work.

– The deadline for construction commencement, which must be within 12 months from the date of grant of the construction permit.

Conditions for granting construction permits for works in urban areas

– Being in line with approved construction detailed master plans. For construction works located in stable areas or street routes in urban centers which have no detailed construction master plan yet, they must be in line with regulations on management of planning, urban architecture or urban designs promulgated by competent state agencies.

– Being conformable with land use purposes according to approved land use master plans.

– Ensuring safety for the works and adjacent works and meeting requirements on environmental protection and fire and explosion prevention and fighting; ensuring safety for technical infrastructure and protection corridors of irrigation works, dikes, energy works, traffic works, cultural heritage zones, historical-cultural relics; ensuring safety distance to fire- or explosion-prone and hazardous facilities, and important works related to national defense and security.

– Having their construction designs appraised and approved under Article 82 of 2014 Vietnam Construction Law.

– Having dossiers of application for construction permits suitable to each type of construction permit prescribed in Articles 95, 96 and 97 of 2014 Vietnam Construction Law.

Conditions for granting construction permits for works not built in lines outside urban areas

– Being conformable with positions and total ground areas of projects already approved in writing by competent state agencies.

– Meeting the conditions prescribed in Clauses 3, 4 and 5, Article 91 of 2014 Vietnam Construction Law.

Conditions for granting construction permits for separate houses

– General conditions for the grant of construction permits for separate houses in urban areas include:

+ Being conformable with land use purposes according to approved land use master plans;

+ Ensuring safety for the works and adjacent works and meeting requirements on environmental protection and fire and explosion prevention and fighting; ensuring safety for technical infrastructure and protection corridors of irrigation works, dikes, energy works, traffic works, cultural heritage zones, historical-cultural relics; ensuring safety distance to fire- or explosion-prone and hazardous facilities, and important works related to national defense and security;

+ Having their construction designs made under Clause 7, Article 79 of 2014 Vietnam Construction Law;

+ Having dossiers of application for construction made under Clause 1, Article 95, and Articles 96 and 97 of 2014 Vietnam Construction Law.

– Separate houses in urban areas must meet the conditions prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article and conform with detailed construction plans. Separate houses located in stable areas or street routes in urban centers which have no detailed construction master plans, must comply with regulations on management of planning, urban architecture and urban designs promulgated by competent state agencies.

– Separate houses in rural areas, when constructed, must conform with detailed construction master plans for rural residential points.

Conditions for granting construction permits with definite terms

– General conditions for the grant of construction permits with definite terms:

+ Being located in areas with construction zoning plans approved and announced by competent state agencies but not yet implemented, for which there are no land recovery decisions of competent state agencies;

+ Being suitable to the size of works prescribed by provincial-level People’s Committees for each area and the existence duration of works according to plans for implementation of approved construction zoning plans;

+ Project owners undertake to dismantle the works by themselves at the expiration of the existence duration stated in the construction permits with definite terms; if failing to dismantle the works by themselves, the dismantlement shall be coerced and project owners shall bear all dismantlement costs.

– Works to be granted construction permits with definite terms must meet the conditions prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article and the conditions prescribed in Clauses 2, 3, 4 and 5, Article 91 of 2014 Vietnam Construction Law.

– Separate houses must meet the conditions prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article and the conditions prescribed in Clause 1, Article 93 of 2014 Vietnam Construction Law.

– For works or separate houses that are granted construction permits with definite terms, if, at the end of the terms, the plan for implementation of the construction plan has not been implemented, the agency that has granted construction permits shall inform owners or assigned users of the works of the adjustment of the construction plan and extend their construction permits with definite terms.

– For works or separate houses located in areas with construction zoning plans approved by competent state agencies for which district-level annual land use plans have been issued, no new construction permits with definite terms but only construction permits with definite terms for repair and renovation shall be granted.

Dossiers of application for new construction permits

– A dossier of application for a new construction permit for a separate house must comprise:

+ An application for a construction permit;

+ A copy of one of the papers proving land use rights as prescribed by the land law;

+ Construction designing drawings;

+ A written commitment to ensure safety for adjacent works, for construction works adjacent to other works.

– A dossier of application for a construction permit for a work to be built not in line must comprise:

+ An application for a construction permit;

+ A copy of one of the papers proving land use rights as prescribed by the land law;

+ A copy of the project approval or investment decision;

+ Construction designing drawings;

+ Declarations on the capabilities and experiences of designing organizations or individuals in charge of construction designing, enclosed with copies of practice certificates of design managers.

– A dossier of application for a construction permit for a work to be built in line must comprise:

+ Documents prescribed at Points a, c, d and dd, Clause 2 of this Article;

+ Written approval of a competent State agency of the location and plan of the line;

+ The land recovery decision of a competent state agency as prescribed by the land law.

– A dossier of application for a construction permit for a religious work must comprise:

+ Documents prescribed in Clause 2 of this Article;

+ Written approval of a competent state agency in charge of religion of the necessity of construction and the size of the work.

– A dossier of application for a construction permit for a monument or mural must comprise:

+ Documents prescribed in Clause 2 of this Article;

+ A copy of the permit or written approval of a state management agency in charge of culture of the necessity of construction and the size of the work.

– A dossier of application for a construction permit for an advertisement work must comprise:

+ Documents prescribed in Clause 2 of this Article; and a land or work lease contract, in case of lease of land or a work for advertisement;

+ A copy of the permit or written approval of a state management agency in charge of advertisement of the necessity of construction and the size of the work.

– Dossiers of application for construction permits for works of diplomatic missions and international organizations must comply with the Government’s regulations.

Dossiers of application for construction permits for repair and renovation of works

– An application for a permit for repair and renovation of a work.

– A copy of one of the papers proving the right to own, manage or use the work or house in accordance with law.

– Drawings or photos of the part or item of the work or house to be renovated.

– A written approval of a state management agency in charge of culture of the necessity of construction and the size of the work, for ranked historical and cultural relics and scenic works and technical infrastructure works.

Dossiers of application for construction permits for relocation of works

– An application for a permit for relocation of a work.

– Copies of papers proving the rights to use land to which the work is relocated and papers on lawful ownership of the work as prescribed by law.

– Work completion drawings (if any) or design drawings describing the actual state of the work to be relocated, showing the ground, cross section of the foundation, and drawings of the main force-bearing structure; drawings of the total ground of the location to which the work is relocated; drawings of the ground and cross section of the foundation of the location to which the work is relocated to.

– A report on results of the survey assessing the current quality of the work conducted by a fully capable organization or individual.

– The relocation plan prepared by a fully capable organization or individual, covering:

+ Description of the current state of the work and the area to which the work is relocated; relocation solution, plan on arrangement and use of means, equipment and labor; solutions to ensuring safety for the work, people, machinery, equipment and adjacent works; assurance of environmental sanitation; relocation schedule; organizations and individuals to relocate the work;

+ Drawings showing construction measures to relocate the work.

Adjustment of construction permits

– In the course of construction, if there are adjustments to the design resulting in changes in one of the following contents, project owners shall request adjustment of construction permits:

+ Change of the external architecture of the work, for works in urban centers or areas subject to architecture management requirements;

+ Change of one of the following factors: construction location and area; size, height and number of stories of the work and other factors affecting its main force-bearing structure;

+ Adjustment of the interior design of the work resulting in a change of its utility and affecting safety, fire and explosion prevention and fighting or environmental protection.

– A dossier of request for adjustment of a construction permit must comprise:

+ A written request for adjustment of a construction permit;

+ The granted original construction permit;

+ Design drawings related to the adjustment to the design permitted in the granted construction permit;

+ A report on appraisal results and written approval of the adjusted design (except for separate houses) of the project owner, containing a content on assurance of force-bearing safety, fire and explosion prevention and fighting and environmental protection.

Extension of construction permits

– Before the expiration of the construction permit for construction commencement, if the construction of the work has not commenced yet, the project owner shall make a request for extension of the construction permit. A construction permit may be extended no more than twice, with each extension not exceeding 12 months. At the end of the extension period, if failing to commence construction, the project owner shall submit a new dossier of application for a construction permit.

– A dossier of request for extension of a construction permit must comprise:

+ A written request for extension of a construction permit;

+ The granted original construction permit.

– For works or separate houses for which construction permits with definite terms have been granted, at the end of the existence duration written in the permits, if the plan has not been implemented yet, owners or assigned users of the works may request the construction licensing agency to consider extending the existence duration until the plan is implemented. The existence duration of a work shall be written in its granted construction permit with a definite term.

Re-grant of construction permits

– A construction permit may be re-granted when it is tom, ragged or lost.

– A dossier of request for re-grant of a construction permit must comprise:

+ A written request for re-grant of construction permit;

+ The granted original construction permit, which is tom or ragged.

 Withdrawal or cancellation of construction permits

– A construction permit shall be withdrawn in the following cases:

+ The construction permit is granted not in accordance with law;

+ The project owner fails to remedy the construction in violation of the construction permit within the time limit written the violation handling document at the request of a competent state agency.

– After 10 days from the date of issuance of the construction permit withdrawal decision by a competent state agency in the case prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article, if the project owner fails to return the construction permit to the granting agency, the latter or a competent agency shall decide to cancel the construction permit and notify it to the project owner and the commune-level People’s Committee of the locality where the construction work is located. The construction permit cancellation decision shall be posted on the website of the provincial- level Construction Department.

Process of grant, re-grant, adjustment and extension of construction permits

– The process of grant and adjustment of a construction permit is prescribed as follows:

+ The project owner shall submit 2 sets of dossier of application for a construction permit or request for adjustment of construction permit to the agency competent to grant construction permits;

+ The agency competent to grant construction permits shall receive the dossier, check the dossier and write a receipt if the dossier is valid as prescribed or guide the project owner to complete the dossier if it fails to meet prescribed requirements;

+ Within 7 working days after receiving a dossier, the agency competent to grant construction permits shall organize appraisal of the dossier and conduct field inspection. During appraisal, the competent agency shall determine which documents are still missing, improper or untrue to reality and inform them once in writing to the project owner for supplementation and completion of the dossier. If the supplemented dossier still fails to meet the notified requirements, within 5 working days the competent agency shall issue a written notice to the project owner guiding the latter to further improve the dossier. The project owner shall supplement and complete the dossier according to the written notice. If the supplemented dossier still fails to satisfy the notified contents, within 3 working days, the competent agency shall notify the project owner of the reason for refusal to grant a permit;

+ The agency competent to grant construction permits shall examine the size, characteristics and category of the work and site of construction stated in the dossier of application for a construction permit against the conditions prescribed in 2014 Vietnam Construction Law and send written requests for opinions of state management agencies in charge of fields related to the construction work in accordance with law;

+ Within 12 days, for works or separate houses, after receiving a dossier, consulted state management agencies shall issue written replies on the contents under their respective management functions. After the above time limit, if they give no opinions, they shall be considered having agreed and shall take responsibility for the contents under their respective management functions; in pursuance to current regulations, the agency competent to grant construction permits shall decide to grant construction permits;

+ From the date of receiving a valid dossier, the agency competent to grant construction permits shall examine the dossier for the grant of a permit within 30 days in the case of grant of construction permits, including also construction permits with definite terms, adjusted construction permits and relocation permits, and within 15 days, for separate houses. At the end of the time limit for the grant of a construction permit, if the agency competent to grant construction permits needs more time for examination, it shall notify in writing the reason to the project owner and at the same time report it to the direct management agency for consideration and direction, but within 10 days after the expiration of the time limit prescribed in this Clause.

– The process of extension and re-grant of construction permits is prescribed as follows:

+ The project owner shall submit 2 sets of dossier of request for extension or re-grant of construction permit to the agency competent to grant construction permits;

+ Within 5 working days after receiving a complete and valid dossier, the agency competent to grant construction permits shall consider and allow the extension of the construction permit or re-grant the construction permit.

– The receipt of replies and payment of fees for the grant of construction permits are prescribed as follows:

+ Project owners shall receive construction permits enclosed with design dossiers submitted for the application of construction permits bearing the stamp of the agency competent to grant construction permits at the place of receipt of the dossiers according to the time of appointment written in the receipts;

+ Project owners shall pay a fee under regulations upon submission of dossiers of application for construction permits.

– For cases ineligible for the grant of a construction permit, within the time limit prescribed in Clause 2 of this Article, the agency competent to grant construction permits shall issue a written notice clearly stating the reason to the project owner. Past the time limit written in the receipt, if the competent agency fails to reply, the project owner is entitled to construct the work according to the appraised and approved design dossier included in the dossier of application for a construction permit.

– The Government shall issue detailed regulations on dossiers of application for construction permits, adjustment, extension, re-grant and withdrawal of construction permits for each type of construction permit and category of work.

– The Minister of Construction shall issue detailed regulations on the form of application and design drawings in dossiers of application for construction permits.

Competence to grant, adjust, extend, re-grant and withdraw construction permits

– The Ministry of Construction shall grant construction permits for works of special grade.

– Provincial-level People’s Committees grant construction permits for construction works of grades I and II; religious works; historical and cultural relic works, monuments and murals which have been ranked; works in main street lines and thoroughfares in urban centers; and works of foreign-invested projects. Provincial-level People’s Committees may decentralize powers to provincial-level Construction Departments, and management boards of economic zones, industrial parks, export processing zones and hi-tech parks to grant construction permits under the scope of management and functions of these agencies.

– District-level People’s Committees shall grant construction permits for works and separate houses in urban centers, centers of commune clusters and in conservation zones and historical and cultural relic areas in the territories under their management, except construction works prescribed in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article.

– Agencies competent to grant construction permits are competent to adjust, extend, re-grant and withdraw construction permits they have granted.

– In case an agency competent to grant construction permits fails to withdraw a construction permit it has granted ultra vires, the provincial-level People’s Committee shall directly issue a decision to withdraw such construction permit.

Responsibilities of agencies competent to grant construction permits

– To publicly post up and explain and guide regulations on grant of construction permits.

– To monitor, issue replies to or notify project owners of dossiers ineligible for the grant of construction permits.

– To grant construction permits according to the process and within the time limit prescribed in Article 102 of 2014 Vietnam Construction Law.

– To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related functional agencies in inspecting the construction according to construction permits; to suspend the construction and withdraw construction permits according to their competence when project owners commit serious violations.

– Persons competent to grant construction permits shall take responsibility before law and pay compensations in accordance with law for damage caused by their wrong or delayed grant of construction permits.

Responsibilities of agencies and organizations related to the grant of construction permits

– To perform the responsibilities prescribed at Point dd, Clause 1, Article 102 of 2014 Vietnam Construction Law.

– To take necessary measures when receiving notices of agencies competent to handle violations with regard to works constructed not according to planning, constructed without permits or in violation of granted construction permits.

Rights and obligations of construction permit applicants

– Construction permit applicants have the following rights:

+ To request construction licensing agencies to explain, guide and comply with regulations on construction licensing;

+ To file complaints about, lawsuits and denunciations against illegal acts in the grant of construction permits;

+ To start construction of works in accordance with 2014 Vietnam Construction Law.

– Construction permit applicants have the following obligations:

+ To submit complete dossiers and fully pay fees for the grant of construction permits;

+ To bear responsibility for the accuracy and truthfulness of construction permit application dossiers;

+ Seven working days before starting the construction, to notify in writing the construction starting date to the commune-level People’s Committees of places where works will be constructed;

+ To observe strictly the contents of the construction permits.

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