Business Address Change Due to District Removal in Vietnam

During its business operations, an enterprise may need to change the address of its head office for various reasons, including changes in the State’s administrative divisions. In such cases, the registered business address of the enterprise may no longer be consistent with the current administrative reality, and the enterprise must carry out procedures to change its head office address under the law. Understanding the relevant procedures, documentation, and legal regulations is essential to ensure the legality and continuity of the enterprise’s operations. The following article by Viet An Law will provide essential information on business address change due to district removal in Vietnam.

From July 1, 2025, districts will no longer exist nationwide

The Central Committee of the Communist Party issued Resolution No. 60-NQ/TW dated April 12, 2025, at the 11th plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee.

Accordingly, the Committee generally agreed with the proposals of the Politburo and the Scheme regarding the following key measures:

• Merging provincial-level administrative units, abolishing district-level administration, merging commune-level units, and establishing a two-tier local government model;
• Restructuring political and social organisations and mass associations assigned with tasks by the Party and State under the Vietnam Fatherland Front;
• Streamlining the organisational structures of the People’s Court and the People’s Procuracy; developing the local organisational structure of the Party;
• Advocating for the amendment and supplementation of certain articles of the 2013 Constitution.

Specific measures were approved to continue the implementation of tasks and solutions aimed at improving the performance, efficiency, and effectiveness of the political system’s organisational structure, including:

• Approving the policy of organising a two-tier local government: provincial level (provinces and centrally controlled cities) and commune level (communes, wards, and special administrative zones under the provincial or municipal level);
• Terminating the operation of district-level administrative units from July 1, 2025, once the amended 2013 Constitution and the amended 2025 Law on Organisation of Local Government come into effect.

Thus, the district-level administrative units will be officially abolished from July 1, 2025, following the entry into force of the Resolution on the amendment of the 2013 Constitution and the amended 2025 Law on Organisation of Local Government, meaning there will be no more districts throughout the country from that date.

Which businesses are required to update their registered business address after the removal of districts?

When a government authority issues a decision on changes to administrative boundaries, many districts (quận/huyện) may be abolished or renamed. In such cases, all enterprises, individual business households, and economic organisations located in the affected areas must review and update their registered business address if the current address no longer reflects the new administrative unit.

Businesses must update their address in the following cases:

• The enterprise has its head office or branch located in a district that has been abolished, merged, or assigned a new administrative code.
• The Business Registration Certificate still records the address under a district name that no longer exists in the current administrative system.
• The enterprise needs to carry out administrative procedures related to tax, e-invoices, insurance, etc., in which discrepancies between the registered address and the new administrative divisions may lead to errors.
• The enterprise needs to update information with banks, partners, or in contracts, etc., which require the registered address to be accurate and legally valid.

Procedures for changing the registered business address due to the removal of districts

When the State adjusts administrative boundaries, many enterprises are required to update their registered business address to align with the new administrative units. Although the physical location of the head office remains unchanged, this is still considered a change of head office address by Article 40 of Decree No. 78/2015/ND-CP. The procedure is as follows:

Step 1: Identify the new address of the revised administrative unit

• The enterprise must verify the new administrative boundaries of the area where its head office is located.
• Reference can be made to resolutions/decisions of the National Assembly or Government, or updates from the National Administrative Boundary Information Portal.

Step 2: Prepare the dossier for updating the new address

Under Decree No. 01/2021/ND-CP and Circular No. 01/2021/TT-BKHĐT, the procedure for updating the business address includes:

Dossier for changing the address on the Enterprise Registration Certificate

• Notice of change of business registration contents (Form in Appendix II-5 attached to Circular No. 01/2021/TT-BKHĐT);

• Power of attorney for the person applying (if the person carrying out the procedure is not the legal representative of the enterprise);
• A copy of the legal identity document of the authorised person (if different from the legal representative of the enterprise).

Step 3: Submit the dossier to the Business Registration Office

• Submit online via: https://dangkykinhdoanh.gov.vn;
• Or submit directly to the Business Registration Office – Department of Planning and Investment of the province/city where the enterprise is headquartered.
• The system will issue a receipt notice, a request for amendment (if any), or confirmation of a complete and valid dossier.

Step 4: Receive the new Business Registration Certificate

• If the dossier is valid, the enterprise will be issued a new Enterprise Registration Certificate with the updated address reflecting the revised administrative unit.
• Processing time: 03–05 working days from the date of receipt of a valid dossier.

Is it mandatory to update the registered business address when there are changes to administrative boundaries?

On April 5, 2025, the Ministry of Finance issued Official Dispatch No. 4370/BTC-DNTN guiding business registration in cases where administrative boundaries have been changed.

Accordingly, Section 2 of Official Dispatch 4370/BTC-DNTN clearly states that businesses are not required to update their address information due to changes in administrative boundaries. In such cases, business registration authorities shall not require enterprises, household businesses, cooperatives, unions of cooperatives, or cooperative groups to register changes to their address information.

Therefore, under this regulation, a change in administrative boundaries does not require an update to the business address on the Business Registration Certificate. Enterprises may choose to update their address information voluntarily or do so in conjunction with other updates or notifications of changes to their enterprise registration.

However, it is important to note that the business address is a critical piece of information for identifying the enterprise and confirming its legal status with government authorities and third parties. In particular, in certain areas such as e-invoicing, digital signatures, banking transactions, commercial contracts, and other documents evidencing legal status rely heavily on accurate address information.

Changes in business address due to the district removal in Vietnam

After successfully updating the address on the Business Registration Certificate, enterprises should note the need to update their business address in the following areas:

• Update the address on contracts and transaction documents.
• Update the enterprise’s address on websites, media channels, sales platforms, and other business-related platforms.
• Update the address on sub-licenses and operational permits of dependent units, such as: Branches, Representative Offices, and Business Locations.
• Update the address on the Investment Registration Certificate (if applicable).
• Update the address on the company’s signage.
• Update the address on the company seal (if the old address is included on the seal).
• Update the address on the legal documents of the legal representative and capital-contributing members.
• Update the address on electronic invoice templates and digital signatures.
• Update the company’s address with banks.

The above is the latest update from Viet An Law regarding business address change due to district removal in Vietnam. Should you have any related inquiries or require assistance, please contact Viet An Law for the best support!