Conditions for establishing a printing company in Vietnam

Printing is the use of technology and equipment to create printed products on different types of materials. Printed products include: Newspapers, magazines, templates, paper forms issued by state agencies, anti-counterfeiting stamps, financial invoices,… Printing services are services that have appeared for quite a long time in our country. This is one of the industries that continues to develop because of the increasing demand for printing but requires the application of many new techniques to match the needs of the market. To ensure the quality of this service, the State has regulations as well as articles lawsuits for enterprises registering business in the printing business. In this article, Viet An Law would like to send to customers about the order, procedures and conditions  for establishing a printing company.

Legal basis

• Enterprise Law 2020;
• Investment Law 2020;
• Decree 60/2014/ND-CP regulating printing activities;
• Decree No. 25/2018/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 60/2014/ND-CP;

Scope of printing business operation in Vietnam

Printing operations include: print base operations; prepressing, printing, post-printing; photocopying; import and management of printing equipment.

Activities of prepressing, printing and post-printing processing of publications shall comply with the provisions of the law on publication.

Business conditions for printing business in Vietnam

The procedure for establishing a printing company in Vietnam

Step 1: Prepare the application and submit the application at the Department of Planning and Investment

After receiving your information, Viet An Law Firm will draft an enterprise registration dossier and submit the application on behalf of you to the Department of Planning and Investment. The dossier includes:

• Application for business registration;
• The company’s charter;
• List of members for limited liability companies with two or more members; list of founding shareholders and list of shareholders being foreign investors, for joint-stock companies.
• Personal certificate of the legal representative/owner/member/founding shareholder;
• Other required documents (if any);
• Power of attorney for Viet An Law Firm.

How to do it: Submit in person or online at the National Business Registration Portal (dangkykinhdoanh.gov.vn) website

Receiving agency: Business registration office of the province/city where the head office of the company is located

Processing time: Within 03 working days from the date of receipt of the application, the business registration authority will respond to the validity of the application. In case of amendment or supplementation, a written notice clearly stating the reason therefor shall be given.

Procedure results: The business registration certificate has an enterprise code and a tax code. Currently, business lines and the list of founding shareholders are not recorded in the Certificate of Business Registration. Customers can look up the industries registered by the company at the National Business Registration Portal (dangkykinhdoanh.gov.vn)

Step 2: Engrave the seal

Enterprises have the right to decide for themselves on the form, quantity and content of the enterprise’s seal. Enterprises can authorize Viet An Law Firm or contact qualified enterprises by themselves to perform seal engraving for the company.

Step 3: Carry out the following procedures for company establishment, including:

• Hang a sign at the company headquarters;
• Open a bank account of the enterprise and notify the competent state agency;
• Registration of electronic digital signatures for electronic tax payment;
• Declare and pay license tax;
• Print and order invoice printing;
• Make full capital contribution on time within 90 days from the date of issuance of business registration.

Step 4: Apply for sublicenses for specific printed products

Case 1: Application for a license to operate the printing business

Subjects of application: Printing establishments shall prepare, print and process after printing products including newspapers, magazines and other press publications in accordance with the law on the press; Anti-counterfeiting stamps.

Dossier Composition:

• Application for license for printing operations according to the form

• A certified copy or a copy enclosed with the original to compare one of the types of business registration certificates, enterprise registration certificates, investment certificates, tax registration certificates, decisions on establishment of printing establishments, for public non-business printing establishments;

Within 06 months from the date of issuance of a printing license, the printing establishment must complete the purchase or lease purchase of sufficient equipment according to the proposed investment list, send copies of documents of purchase or lease purchase of equipment to the agency issuing the printing license)

• The resume of the head of the establishment prints in the prescribed form.

Settlement agency: State management agency for printing activities

Time limit for settlement:  15 days after receiving a complete dossier as prescribed, the state management agency in charge of printing activities shall issue a permit clearly stating the contents of printing activities suitable to the printing establishment’s equipment and updating information in the national database on printing activities.

Case 2: Registration of print facility operations

Subjects of application:  printing establishments that prepare, print and process after printing printed products, including paper forms and forms issued by state agencies; Financial invoices, cards, papers available at face value or used to record face value (excluding money); Packaging, labels; Documents and papers of organizations and individuals; Other printed products.

Dossier Composition:

15 days before operation, the printing establishment must send 02 declarations of registration of operation of the printing establishment according to the prescribed form to the state management agency in charge of printing activities according to the following regulations:

• Printing establishments belonging to ministries, central agencies and organizations shall send dossiers via the online public service system or postal services, deliver or submit dossiers directly to the Ministry of Information and Communications;
• Other printing establishments send dossiers through the online public service system or postal services, deliver or submit dossiers directly at provincial People’s Committees.

Within 03 working days from the date of receipt of the registration declaration of the printing establishment, the agency in charge of printing activities shall confirm the registration and update information in the national database on printing activities.

Company establishment service of Viet An Law Firm

• Drafting legal dossiers related to business registration contents according to the information provided by the enterprise and in accordance with the provisions of law;
• The authorized representative of the enterprise shall carry out the establishment registration procedures;
• Monitor the process of processing dossiers of competent state agencies, explain to agencies on issues related to the establishment registration of enterprises;
• Guide enterprises on relevant legal procedures after the establishment of the company;
• Advising on legal, tax and accounting procedures for enterprises in the course of business activities.