Foreign-Owned Aviation Service Company Setup in Vietnam

(Selling and booking by computer for aviation services)

Nowadays, buying airline tickets online is becoming more and more popular. Instead of going directly to the ticket office, passengers just need to sit at home, perform operations on the computer to buy tickets. Therefore, the service industry of selling and booking by computer for aviation services is expanding and developing. Investors are also significantly interested in this service industry, including foreign investors. Below, Viet An Law will advise on Foreign-Owned aviation service company setup in Vietnam of selling and booking by computer for aviation services.

Conditions for Foreign-Owned aviation service company setup in Vietnam

Conditions for foreign investors to access the market according to WTO Commitments

• According to the WTO Commitments, computer reservation and reservation services are part of air transport services. Accordingly, there are no restrictions for foreign investors, except that foreign service providers must use public telecommunications networks under the management of the Vietnamese telecommunications authority.
• Thus, currently, Vietnam has not restricted foreign investors from investing in Vietnam to do business in computerized reservation and seat reservation services in air transport services. Investors are allowed to set up 100% foreign-owned enterprises in Vietnam to do business in this field.

Conditions according to Vietnamese law

According to Article 126 of the Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam in 2026, amended and supplemented in 2013, 2014, 2023, a computerized reservation system is a computer system that provides information on flight schedules, flight seat status, air transport service prices and through which flight reservations are made.

Accordingly, businesses operating computer reservation systems must comply with the following principles:

• Equality and non-discrimination towards service users;
• Do not force users to use only the services or equipment of the enterprise;
• The display of information on the screen about flight schedules, flight status, and air transport service prices must be comprehensive, fair, and non-discriminatory;
• Service prices are built on the basis of reasonable costs and applied non-discriminatory to all users;
• Keep customers’ personal information confidential, except in cases where required by competent state agencies.

Thus, Vietnamese law does not stipulate investment conditions applicable to foreign investors, but only stipulates general principles for businesses operating computer reservation systems.

Procedures for set up a foreign-invested company to conduct aviation services

When establishing a foreign-invested company to conduct aviation services, investors should note the following main procedures:

• Procedures for granting an Investment Registration Certificate
• Procedures for granting an Enterprise Registration Certificate

Procedures for granting an Investment Registration Certificate

Step 1: Declare information about the investment project

Before carrying out the procedure for granting the Investment Registration Certificate, the investor declares information about the investment project online on the National Information System on Foreign Investment.

Step 2: Submit the investment registration application

Within 15 days from the date of declaring the application online, the investor submits the application for the Investment Registration Certificate to the Investment Registration Authority. Specifically:

• Submit to the Management Board of industrial parks, export processing zones, high-tech zones, and economic zones: for the following investment projects: Investment projects on construction and business of infrastructure of industrial parks, export processing zones, high-tech zones, and functional areas in economic zones; Investment projects implemented in industrial parks, export processing zones, high-tech zones and economic zones.
• Submit to the Department of Finance: for investment projects outside industrial parks, export processing zones, high-tech zones, and economic zones.

Note: Previously, the Department of Planning and Investment issued Investment Certificates for investment projects outside industrial parks, export processing zones, high-tech zones, and economic zones. However, currently, the Department of Planning and Investment and the Department of Finance have been merged into the Department of Finance. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to updating information of the merged agency in the localities.

Step 3: Issuance of Investment Certificate

For investment projects subject to investment policy decisions, the investment registration agency shall issue an Investment Registration Certificate to the investor within 05 working days from the date of receipt of the investment policy decision document.

For investment projects not subject to investment policy decisions, within 15 days from the date of receipt of complete documents, the investment registration agency shall issue an Investment Registration Certificate; in case of refusal, the investor must be notified in writing and the reasons stated.

Procedures for granting an Enterprise Registration Certificate

After being granted the Investment Registration Certificate, investors establishing foreign-invested companies operating in aviation services need to register their businesses.

• Authority: at the Business Registration Office. Currently, the Department of Planning and Investment and the Department of Finance have been merged into the Department of Finance. Therefore, the name of the Business Registration Office under the Department of Planning and Investment has also changed.
• Document components: Depending on the type of enterprise according to the Enterprise Law 2020.
• Processing time: After receiving the business registration dossier, the Business Registration Authority shall issue a Receipt of receipt of the dossier to the applicant. The Business Registration Authority shall issue a Business Registration Certificate within 03 working days from the date of receipt of valid dossier.
• Information disclosure: After being granted a Business Registration Certificate, the enterprise must publicly announce it on the National Business Registration Information Portal within 30 days from the date of publication.

Legal services of Viet An Law Firm on establishing foreign-invested companies operating in aviation services

• Consulting on legal regulations and legal procedures related to the field of enterprises and investment in Vietnam;
• Consulting on legal regulations and procedures for establishing companies, applying for Investment Registration Certificates, Enterprise Registration Certificates, business licenses (trading in goods with foreign capital), sub-licenses,…
• Consulting on conditional business investment sectors and specific conditions for each sector, investors of each nationality;
• Drafting and submitting documents, working with competent state agencies, receiving results of handing over completed legal documents to customers;
• Consulting on post-establishment issues such as: contracts, taxes, Vietnamese labor, foreign labor working in Vietnam, intellectual property, franchising,…

The above is advice on Foreign-Owned aviation service company setup in Vietnam. If clients have any related questions or need advice on set up a company/enterprise, please contact Viet An Law for the best advice and support!