Vietnam's Social Insurance has recently revealed a series of new regulations that will come into effect on September 1, 2026. These changes aim to enhance the efficiency of administrative processes related to social insurance (BHXH) and health insurance (BHYT) by implementing electronic procedures.

According to the announcement, two groups of electronic administrative procedures will be replaced under the new regulations established by Decree No. 301/2026. The first group includes procedures for registering births, registering permanent residence, issuing health insurance cards, and issuing ID cards for children under six years old. The second group pertains to death registration, deregistration of permanent residence, and handling funeral expenses and survivor benefits.

Starting September 1, individuals will be able to access these services through the National Public Service Portal or the VNeID application. The new system will automatically fill in necessary information from various national databases, simplifying the application process. For instance, once a birth registration application is submitted, the local civil registration authority will process it within 24 hours, and the electronic birth certificate will be forwarded through the public service portal for simultaneous registration of permanent residence and issuance of health insurance cards for children under six.

Moreover, the time frame for issuing health insurance cards will not exceed two working days from the receipt of the electronic application. If the legal representative requests an ID card for the child during the online application, the data will be sent to the Ministry of Public Security for processing, with a maximum processing time of five working days.

The second group of procedures will also be processed online. Applicants can choose to register for death and deregister for permanent residence, or include additional procedures for handling funeral expenses and survivor benefits. The system will automatically adjust the application form based on the selected procedures.

For those applying for funeral and survivor benefits, the Social Insurance Agency will process applications within a maximum of eight working days. In cases involving civil servants, this period may extend to 18 working days, while for social protection beneficiaries, it will not exceed six working days.

The Ministry of Justice has emphasized the need for a synchronized implementation of these new regulations to ensure a smooth transition. They have urged various ministries and local authorities to disseminate the new regulations effectively, particularly to those directly involved in processing these electronic procedures.

These changes are expected to improve data sharing and connectivity among government agencies, reduce intermediary steps in processing applications, and facilitate citizens in handling procedures related to birth registration, residence registration, health insurance card issuance, and death registration.