Latest conditions for granting business licenses to foreign investors
According to the Resolution, the conditions for granting business licenses prescribed in Article 9 of Decree No. 09/2018/ND-CP are as follows:
- In the case where a foreign investor is from a country or territory participating in an international treaty to which Vietnam is a signatory and which contains market access commitments for goods trading and activities directly related to the goods trading, the investor must:
+ Satisfy market access conditions under the international treaty to which Vietnam is a signatory;
+ Have no overdue tax debts where the investor has been established in Vietnam for one year or more.
- In the case where a foreign investor is from a country or territory not participating in an international treaty to which Vietnam is a signatory,
+ The investor must have no overdue tax debts where the investor has been established in Vietnam for one year or more.
+ The proposed business activity must comply with specialized laws.
+ The licensing must be considered on the basis of the competitiveness of the enterprise in Vietnam in the same sector.
- Regarding a business service for which Vietnam has not undertaken market access commitments under international treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory:
+ The foreign investor must have no overdue tax debts where the investor has been established in Vietnam for one year or more.
+ The proposed business service must comply with specialized laws.
+ The licensing must be considered on the basis of the competitiveness of the service provider in Vietnam in the same sector.
- Regarding goods for which Vietnam has not undertaken market access commitments under international treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory, including: lubricants; rice; sugar; recorded items; books, newspapers and magazines
+ The foreign investor must have no overdue tax debts where the investor has been established in Vietnam for one year or more.
+ The proposed goods must comply with specialized laws.
+ The licensing must be considered on the basis of the competitiveness of the enterprise in Vietnam in the same sector.
+ For lubricants: Consideration shall be given to granting licenses for wholesale distribution rights to foreign-invested business organizations carrying out one of the following activities:
++ Manufacturing lubricants in Vietnam;
++ Manufacturing or being authorized to distribute machinery, equipment or goods using specialized lubricants in Vietnam.
+ For rice; sugar; recorded items; books, newspapers and magazines: Consideration shall be given to granting retail distribution rights to foreign-invested business organizations already operating retail outlets in the form of supermarkets, mini-supermarkets or convenience stores for retail sale at such outlets.
For more details, see Resolution No. 19/2026/NQ-CP which comes into force from April 29, 2026.
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Above are the summary and notification of new documents for customers of THU VIEN PHAP LUAT. For more information, please send an email to [email protected].
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