Company Registration in Vietnam

Company registration in Vietnam is carried out through the Commercial Register. The procedure is slightly different for locally and foreign-owned businesses, as such, clients can rely on our Vietnamese lawyers for support in making sure the entire process is completed successfully.

Quick Facts
Representation in the relationship with the Trade Register (YES/NO)	Yes, through our lawyers in Vietnam
Main function of the Registrar	The main role of the Register is company registration in Vietnam.
Business registration steps through the Commercial Register	– reserving the company name, – preparing the registration documents, – filing and having the papers checked, – obtaining the Incorporation Certificate
Documents required for registration	– application form, – Articles of Association, – details of the shareholders, – proof of a local address
Special requirements for foreign investors (if any)	Foreign investors must obtain an investment registration certificate.
When must the investment certificate be obtained?	Prior to business registration with the Register
Company due diligence check availability (YES/NO)	Yes
Information about companies available with the Register	– business name, – registration number, – registration certificate
Requirements to file annual financial statements with the Vietnamese Trade Registry (YES/NO)	Yes
Requirement to update alterations with the Registrar (YES/NO)	Yes, all changes must be notified to the Register.
Updated information to be recorded	Changes in: legal address, shareholding structure, management organization, share capital
Requirement to register company dissolutions with the Register (YES/NO)	Yes, business dissolution must also be disclosed to the Business Register.
Other legal entities that must be registered with the Commercial Register	– sole proprietorships, – partnerships, – branches of foreign companies
Documents issued by the Vietnamese Trade Register	– Certificates of Good Standing, – Trade Register extracts
Other functions of the Registrar	– business name verification before rerservation, – maintenance of the Official Gazette

Table of Contents

How to register a business in Vietnam as a foreigner

The main difference between registering a business in Vietnam as a foreigner and as a local resides in the requirement for the former to obtain an Investment Certificate first. After this procedure is completed, the following steps will be completed with the National Commercial Register:

reserving the trading name with the same Registrar;
preparing and submitting the necessary papers, based on the type of enterprise to operate;
having the documents verified and approved by the Register agents;
obtaining the Enterprise Registration Certificate.

After these steps are completed, please note that additional requirements must be fulfilled, including the licensing stage for certain types of activities. Our law firm in Korea can assist through the entire process.

Documents to submit for company registration in South Korea

The list of documents to file when registering a business in Korea must contain:

the application form, which depends on the type of entity chosen (our lawyers can offer guidance);
identification papers for shareholders, if they are natural persons;
the registration certificate, if the shareholder is a company;
identification data of the local representative (if one is appointed);
the Articles of Association in the case of private and public limited liability companies;
proof of the legal address in Vietnam (a virtual office is an immediate option for those in need);
the Investment Registration Certificate for foreign-owned businesses.

Please note that documents issued abroad must be translated into Vietnamese and legalized before submission. Our lawyers can handle this task through a power of attorney.

Here is also an infographic on this topic:

All the functions of the Business Register in Vietnam

The Companies Register is overseen by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and has several roles, among which company registration is the most important. However, here are other actions that can be completed through it:

verifying trading names before reservation;
performing searches on existing companies by third parties;
issuing various documents to existing companies (such as Certificates of Good Standing for businesses seeking to expand operations abroad);
recording insolvency and dissolution statuses for Vietnamese businesses;
maintaining the Official Gazette;
registering modifications that shareholders and owners make in their enterprises.

Alterations that need to be reported to the Business Register in Vietnam

Throughout time, Vietnamese businesses can go through various changes. In order to take effect, they must be reported to the National Companies Register, which will update its records.

Here are the changes that must be reported to the Registrar:

legal address changes;
shareholding structure modifications;
management changes;
share capital increases and decreases;
object of activities.

If you need assistance in making such changes, our Vietnamese lawyers can help with the amendment of company documents and their recording with the Register.

Here is also our video on this topic: