Circular No. 10/2025/TT-BTP on amendments to Circular No. 10/2020/TT-BTP promulgating and providing instructions for completion, use, management and storage of adoption registers and set forms of adoption documentation and applications, as amended and supplemented by Circular No. 07/2023/TT-BTP

CIRCULAR

AMENDMENTS TO CERTAIN ARTICLES OF CIRCULAR NO. 10/2020/TT-BTP PROMULGATING AND PROVIDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETION, USE, MANAGEMENT AND STORAGE OF ADOPTION REGISTERS AND SET FORMS OF ADOPTION DOCUMENTATION AND APPLICATIONS, AS AMENDED AND SUPPLEMENTED BY CIRCULAR NO. 07/2023/TT-BTP

Pursuant to the Law on Child Adoption 2010;

Pursuant to Decree No. 19/2011/ND-CP dated March 21, 2011 of the Government on providing in detail for implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Adoption; Decree No. 24/2019/ND-CP dated March 5, 2019 of the Government on Amendments to Decree No. 19/2011/ND-CP dated March 21, 2011 of the Government on providing in detail for implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Adoption; Decree No. 06/2025/ND-CP dated January 08, 2025 of the Government on amendments to the Decrees on adoption;

Pursuant to Decree No. 39/2025/ND-CP dated February 26, 2025 of the Government on functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Justice;

At the request of the Director of the Department of Judicial Administration;

The Minister of Justice hereby issues a Circular on amendments to certain articles of Circular No. 10/2020/TT-BTP promulgating and providing instructions for completion, use, management and storage of adoption registers and set forms of adoption documentation and dossiers, as amended and supplemented by Circular No. 07/2023/TT-BTP.

Article 1. Amendments to certain articles of Circular No. 10/2020/TT-BTP promulgating and providing instructions for completion, use, management and storage of adoption registers and set forms of adoption documentation and dossiers, as amended and supplemented by Circular No. 07/2023/TT-BTP

1. Article 3 of Circular No. 10/2020/TT-BTP (as amended in 2023) is amended as follows:

 “Article 3. Issuance of set forms of registers and documentation

1. Set forms enclosed herewith included:

a) 02 set forms of register (Appendix I);

b) 06 set forms of documentation used for application for domestic adoption (Appendix II);

c) 19 set forms of documentation used for application for intercountry  adoption (Appendix III);

d) 07 set forms of documentation used for application for both domestic and intercountry adoption (Appendix IV);

dd) Electronic certificate of domestic adoption (Appendix V)

2. Standards of sizes, colors and specifications of set forms of registers and documentation are specified in the Appendices enclosed herewith.

3. Information in forms and declarations shall be used to develop interactive electronic forms when the online public services are provided. The person carrying out administrative procedures shall sign with a digital signature on the electronic form or declaration.

4. The person signing the electronic documents is the result of administrative procedure and sign with a digital signature as per laws.”

2. Article 5 of Circular No. 10/2020/TT-BTP (as amended in 2023) is amended as follows:

“Article 5. Recording requirements and recording methods of adoption registers, registers for issuance, extension and modification of licenses of foreign adoption service providers in Vietnam and adoption documentation

1. Commune-level civil servants, civil servants of Departments of Justice, diplomatic and consular public employees, civil servants of the Administrative Justice Department affiliated to the Ministry of Justice (hereinafter referred to as “adoption process handlers”) shall be responsible for recording adoption registers and documentation; issuing, extending and modifying licenses of foreign adoption service providers in Vietnam and adoption documentation.

The written content must be accurate; the handwriting must be clear, legible, not be erased, not include abbreviations and be written in the same ink color; do not use red ink.

The recording in issuance, extension, and modification of licenses of foreign adoption service providers in Vietnam shall be done on computers.

2. The last name, middle name, first name of the adoptive parents, adopted child, and the person transferring the adopted child must be capitalized according to their citizen ID card/e-ID/ passport/birth certificate or other equivalent documents with their photos and personal information granted by competent authorities.

3. The place of birth shall be the place specified in the birth certificate.

4. The place of residence shall be as specified follows:

a) If the adoptive parents are Vietnamese citizens residing in Vietnam or foreigners permanently residing in Vietnam, the permanent address including the commune and province must be recorded. In case a step-child is adopted by the step-father or step-mother or aunt/uncle, if there is no permanent address, the  temporary address shall be recorded.

b) If the adoptive parent is a foreigner permanently residing in a foreign country, the permanent address in the foreign country shall be recorded. If a foreigner is working and studying in Vietnam for at least 01 year and has not issued with a permanent residence card, both the permanent address in the foreign country and the temporary address in Vietnam shall be recorded.

c) The place of residence of the adopted child shall be his/her permanent address, including the commune and province.  if there is no permanent address, the  temporary address shall be recorded; if both the permanent address and temporary address are not available, the current address shall be recorded.

If the adopted child lives in an institution, the name and address of the institution shall be written. If the institution has multiple branches, the name and address of the institution branch where the child resides shall be written.

5. The adoption registration agency shall be written as follows:

a) If the adoption is applied in Vietnam, the commune-level People’s Committee and the province shall be written.

b) If the adoption is applied at an overseas Vietnamese representative mission, the overseas Vietnamese representative mission shall be written.

c) For application for intercountry adoption, the Department of Justice shall be written.”

Article 2. Replacement and annulment of some regulations and appendices enclosed with Circular No. 10/2020/TT-BTP, as amended and supplemented in 2023

1. Some regulations shall be replaced or annulled

a) The phrase “Bộ Tư pháp” (“Ministry of Justice”) is replaced by the phrase “Cục Hành chính tư pháp thuộc Bộ Tư pháp” (“Department of Judicial Administration affiliated to the Ministry of Justice”) in Clause 5, Article 2 and Clause 3, Article 7 of Circular No. 10/2020/TT-BTP, as amended and supplemented in 2023.

b) The phrase “Ủy ban nhân dân cấp huyện” (“People’s Committees of districts”) is annulled in Clause 3, Article 7 of Circular No. 10/2020/TT-BTP, as amended and supplemented in 2023.

2. Some Appendices shall be replaced or annulled

a) Appendix 1, Appendix 2, Appendix 3, Appendix 4 and Appendix 6 are replaced by Appendix I, Appendix II, Appendix III, Appendix IV and Appendix V enclosed herewith.

b) Appendix 5 is annulled.

Article 3. Implementation

1. This Circular shall come into force from August 04, 2025.

2. Applications for domestic adoption, applications for intercountry adoption, applications for issuance, extension and modification of licenses of foreign adoption service providers in Vietnam that have been received but not yet resolved by competent authorities in Vietnam, the adoption documents included in such applications shall remain valid according to Circular No. 10/2020/TT-BTP, as amended and supplemented in 2023.