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When you must register a change to the business licence

Under clauses 1 and 2 of article 30 of Luật Doanh nghiệp 2020 (the Law on Enterprises), an enterprise must register a change to its Giấy chứng nhận đăng ký doanh nghiệp (enterprise registration certificate) when it changes: the company name; the head office address; the legal representative of a limited liability company or joint stock company; a general partner, a member of a limited liability company with two or more members, the owner of a single-member limited liability company, or the owner of a sole proprietorship; the charter capital or the investment capital.

The deadline for registering is ten days from the date of the change. Filing late can attract an administrative penalty.

Under clauses 1 and 2 of article 31 of Luật Doanh nghiệp 2020, an enterprise must notify, rather than register, when it changes: its business lines; the founding shareholders and the foreign investor shareholders of an unlisted joint stock company; beneficial owner information; and other particulars in the enterprise registration file. The notification deadline is likewise ten days from the date of the change.

Changing the head of a chi nhánh (a branch) or a văn phòng đại diện (a representative office) follows a separate file. It does not fall under those two articles but must still be filed with the business registration authority.

The documents for each type of change

Change of company name: the application to register a change to the registered particulars on Mẫu số 12 (form 12), and the resolution or decision of the owner (single-member limited liability company), of the members' council (limited liability company with two or more members, or partnership) or of the general meeting of shareholders (joint stock company) on the change of name (clause 1 of article 41 of Decree 168/2025).

The company name must be checked beforehand on the national business registration portal to avoid duplicating an enterprise already registered anywhere in the country. The name comprises the Vietnamese name (company form plus proper name), the foreign name translated from the Vietnamese, and the abbreviated name.

Change of head office address: the application on Mẫu số 12 (form 12) and the corresponding resolution or decision; if the move changes the tax office in charge, the enterprise must complete the relocation procedure with the tax authority before filing (article 40 of Decree 168/2025).

Change of charter capital, members or contribution ratios: the application on form 12, the resolution or decision (with the members' council minutes for a company with two or more members), the list of members, and evidence of the contribution or the transfer contract as the case requires; for a new member that is a foreign organisation, the copy of its legal documents must be consularly legalised (articles 44 and 45 of Decree 168/2025).

Change of legal representative: the application to register a change of legal representative on Mẫu số 13 (form 13) in Phụ lục I (annex I) of Thông tư số 68/2025/TT-BTC, and the corresponding resolution or decision. The procedure is set out in article 43 of Decree 168/2025.

Change of the head of a branch or representative office: the application to amend the branch or representative office registration, filed where the branch or office is located within ten days of the change (article 56 of Decree 168/2025).

The original enterprise registration certificate is not filed. Copies of personal legal documents are needed only where the personal identification number has not been declared (article 11 of Decree 168/2025).

Where to file and how long it takes

Since Bình Định and Gia Lai were merged into Gia Lai province (Nghị quyết 202/2025/QH15, Resolution 202/2025), the authority that receives and decides enterprise registration files is no longer Sở Kế hoạch và Đầu tư (the former Department of Planning and Investment) but Sở Tài chính tỉnh Gia Lai (the provincial Department of Finance), Phòng Doanh nghiệp và Kinh tế tập thể (its Enterprise and Collective Economy Division), at 181-183 Lê Hồng Phong, Phường Quy Nhơn, telephone 0256.3903666.

Under Nghị định 168/2025/NĐ-CP (Decree 168/2025: article 40 clause 2 for the head office address, article 41 clause 1 for the name, article 43 clause 1 for the legal representative), the enterprise sends the file registering a change to its particulars to the provincial business registration authority where it has its head office. That authority issues a receipt and an appointment for collection. Within three working days of receiving a valid file, a new enterprise registration certificate is issued. If the file is not in order, the authority notifies in writing what must be corrected or added.

What the amendment service costs

Tư Vấn Sao Việt drafts the file, signs under power of attorney, files it and collects the result, for a fee of 500.000 đồng per amended item (name, address, legal representative, charter capital, business lines and so on; each item counts separately, although several done at once can be agreed as a package).

The standard time is three working days from a valid file. There is an express package that returns the licence in one day, for a surcharge agreed case by case.

You pay only after receiving the amended enterprise registration certificate. No deposit is taken.

The process

1. Establish what is changing Establish whether the change requires registration (name, address, legal representative, members, capital) or notification (business lines, founding shareholders and so on), so that the right file is prepared.
2. Assemble the documents for that type of change Gather the corresponding resolution, decision or meeting minutes, and the personal details (personal identification number) of any incoming person.
3. Draft the notice or application Draw up the notice of change to registered particulars, or the application on Mẫu số 12, signed by the legal representative.
4. File with Sở Tài chính tỉnh Gia Lai File with the Phòng Doanh nghiệp và Kinh tế tập thể, 181-183 Lê Hồng Phong, Phường Quy Nhơn, and take the collection slip.
5. Collect the new enterprise registration certificate Collect the result at the authority or by delivery, then have the seal or signboard remade if the name or address has changed.