Environmental administrative procedures in Vietnam are undergoing significant shifts towards reducing cumbersome procedures and enhancing decentralization to local authorities. On May 18, 2026, the Government issued Resolution No. 66.19/2026/NQ-CP on the reduction, decentralization, and simplification of administrative procedures under the management scope of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Accordingly, several contents related to environmental registration procedures have been adjusted, particularly regarding the authority to receive dossiers, contributing to facilitating businesses in the implementation process.
To get an overview of the changes brought by Resolution No. 66.19/2026/NQ-CP regarding environmental procedures such as EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), Environmental Licenses, and Environmental Registration, businesses can refer to the article "Resolution 66.19/2026/NQ-CP: Major changes in EIA, Environmental License, and environmental registration procedures that businesses need to know". In this article, Dai Nam will focus on clarifying the regulations related to environmental registration, helping businesses correctly identify applicable subjects, the dossier receiving authority, and the execution timeframe according to current regulations.
According to Clause 9, Article 3 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, Environmental Registration is the act by which the investor of an investment project or the owner of a production, business, or service establishment registers with the state management agency the contents related to waste discharge and environmental protection measures of that project or establishment.
This procedure applies to investment projects and production/business establishments that generate waste but are not subject to an Environmental License. Through the environmental registration dossier, the management agency has a basis to monitor the implementation of environmental protection measures by the business, while helping the business fully meet legal requirements before putting the project into operation or during its operation.
Not every investment project or production/business establishment is required to perform environmental registration. Correctly identifying the applicable subjects from the beginning will help businesses choose the right environmental procedure to perform, avoiding wasting time preparing the wrong dossier or submitting it to the incorrect competent authority.
Based on Article 49 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, subjects required to perform environmental registration include:
Besides, the law also stipulates some cases exempted from environmental registration, including:
In case it has not been determined whether a project or establishment is subject to environmental registration, businesses should carefully review their operation type, waste generation scale, and current regulations to choose the correct procedure to perform.
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Environmental registration according to regulations.
One of the notable points of Resolution No. 66.19/2026/NQ-CP is the adjustment of the authority to receive environmental registration dossiers according to the scale of waste generation. This change helps businesses clearly identify the dossier receiving agency and contributes to shortening the processing time of administrative procedures.
Based on Section VII, Part A of Appendix IX issued together with Resolution No. 66.19/2026/NQ-CP dated May 18, 2026 of the Government, the authority to receive environmental registrations is decentralized as follows:
Cases of environmental registration at the Provincial People's Committee:
Applicable to investment projects or establishments that:
Cases of environmental registration at the Commune-level People's Committee:
Applicable to investment projects or establishments with wastewater and exhaust gas flow levels requiring treatment lower than the above thresholds and not falling into the cases registered at the provincial level.
Businesses can choose one of the following methods to submit their dossiers:
Correctly identifying the receiving agency from the beginning will help limit having to adjust or transfer the dossier to another agency, thereby saving time and ensuring the project's implementation progress.
Besides correctly identifying the subjects and the dossier receiving agency, businesses also need to perform environmental registration at the right time as prescribed by the Law on Environmental Protection 2020. This is an important condition to ensure the project completes all environmental procedures before going into operation.
Based on Clause 6, Article 49 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, the execution time is stipulated as follows:
Businesses should also note that, during operation, if there are changes in the type of waste, volume of waste, or waste collection and treatment plan compared to the registered contents, they must re-register the environment before implementing the changes to ensure compliance with current regulations.
After correctly identifying the subjects, receiving authority, and execution time, businesses need to fully prepare an environmental registration dossier according to regulations. A dossier that is fully prepared and consistent with reality will facilitate the reception, review, and processing phases, and limit the need for multiple supplements or adjustments.
According to Article 49 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, an environmental registration dossier includes the following basic contents:
Depending on each type of project or production establishment, the competent authority may request the supplementation of some related documents to serve the dossier review process. Therefore, businesses should fully review information and legal records before submitting to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Environmental registration dossier
Environmental registration is not an overly complex procedure; however, businesses still need to pay attention to some important contents to ensure a smooth implementation process and limit issues arising during dossier processing.
First of all, businesses need to correctly identify the environmental procedure to be performed. In reality, there are many cases of confusion between environmental registration and Environmental Licenses, leading to the preparation of the wrong type of dossier or following the wrong sequence as prescribed.
In addition, correctly identifying the dossier receiving agency is also highly important. According to Resolution No. 66.19/2026/NQ-CP, the receiving authority is decentralized based on the scale of wastewater or exhaust gas generation requiring treatment. Therefore, businesses should carefully review the project's information before submitting the dossier to avoid wasting time due to having to adjust or transfer the dossier.
Furthermore, the information declared in the dossier needs to ensure consistency with the actual operations of the project or production establishment. In case of changes in the type of waste, volume of waste, or collection and treatment plan compared to the registered contents, the business needs to perform environmental registration again according to regulations before implementing the changes.
Correctly identifying the applicable subjects, fully preparing the dossier, and implementing properly according to regulations will help businesses save time and limit issues during dossier processing. For businesses that do not have a specialized environmental department or are carrying out the procedure for the first time, having an accompanying consulting unit will help the implementation process be smoother and more effective.
Dai Nam Environmental Solutions provides environmental registration services for investment projects and production/business establishments across many fields. Dai Nam supports businesses in reviewing applicable subjects, consulting on dossier components, establishing environmental registration dossiers, working with competent authorities, and supporting the handling of arising requests during the procedure implementation.
If your business needs to perform environmental registration or is unsure whether your project or establishment is subject to registration under current regulations, you can refer to the "Environmental Registration" Service by Dai Nam Environmental Solutions for support ranging from consultation and dossier preparation to working with competent authorities. Please contact our Hotline: 0909 378 796 for consultation, answers to queries, and support in completing dossiers appropriate for each type of project.
