What should household businesses keep in mind when opening an additional business location?

What should household businesses keep in mind when opening an additional business location?

Competent authority:
• District/ Ward-level People’s Committee.

Processing time to receive results:
• 03 working days from the date of submitting a complete and valid application.

What documents are required in a valid application?

1. Application form (according to template).
   • Legal basis: Circular No. 02/2023/TT-BKHĐT. Use Appendix III-2 (Notification on change of household business registration information).
   • Filling instructions: For any sections that remain unchanged compared to your original Household Business Registration Certificate, just leave them as is. Only complete Section “2. Registering a business location (in case of opening an additional business location)” and fill in the required columns.
   • Note: Some districts technically use this template but may remove certain lines and require applicants to follow their local version instead. In some cases, applicants have to request the form directly and fill it in by hand.

A common situation:

1. • “You must use the district’s form. If not, go submit it to another district!”
   • “But isn’t the district’s form the same as the Circular 02 form?”
   • “Ours has only 3 pages. Yours has 4.”
   • “If you don’t follow this and my supervisor rejects it, it’s on you!”

→ So, no matter how competent you are, you’ll still have to use the district’s form. Don’t be too frustrated. :’)

Tip: When filling in the “Full name of household business owner,” try to write as neatly as possible – even if your handwriting isn’t great. Some officers actually complain they can’t read the owner’s name.

1. • “Handsome face, but handwriting worse than a chicken scratch,” one officer once joked. :))

Another very important note about the name of the business location:

1. • The name must be legible and written in Vietnamese.
   • If you’re using an abbreviation, you must clearly state what it stands for.
   • Example:
     • “What does ‘RIP’ mean?” (illustration).
     • “Rest in Peace, ma’am!” :v
     • “Then you must spell it out properly. Please correct it!”
     • “Sarah, Sari – I don’t care. But if it’s Sa Anh/ Anh Sa, then I’ll accept.”
2. Valid ID card (Citizen ID) of the household business owner – notarized copy.
3. Proof of legal ownership or use of the premises.
   • If you rent the property, you need the original Lease Agreement / Premises Rental Contract.
4. Power of attorney (if another person is submitting the application on your behalf).
   • Note: There is no mandatory official template. However, use the most common format: the document must include information for both the authorizing party and the authorized person, and both parties must sign at the end. (With full name + signature).
   • If the authorization form only has the authorizing party’s signature (despite mentioning two parties), it may be rejected as “legally insufficient” and returned.
5. Valid ID card of the authorized person (Citizen ID).
   • In practice, notarized copies are often required.
6. Practical note: Always bring the original Citizen ID to government offices for verification. Sometimes, you even need it to get into the parking lot. Forget it, and you’ll have to go home.

→ So, although this is a relatively simple administrative procedure and you could save money by doing it yourself, the process of waiting, revising, resubmitting, and going back and forth can be quite time-consuming.

What to do after receiving approval in 3 days?
• Contact the tax authority directly to declare and pay taxes for your new business location.
• Celebrate / hold a grand opening however you like. 🎉