The law Accountant 2015 and Circular 296/2016/TT-BTC guiding the issuance, revocation and management of service practice registration certificate accountant issued by the Ministry of Finance, officially effective from January 1, 2017. If a person wants to work for an accounting service business, they must have a Certificate of registration to practice accounting services. 

Conditions for being granted a Certificate of registration to practice accounting services:

• Have an accountant certificate or auditor certificate according to the provisions of the Law on Independent Auditing;
• Have civil act capacity;
• Have practical work experience in finance, accounting, and auditing for 36 months or more from the time of graduating from university;
• Fully participate in the knowledge update program as prescribed.

Note: A certificate of registration to practice accounting services is only valid when the holder has a full-time labor contract for an accounting service business.

People who are not registered to practice accounting services:

• Officials and civil servants; officers, professional soldiers, workers, defense officials, People's Public Security;
• People who are banned from practicing accounting under a legally effective court judgment or decision; people being prosecuted for criminal liability; People who have been convicted of one of the crimes of violating the economic management order related to finance and accounting but have not had their criminal record erased; People who are being subjected to administrative measures of education in communes, wards, towns, or being sent to compulsory education establishments or compulsory detoxification establishments;
• People who have been convicted of serious crimes that violate economic management order but have not had their criminal records erased;
• Persons who are administratively sanctioned for violations of the laws on finance, accounting, and auditing within 6 months from the date of completion of the sanctioning decision in case of a warning or 01 year has not yet expired from the date of completion of execution of the other administrative sanction decision;
• People who are suspended from practicing accounting services.

Application for registration to practice accounting services:

• Application for issuance of Certificate of registration to practice accounting services according to the form specified in Appendix No. 01/DKHN in Circular 296/2016/TT-BTC;
• Copy of full-time labor contract at an accounting service enterprise;
• Copy of accountant certificate or auditor certificate;
• Certificate of actual time spent doing finance, accounting, and auditing work according to the form specified in Appendix No. 04/DKHN in Circular 296/2016/TT-BTC or documents proving the actual time doing financial, accounting, and auditing work;
• Two 3x4cm color photos taken on a white background within no more than six (06) months from the date of submitting the application for registration to practice accounting services;
• Copy of the Decision to resign or the Decision to terminate the labor contract at the workplace before registering to practice accounting services (if any);
• Copy Work permit In Vietnam, the person registering to practice accounting services is a foreigner, except in cases where they are not required to do a work permit according to labor law;
• Documents proving hours of updating knowledge at international professional organizations in accounting and auditing in cases where hours of updating knowledge are counted.

Procedures:

• Application submission is done through an accounting service enterprise where the person registering to practice accounting services has a full-time labor contract;
• Enterprises providing accounting services prepare a list of requests for issuance of Certificates of registration to practice accounting services for practitioners in their units according to the form in Appendix 03/DKHN in Circular 296/2016/TT - Organizers and each individual's practice registration documents to send to the Ministry of Finance;
• If the dossier is not valid or there are issues that need clarification, within 10 days from the date of receipt of the dossier, the Ministry of Finance will request additional documents, explanations or provide supporting documents. If there are no additional or appropriately amended documents, the Ministry of Finance has the right to refuse to issue the Certificate of registration to practice accounting services;
• Within 15 days from the date of receiving valid documents, the Ministry of Finance will issue a Certificate of registration to practice accounting services. If not granted, we will respond in writing and clearly state the reason.