1. This Circular provides for import criteria, documentation, procedures and inspection activities applicable to used machinery, equipment and technological lines with commodity codes (HS codes) under Chapters 84 and 85 of the List of Vietnam's exports and imports, which are imported for use in production activities in Vietnam and are not included in lists of goods prohibited from import as prescribed by the Government or Prime Minister and detailed by ministries and ministerial agencies in accordance with the Government's Decree No. 292/2026/ND-CP dated July 22, 2026 elaborating on certain articles of, and measures for organizing and guiding the implementation of, the Law on Foreign Trade Management.

2. This Circular does not apply to used machinery, equipment and technological lines in the following cases:

a) Transit; transshipment of goods; goods sent from foreign countries to bonded warehouses;

b) Merchanting trade;

c) Temporary import for re-export;

d) Other forms of temporary import for re-export specified in Article 16 and temporary export for re-import specified in Article 17 of the Government's Decree No. 292/2026/ND-CP dated July 22, 2026 elaborating on certain articles of, and measures for organizing and guiding the implementation of, the Law on Foreign Trade Management (except temporary import for re-export for performance of processing contracts; import for production or construction for execution of investment projects);

dd) Performance of repair or maintenance service contracts with foreign traders;

e) Purchase and sale between enterprises in export processing zones or enterprises in free trade zones; sale of liquidated assets by enterprises in export processing zones to the domestic market;

g) Receipt of transfers from foreign partners upon expiration of processing contracts or financial leasing contracts; change of use purposes for domestic consumption upon expiration of the temporary import period for construction of works or temporary import in the form of lease or borrowing for performance of processing contracts for foreign traders; transfer between enterprises performing processing contracts for foreign traders;

h) Use for scientific research and technological development where such machinery, equipment or technological lines cannot be manufactured domestically; use for national security and national defense tasks at the request of ministries managing the relevant sectors or fields;

i) Machinery and equipment included in the List of high-risk products and goods promulgated by ministries managing the relevant sectors or fields in accordance with the Law on Product and Goods Quality;

k) Machinery and equipment in specialized fields for which ministries or ministerial agencies have promulgated legislative documents for management.

1. Organizations and enterprises (hereinafter referred to as enterprises) importing used machinery, equipment and technological lines.

2. Inspection bodies conducting inspection of used machinery, equipment and technological lines in accordance with this Circular.

3. Regulatory agencies involved in the import of used machinery, equipment and technological lines specified in Article 1 of this Circular.

For the purposes of this Circular, the terms below are construed as follows:

1. Machinery and equipment means a complete structure consisting of interconnected components, assemblies and parts that operate and move according to their designed purposes of use.

2. Technological line means a system of machinery, equipment, tools and devices arranged, installed and sequentially connected at a specific location according to a designed technological diagram and process, ensuring synchronized operation for production.

3. Used machinery, equipment and technological lines means machinery, equipment and technological lines that, after leaving the factory, have been assembled, operated and put into operation.

4. Age of machinery or equipment means the period, expressed in years, determined from the year of manufacture to the year of import of used machinery or equipment. The year of import is the year in which the goods arrive at a Vietnamese border checkpoint.

1. The import of used machinery, equipment and technological lines shall comply with regulations of law on import of goods.

2. Used machinery, equipment and technological lines that fail to meet statutory requirements on safety, energy conservation and environmental protection shall not be permitted for import.

3. Only used machinery, equipment and technological lines directly serving production activities of enterprises in Vietnam shall be permitted for import.

A used technological line may be imported if it meets the following criteria:

1. It is manufactured according to standards as follows:

a) It complies with Vietnamese national technical regulations (QCVN) on safety, energy conservation and environmental protection;

b) Where there is no QCVN relevant to the imported technological line, the technological line shall be manufactured according to standards conforming to the technical specifications of Vietnamese national standards (TCVN) or national standards of a G7 country or South Korea on safety, energy conservation and environmental protection.

2. Its remaining capacity (calculated based on the quantity of products produced by the technological line per unit of time) or remaining performance shall be at least 85% of its design capacity or design performance.

3. Its consumption of raw materials, supplies and energy shall not exceed the designed consumption by more than 15%.

4. The technology of the technological line is not included in the List of technologies restricted from transfer or the List of technologies prohibited from transfer specified in the Government's Decree No. 101/2026/ND-CP dated March 31, 2026 elaborating on certain articles of, and measures for guiding the implementation of, the Law on Technology Transfer.

5. The technology of the technological line shall be in use at least 03 manufacturing facilities in countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Used machinery and equipment may be imported if they meet the following criteria:

1. The age of machinery or equipment does not exceed 10 years. For machinery and equipment in certain specific fields, the age of machinery or equipment is specified in Appendix I enclosed with this Circular.

2. They are manufactured according to standards as follows:

a) They comply with QCVN on safety, energy conservation and environmental protection;

b) Where there is no QCVN relevant to the imported machinery or equipment, such machinery or equipment shall be manufactured in conformity with the technical specifications of TCVN or national standards of a G7 country or South Korea on safety, energy conservation and environmental protection.

1. In addition to import documentation prescribed by the Law on Customs, an enterprise shall submit the following additional documents:

a) A copy of its Enterprise Registration Certificate bearing the enterprise's seal.

The competent authority receiving and processing import procedures shall proactively retrieve and use information available in databases published by database-managing agencies in lieu of the Enterprise Registration Certificate. Where such information cannot be retrieved or the information retrieved is incomplete or inaccurate, the competent authority receiving and processing import procedures shall request the enterprise to supplement a copy of its Enterprise Registration Certificate bearing the enterprise's seal. In case of entrusted import, a written import entrustment shall be required;

b) An inspection certificate issued by a designated inspection body meeting the requirements specified in Article 12 of this Circular. The particulars of the inspection certificate shall comply with Points a, b, c, d and dd Clause 1 Article 11 of this Circular.

2. The enterprise shall submit 01 set of import documentation and the documents specified in Clause 1 of this Article to the customs authority where the customs declaration is registered.

The customs authority shall grant customs clearance only when the import documentation and the documents specified in Clause 1 of this Article are complete and compliant and the inspection certificate concludes that the used technological line meets the import criteria specified in Article 5 of this Circular.

3. A high-tech enterprise, strategic technology enterprise as prescribed by the law on high technologies, or a project eligible for special investment incentives and support under the Law on Investment may choose the form of import of used technological lines specified in Article 7 or Article 8 of this Circular.

1. In addition to import documentation prescribed by the Law on Customs, when carrying out import procedures for the first consignment of a technological line, an enterprise shall submit the following additional documents:

a) Information on the high-tech enterprise, strategic technology enterprise, or project eligible for special investment incentives and support.

The competent authority receiving and processing import procedures shall proactively retrieve and use information available in databases published by database-managing agencies in lieu of the above documents. Where such information cannot be retrieved or the information retrieved is incomplete or inaccurate, the competent authority receiving and processing import procedures shall request the enterprise to supplement a copy, bearing the enterprise's seal, of one of the following documents: Certificate of High-Tech Enterprise/Written Certification of High-Tech Enterprise or Written Certification of Strategic Technology Enterprise issued by a competent authority, Investment Registration Certificate, Decision on Approval of Investment Guidelines, or written agreement with a competent regulatory agency recognizing that the project is eligible for special investment incentives and support;

b) A written commitment of the enterprise enclosed with a list of machinery and equipment of the used technological line intended for import, as specified in Form No. 01 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular;

c) A written registration for inspection of the technological line after the technological line has been imported, completely installed and begins operation, certified by a designated inspection body and enclosed with a list of machinery and equipment of the used technological line intended for import, as specified in Form No. 02 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular.

Where the list of machinery and equipment of the used technological line intended for import changes, the enterprise shall send a written request for adjustment of the list of imported machinery and equipment, certified by a designated inspection body, to the customs authority where import procedures are carried out.

2. Import process:

a) The enterprise may place goods in storage for preservation in accordance with customs law after submitting the import documentation and documents specified in Clause 1 of this Article to the customs authority. The enterprise may carry out import procedures for consignments of the used technological line at only one place where customs procedures are carried out.

b) Within 12 months from the date on which the first consignment of the technological line is placed in storage for preservation in accordance with customs law, the enterprise shall submit an inspection certificate to the customs authority. The customs authority shall grant customs clearance only when the import documentation and documents specified in Clause 1 of this Article are complete and compliant and the inspection certificate concludes that the used technological line meets the criteria specified in Article 5 of this Circular. During the period in which the goods are placed in storage for preservation in accordance with customs law, the enterprise may install and operate the technological line solely for inspection purposes and shall not put the technological line into production.

Where a technological line is highly complex and the time required for its installation, operation and inspection exceeds the committed period, no later than 30 days before the deadline for submission of the inspection certificate, the enterprise shall send to the customs authority where import procedures are carried out a written application for extension of the time limit for submission of the inspection certificate, certified by a designated inspection body, as specified in Form No. 03 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular. An extension may be granted only once and shall not exceed 6 months from the time initially committed by the enterprise.

Where the inspection results for the technological line fail to meet the import criteria specified in Article 5 of this Circular, the enterprise shall be subject to penalties for administrative violations in the customs sector and shall be compelled to re-export the technological line.

c) Within 05 working days after completion of customs clearance procedures or refusal of customs clearance, the enterprise shall submit a report on the import of the used technological line to the Ministry of Science and Technology and the People's Committee of the province where the project is executed, using Form No. 04 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular.

1. In addition to import documentation prescribed by the Law on Customs, an enterprise shall submit the following additional documents:

a) A copy of its Enterprise Registration Certificate bearing the enterprise's seal.

The competent authority receiving and processing import procedures shall proactively retrieve and use information available in databases published by database-managing agencies in lieu of the Enterprise Registration Certificate. Where such information cannot be retrieved or the information retrieved is incomplete or inaccurate, the competent authority receiving and processing import procedures shall request the enterprise to supplement a copy of its Enterprise Registration Certificate bearing the enterprise's seal. In case of entrusted import, a written import entrustment shall be required;

b) The original certification issued by the manufacturer of the machinery or equipment, consularly legalized and accompanied by a Vietnamese translation, specifying the year of manufacture and manufacturing standards of the machinery or equipment and confirming compliance with the criteria specified in Article 6 of this Circular, where the machinery or equipment is manufactured in a G7 country or South Korea; or an inspection certificate issued by a designated inspection body meeting the requirements specified in Article 12 of this Circular where the machinery or equipment is manufactured in a G7 country or South Korea but no manufacturer's certification is available, or where the machinery or equipment is manufactured in a country other than a G7 country or South Korea. The particulars of the inspection certificate shall comply with Points a, b, c, d and e Clause 1 Article 11 of this Circular.

2. The enterprise shall submit 01 set of import documentation and the documents specified in Clause 1 of this Article to the customs authority where the customs declaration is registered.

The customs authority shall grant customs clearance only when the import documentation and documents specified in Clause 1 of this Article are complete and compliant. Where an inspection certificate is required under Point b Clause 1 of this Article, the inspection certificate shall conclude that the used machinery and equipment meet the import criteria specified in Article 6 of this Circular.

3. Placement of goods in storage for preservation:

a) Where, at the time of submission of the import documentation specified in Clause 1 of this Article, an enterprise importing used machinery and equipment does not have the manufacturer's certification and has not yet provided the inspection certificate specified in Point b Clause 1 of this Article, the enterprise may place the goods in storage for preservation in accordance with customs law after submitting to the customs authority a written registration for machinery and equipment inspection services certified by a designated inspection body under this Circular;

b) Within 30 days from the date on which the machinery and equipment are placed in storage for preservation, the enterprise shall submit the inspection certificate to the customs authority. The customs authority shall grant customs clearance only when the import documentation and documents specified in Clause 1 of this Article are complete and compliant and the inspection certificate concludes that the used machinery and equipment meet the import criteria specified in Article 6 of this Circular.

Where the inspection results for the machinery and equipment fail to meet the import criteria specified in Article 6 of this Circular, the competent authority shall impose penalties for administrative violations on the enterprise in accordance with regulations.

1. Where an enterprise conducting production in Vietnam needs to import used machinery and equipment whose age exceeds the limit specified in Clause 1 Article 6 of this Circular in order to maintain production, but the remaining capacity (calculated based on the quantity of products produced by the machinery or equipment per unit of time) or remaining performance of the machinery or equipment remains at least 85% of its design capacity or design performance and its consumption of raw materials, supplies and energy does not exceed the design consumption level by more than 15%, the enterprise shall submit 01 set of an application for permission to import, directly, by postal service or via the Online Public Service Portal, to the Ministry of Science and Technology for consideration and processing.

2. The application shall include:

a) A written application for permission to import used machinery and equipment as specified in Form No. 05 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular, explaining the necessity of importing the machinery and equipment to maintain production and business operations, the proposed use plan, and the necessity of the machinery and equipment intended for import in the technological line;

b) A copy of the Enterprise Registration Certificate bearing the enterprise's seal.

The competent authority receiving and processing administrative procedures shall proactively retrieve and use information available in databases published by database-managing agencies in lieu of the Enterprise Registration Certificate. Where such information cannot be retrieved or the information retrieved is incomplete or inaccurate, the competent authority receiving and processing administrative procedures shall request the enterprise to supplement a copy of the Enterprise Registration Certificate bearing the enterprise's seal;

c) An inspection certificate issued by a designated inspection body in accordance with Article 12 of this Circular. The particulars of the inspection certificate shall comply with Points a, b, c, d and g Clause 1 Article 11 of this Circular.

3. Procedures for consideration of the application:

a) Within 02 working days from receipt of the application, the Ministry of Science and Technology shall return the application to the enterprise or issue a written request for the enterprise to revise or supplement the application if it is incomplete or non-compliant.

b) Within 02 working days from receipt of a complete and compliant application, the Ministry of Science and Technology shall send a written request, enclosed with a copy of the application, to relevant ministries and ministerial agencies for their opinions. Where necessary, the Ministry of Science and Technology shall seek opinions from experts on the used machinery and equipment proposed for import;

c) Within 05 working days from receipt of the written request from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the ministries, ministerial agencies and experts shall provide opinions on the import of machinery and equipment in the relevant specialized management fields and on the enterprise's proposal to import the used machinery and equipment;

d) Within 03 working days from receipt of opinions from the ministries, ministerial agencies and experts, the Ministry of Science and Technology shall provide a written response to the enterprise. If the application for import of the machinery and equipment is rejected, the reasons shall be clearly stated.

4. Import process:

In addition to import documentation prescribed by the Law on Customs, the enterprise shall submit the written approval of the Ministry of Science and Technology for the import of used machinery and equipment specified in Point d Clause 3 of this Article.

1. An inspection certificate for used machinery, equipment and technological lines specified in this Circular shall contain the following particulars:

a) Name, year of manufacture, trademark, serial number, type (model), country of manufacture and name of manufacturer of the used machinery and equipment;

b) Time and place of inspection;

c) Condition of the machinery, equipment or technological line at the time of inspection (in operation or not in operation);

d) Name and number of the inspection method and inspection procedure; number and title of the QCVN, TCVN or national standard of a G7 country or South Korea on safety, energy conservation and environmental protection (if any) used for conformity assessment of the technological line under Clause 1 Article 5 or conformity assessment of the machinery and equipment under Clause 2 Article 6 of this Circular;

Where there is no QCVN, TCVN or national standard of a G7 country or South Korea on safety, energy conservation or environmental protection relevant to the used machinery, equipment or technological line, this shall be clearly stated in the inspection certificate.

dd) For a used technological line: comments and assessment of the inspection results against each criterion specified in Clauses 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Article 5 of this Circular and a conclusion as to whether the used technological line meets the criteria specified in Article 5 of this Circular. For the criterion specified in Clause 5 Article 5, the country, name and contact address of each manufacturing facility using the technology, its website (if any), and capacity shall be listed;

e) For used machinery and equipment: comments and assessment of the inspection results against each criterion specified in Clauses 1 and 2 Article 6 of this Circular and a conclusion as to whether the used machinery and equipment meet the criteria specified in Article 6 of this Circular;

g) For machinery and equipment specified in Article 10 of this Circular, comments and assessments shall be provided regarding:

- Technical specifications of the machinery and equipment;

- Operating condition of the machinery and equipment;

- Maintenance condition of the machinery and equipment;

- Compliance with the criterion specified in Clause 2 Article 6 of this Circular;

- Degree of compliance with standards on safety, energy conservation and environmental protection;

- Remaining capacity (calculated based on the quantity of products produced by the machinery or equipment per unit of time) or remaining performance of the machinery and equipment compared to the design capacity or design performance;

- Consumption of raw materials, supplies and energy of the machinery and equipment compared to the design consumption level;

- Remaining useful life of the machinery and equipment;

- Color photographs of the machinery and equipment, including overall exterior photographs, photographs of major structural assemblies of the machinery and equipment, and photographs of information and labels affixed to the machinery and equipment showing technical specifications.

2. Validity of inspection certificates:

a) For inspection of a used technological line, the period from issuance of the certificate to arrival of the technological line at a Vietnamese border checkpoint shall not exceed 18 months.

For inspection of a used technological line specified in Article 8 of this Circular, the inspection certificate shall be valid for no more than 3 months from its date of issuance.

b) For inspection of used machinery and equipment, the period from issuance of the certificate to arrival of the machinery and equipment at a Vietnamese border checkpoint shall not exceed 06 months.

3. Inspection of a used technological line against the criteria specified in Article 5 of this Circular shall be conducted in the exporting country while the technological line is in operation, except in the case specified in Article 8 of this Circular.

4. In the case specified in Article 8 of this Circular, inspection of the used technological line shall be conducted at the enterprise's production site or project implementation site after the imported used technological line has been completely installed and put into operation, while the technological line is in operation.

1. The Ministry of Science and Technology shall take charge of designating inspection bodies for used machinery, equipment and technological lines and publicly announce the list of designated inspection bodies on the Portal of the Ministry of Science and Technology for enterprises to select and use.

2. Requirements for inspection bodies

a) Domestic inspection bodies:

They shall have been granted a Certificate of Registration for Inspection Activities in accordance with law, covering the field of inspection of machinery, equipment and technological lines.

b) Foreign inspection bodies:

They shall comply with regulations of the law of the host country on inspection activities and have been accredited by an accreditation body that is a signatory to a mutual recognition arrangement for conformity assessment results among regional or international accreditation bodies in the field of inspection of machinery, equipment and technological lines.

3. Application for designation

a) For first-time designation or re-designation upon expiration of the designation decision:

a1) An application for designation of a domestic inspection body shall include:

- An application for designation to conduct inspection activities for used machinery, equipment and technological lines as specified in Form No. 06 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular;

- A copy of the Certificate of Registration for Inspection Activities;

- A copy of the accreditation certificate issued by an accreditation body for the corresponding scope for which designation is sought;

- A list of inspectors as specified in Form No. 07 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular and copies of their qualifications and certificates of professional and technical training;

- A list of technical documents, standards, inspection procedures and methods as specified in Form No. 08 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular and copies of the inspection procedures and methods for which designation is sought.

a2) An application for designation of a foreign inspection body shall include:

- An application for designation to conduct inspection activities for used machinery, equipment and technological lines as specified in Form No. 06 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular;

- A copy of the document issued by the competent foreign authority permitting inspection activities in the country where the inspection body registers its operations, accompanied by a consularly legalized Vietnamese translation;

- A copy of the accreditation certificate issued by an accreditation body for the corresponding scope for which designation is sought;

- A list of inspectors as specified in Form No. 07 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular and copies of their qualifications and certificates of professional and technical training;

- A list of technical documents, standards, inspection procedures and methods as specified in Form No. 08 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular and copies of the inspection procedures and methods for which designation is sought.

Documents in the application shall be translated into Vietnamese.

b) In case of change, addition or reduction of the designated scope or field:

b1) For a domestic inspection body, the application shall include:

- An application for change, addition or reduction of the designated scope or field as specified in Form No. 09 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular;

- A copy of the Certificate of Registration for Inspection Activities; a copy of the decision designating the inspection body;

- A list of inspectors as specified in Form No. 07 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular and copies of their qualifications and certificates of professional and technical training;

- A list of technical documents, standards, inspection procedures and methods corresponding to the scope or field for which a change or addition is sought, as specified in Form No. 08 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular, and copies of the corresponding inspection procedures and methods;

- A copy of the accreditation certificate for inspection competence issued by a lawful accreditation body for the scope or field for which a change or addition is sought.

b2) For a foreign inspection body, the application shall include:

- An application for change, addition or reduction of the designated scope or field as specified in Form No. 09 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular;

- A copy of the document issued by the competent foreign authority permitting inspection activities in the country where the inspection body registers its operations, accompanied by a consularly legalized Vietnamese translation; a copy of the decision designating the inspection body;

- A list of inspectors as specified in Form No. 07 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular and copies of their qualifications and certificates of professional and technical training;

- A list of technical documents, standards, inspection procedures and methods corresponding to the scope or field for which a change or addition is sought, as specified in Form No. 08 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular, and copies of the corresponding inspection procedures and methods;

- A copy of the accreditation certificate for inspection competence issued by a lawful accreditation body for the scope or field for which a change or addition is sought.

Documents in the application shall be translated into Vietnamese.

c) For reissuance to an inspection body whose designation decision remains valid but has been lost, misplaced or damaged, or where the name or address has changed:

c1) Where reissuance is requested due to a change of name or address, the inspection body shall additionally submit documents proving the change, including: an application for reissuance of the designation decision as specified in Form No. 10 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular; a copy of a legal document evidencing the change of name or address, consisting of one of the following: Enterprise Registration Certificate, Investment Registration Certificate, or another valid document prescribed by law;

c2) Where reissuance is requested because the designation decision has been lost, misplaced or damaged, the application shall include: an application for reissuance of the designation decision as specified in Form No. 10 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular.

4. Designation procedures

a) For first-time designation, designation involving a change or addition to the designated scope or field, and re-designation upon expiration of the designation decision:

a1) Within 03 working days from receipt of an application, if the application is incomplete or non-compliant, the designating authority shall notify the inspection body and request it to revise or supplement the application;

a2) Within 10 working days from receipt of a complete and compliant application, the designating authority shall decide to conduct an on-site competence assessment of the inspection body based on criteria concerning personnel, technical facilities, management system, performance and compliance with law. The on-site assessment shall be conducted by appointing an expert or establishing an assessment team. The matters subject to the on-site assessment shall comply with Point a3 of this Clause.

Where the inspection body has had its competence assessed by another ministry managing a sector or field and has been issued a designation decision, when conducting the on-site assessment, the designating authority shall recognize the assessment results for the management system corresponding to the type of inspection body concerned. Such recognition of assessment results shall be valid for 12 months from the date on which the competent authority issues the latest assessment results.

Where an inspection body requests a change, addition or reduction of its designated scope, if its application is complete and compliant, the designating authority shall review the application without conducting an on-site competence assessment. Where the application is complete but contains non-compliant particulars, or where a competent regulatory agency so requests, or information or reports indicate signs of violations related to the application, the designating authority shall conduct an on-site competence assessment at the inspection body.

The inspection body that has submitted the application for designation shall be notified in writing of the on-site competence assessment. The expert or at least 01 member of the on-site competence assessment team shall have received training on the management system corresponding to the type of inspection body applying for designation. Upon completion of the assessment, the expert or assessment team established by the designating authority shall sign the on-site assessment record and submit it to the designating authority within 01 working day after signing.

Where the inspection body is required to take corrective action on matters specified in the on-site assessment record, it shall submit a report on corrective action results to the designating authority within 30 days. Where additional time is required to complete the corrective action, the inspection body shall submit a written report to the designating authority specifying the official deadline for completion of the corrective action; the report on corrective action results shall be submitted to the designating authority within a maximum period of 06 months.

Within 05 working days from receipt of the report on corrective action results under the on-site assessment record, if the inspection body meets the prescribed requirements, the designating authority shall issue a designation decision to the inspection body as specified in Form No. 11 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular. Based on the competence of the inspection body, the Ministry of Science and Technology shall determine the validity period of the designation decision, which shall not exceed 05 years from the date of signing and issuance. The designation decision shall not be effective when the Certificate of Registration for Inspection Activities or the accreditation certificate issued to the inspection body by a competent authority expires. Where designation is refused, the designating authority shall notify the inspection body in writing of the reasons.

a3) Matters subject to on-site assessment:

- The inspection body's level of compliance with regulations of law on product and goods quality, standards and technical regulations, and relevant specialized management regulations shall be assessed as follows:

For an inspection body applying for first-time designation: assessment of compliance with requirements on competence and management system and conformity of its legal documentation with law.

For an operating inspection body applying for re-designation or extension of its designated scope: assessment of legal compliance based on the following documents: reports on the inspection body's inspection activities for the latest 03 years, or for its period of operation if it has operated for less than 03 years; violation handling records (if any); and results of supervision by regulatory agencies and accreditation bodies (if any).

- Verification of the accuracy, truthfulness and completeness of the application for designation provided by the inspection body.

a4) Costs of assessment activities conducted by experts or the assessment team shall be covered by the inspection body applying for designation, on the principles of openness and transparency and in compliance with regulations of law on finance. Such costs include travel and accommodation expenses, expert hiring costs (if any), costs of conducting the on-site assessment, and other valid expenses in accordance with regulations of the Ministry of Finance and specialized laws. Expenditure levels shall be determined in accordance with current financial expenditure rules.

b) Reissuance of a designation decision:

During the validity period of a designation decision, an inspection body wishing to have the designation decision reissued shall prepare 01 set of an application for reissuance as specified in Point c Clause 3 of this Article and submit it directly, by postal service, or through an online public service via the National Public Service Portal. Within 05 working days from receipt of a complete and compliant application, the designating authority shall consider and reissue the designation decision. If the requirements are not met, the designating authority shall respond in writing and clearly state the reasons.

Reissuance of a designation decision shall be considered where the designation decision is lost, torn or damaged, or contains information errors that do not change the competence or scope of operation of the inspection body. The reissued designation decision shall retain the remaining validity period of the designation decision previously issued.

1. Take charge and cooperate with ministries, ministerial agencies and province-level People's Committees in managing the import of used machinery, equipment and technological lines specified in this Circular and relevant documents.

2. Cooperate with ministries, ministerial agencies and province-level People's Committees in inspecting enterprises' compliance with regulations of law on safety, economical and efficient use of energy, and environmental protection with respect to imported used machinery, equipment and technological lines when put into operation, and handle violations in accordance with law.

3. Designate inspection bodies for used machinery, equipment and technological lines and publish the List of Designated Inspection Bodies on the Portal of the Ministry of Science and Technology; revoke designation decisions of inspection bodies in accordance with Government regulations on revocation of decisions designating conformity assessment bodies.

4. Take charge and cooperate with relevant agencies and units in inspecting the inspection activities for used machinery, equipment and technological lines conducted by designated inspection bodies in accordance with law.

5. Within 90 days from receipt of an enterprise's report on completion of customs clearance procedures, cooperate with the People's Committee of the province where the project is executed and relevant agencies in inspecting compliance with regulations of law on safety, economical and efficient use of energy, and environmental protection by enterprises and projects importing used technological lines under the simplified import procedure.

6. Take charge of developing, managing and operating a database for management of the import of used machinery, equipment and technological lines for statistical, reporting, inspection and supervision purposes.

Arrange for the sharing and interconnection of data in the database for management of the import of used machinery, equipment and technological lines with designated inspection bodies and devolve direct access to such data to specialized science and technology agencies under province-level People's Committees for inspection and supervision within their respective management areas.

7. The Ministry of Science and Technology assigns the Department of Technology Assessment and Appraisal to act as the focal point for implementation of this Circular.

1. Ministries, ministerial agencies and province-level People's Committees shall cooperate with the Ministry of Science and Technology in implementing this Circular.

2. Based on socio-economic development, state management requirements in specialized fields, ministries and ministerial agencies shall propose criteria on the age of other used machinery and equipment in fields under their assigned management and submit such proposals to the Ministry of Science and Technology for consideration and appropriate adjustment.

3. The Ministry of Finance shall supervise the import of used machinery, equipment and technological lines in accordance with customs law.

4. The People's Committee of the province where the project is executed shall take charge and cooperate with the Ministry of Science and Technology and relevant agencies in inspecting enterprises importing used technological lines in accordance with Clause 5 Article 13 of this Circular.

1. Import used machinery, equipment and technological lines in accordance with this Circular and other relevant legislative documents.

2. Submit to inspection by competent regulatory agencies; assume legal responsibility for violations of this Circular and other relevant legislative documents.

1. Conduct inspection of used machinery, equipment and technological lines in accordance with this Circular and other relevant legislative documents.

2. Maintain the principles of independence, objectivity and scientific soundness in inspection activities; comply with regulations of law on inspection activities and assume legal responsibility for the accuracy of inspection results; and submit to inspection by regulatory agencies responsible for inspection activities.

3. Annually, before December 15, and on an ad hoc basis upon request, prepare a report on the inspection of used machinery, equipment and technological lines using Form No. 12 Appendix II enclosed with this Circular and submit it to the Ministry of Science and Technology (via the Department of Technology Assessment and Appraisal).

4. From the time the database for management of the import of used machinery, equipment and technological lines is put into operation, within 05 working days from the date of issuance of an inspection certificate, a designated inspection body shall update information and data on the inspection certificate in the database.

Before the database is put into operation, a designated inspection body shall submit 01 copy of an inspection certificate to the Ministry of Science and Technology within 15 days from the date of issuance of the inspection certificate in the following cases:

a) Inspection of a used technological line;

b) Inspection of used machinery and equipment where the inspection certificate states that there is no QCVN, TCVN or national standard of a G7 country or South Korea on safety, energy conservation or environmental protection as specified in Point d Clause 1 Article 11 of this Circular.

The Ministry of Science and Technology shall announce the date on which the database specified in this Clause is put into operation.

5. Notify the designating authority of any change affecting the designated competence to conduct inspection activities within 15 days from the date of such change.

1. Inspection bodies for used machinery, equipment and technological lines that were designated by the Ministry of Science and Technology under the Prime Minister's Decision No. 18/2019/QD-TTg dated April 19, 2019 providing for the import of used machinery, equipment and technological lines, as amended by the Prime Minister's Decision No. 28/2022/QD-TTg dated December 20, 2022 on amendments to certain articles of Decision No. 18/2019/QD-TTg, before this Circular comes into force may continue conducting inspection activities for used machinery, equipment and technological lines until expiration of their designation decisions.

2. Applications for designation to conduct inspection activities for used machinery, equipment and technological lines that were received by the Ministry of Science and Technology before this Circular comes into force but have not yet been processed shall continue to be processed in accordance with Decision No. 18/2019/QD-TTg, as amended by Decision No. 28/2022/QD-TTg.

3. Inspection certificates for used machinery, equipment and technological lines issued in accordance with Decision No. 18/2019/QD-TTg, as amended by Decision No. 28/2022/QD-TTg, before this Circular comes into force may continue to be used until their expiration.

4. Applications for import of used machinery and equipment in other cases that were received by the Ministry of Science and Technology before this Circular comes into force shall continue to be processed in accordance with Decision No. 18/2019/QD-TTg until completion of the process of consideration and approval/rejection of the import.

5. Imported used machinery, equipment and technological lines for which customs declarations were registered before the date this Circular comes into force but for which procedures have not been completed pending inspection results shall continue to be subject to the management policy specified in Decision No. 18/2019/QD-TTg.

1. This Circular comes into force as of September 05, 2026.

2. Where legislative documents referred to in this Circular are amended or replaced, the new documents shall apply.

3. Any difficulties or problems arising during implementation should be reported by agencies, organizations and individuals to the Ministry of Science and Technology for consideration and resolution./.

 

REGULATIONS ON THE AGE OF MACHINERY OR EQUIPMENT IN CERTAIN SPECIFIC FIELDS
(Enclosed with Circular No. 56/2026/TT-BKHCN dated September 5, 2026 of the Minister of Science and Technology)

The age of machinery or equipment shall be calculated in years, excluding months.

Example: Equipment A was manufactured in January 2008 and imported to a Vietnamese port in December 2018.

X = 2018 - 2008 = 10 (years)

 

 (This translation is for reference only)