Pawnshop services and lodging services are both business sectors subject to security and order conditions — establishments must hold the Certificate of eligibility for security and order (the “security and order license”) BEFORE commencing operations. This article summarizes the application procedures for both under Decree No. 96/2016/ND-CP (as amended by Decrees No. 56/2023/ND-CP and No. 58/2026/ND-CP), in force as of 14 October 2026.
Pawnshops must hold the certificate
Under Article 3 of Decree No. 96/2016/ND-CP, pawnshop services are covered by the certificate requirement — applicable to both enterprises and household businesses.
Special conditions for pawnshops (Article 9)
Under Article 9 of Decree No. 96/2016/ND-CP (as amended by Clause 1 of Article 1 of Decree No. 56/2023/ND-CP, effective 15 August 2023): during the 5 consecutive years before business registration, the person in charge of security and order must not have been administratively sanctioned for any of these 8 groups of acts:
- Resisting persons on public duty;
- Disturbing public order;
- Intentionally inflicting injury;
- Usurious lending;
- Gambling, organizing gambling, or harboring gambling;
- Theft;
- Fraudulent appropriation of property;
- Illegal possession of property.
There is NO longer a “5-year permanent residence” requirement for pawnshop owners — that condition was repealed effective 15 August 2023 and replaced with the 5-year background condition above.
Dossier for issuance (Article 19)
- Written request for the certificate (Form No. 03 issued with Decree No. 56/2023/ND-CP) — use the new form, not the old one;
- Copy of the enterprise/household business registration certificate — the police authority retrieves connected data itself;
- Documents proving fire prevention and fighting eligibility (business area and pawned-asset storage);
- Background declaration (Form No. 02) with criminal record certificate (Vietnamese nationals) or personnel declaration (Form 02b) with passport/residence card (foreigners).
Processing timeline
No more than 5 working days (new issuance); no more than 4 working days (re-issuance, replacement, and written refusals). The timeline runs from the date a complete, valid dossier is received.
Competent authorities (from 15 March 2026)
- Pawnshops and lodging facilities with 29 rooms or fewer → commune-level police;
- Lodging facilities with more than 29 rooms (not in the 5-star category handled by the Ministry of Public Security) → Provincial Police Department of Administrative Management of Social Order.
Dossiers are no longer filed with district police.
Fee
The issuance fee is VND 300,000 (under Circular No. 41/2023/TT-BTC).
Certificate tied to location and named holder; revocation cases
Under Article 15, the certificate has no fixed term but is tied to the business location and the named holder: changing either requires adjustment/re-issuance procedures.
The certificate is revoked indefinitely in cases such as: use of forged documents; failure to remedy post-inspection findings within 40 days; 6 months of inactivity; dissolution; lending/leasing/buying/selling the certificate…; or revoked for 3–6 months when operating in a sector or location different from that stated in the certificate.
Post-issuance obligations (Article 25)
Within 5 days of commencing operations, the establishment must notify the commune-level police of its operating locality, enclosing a copy of the certificate, and submit quarterly reports.
Disclaimer: This article is for general reference only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws may change; please consult a lawyer for your specific case.
Transparency label: This article was drafted and quality-reviewed by FLAT’s AI Legal Council (an internal AI review panel) under the “no sloppy legal content” standard; it has not been approved by a human lawyer.
Need help obtaining the security and order certificate for your pawnshop or lodging facility? Contact FLAT Law Firm for advice.
