Paperwork explained
Land Use Right Certificate (LURC): what it is, why it matters, how to obtain it
What is a Land Use Right Certificate (LURC) in Vietnam?
Land Use Right Certificate — key facts
Document- Vietnamese name
- Giấy chứng nhận quyền sử dụng đất, quyền sở hữu nhà ở và tài sản khác gắn liền với đất
- Commonly called sổ hồng (Pink Book); the older land-only sổ đỏ (Red Book) was folded into this unified certificate in 2009
- Issued by
- The local Land Registration Office, under the provincial land administration authority
- Land Law 2024
- When you receive it
- After full payment and registration, at the end of the buying process
- Typical cost
- 0.5% registration fee, plus incidental administrative and translation costs
- Decree 10/2022/ND-CP
- Validity
- 50 years for foreign owners, renewable once
- Housing Law 2023
- Language
- Issued in Vietnamese only
- Certified translation advisable for use with a bank or abroad
- Required for
- Proving ownership, reselling, mortgaging or passing on the property
- Governing law
- Housing Law 2023 · Land Law 2024 · Decree 95/2024
Specimen: the Land Use Right Certificate (Sổ hồng)
What the LURC actually certifies
The Land Use Right Certificate is Vietnam's single unified title document. Since 2009 it has combined what used to be two separate papers — the land-only sổ đỏ (Red Book) and the building-ownership sổ hồng (Pink Book) — into one certificate confirming both land-use rights and, where relevant, ownership of the house, apartment or other asset attached to the land.
For an apartment bought by a foreign individual, the LURC records the project and unit reference (block, floor, apartment number and floor area), the registered holder's full name and nationality, the recognised ownership term — 50 years for foreign buyers, renewable once — and the legal basis for the grant. It does not, and cannot, record private ownership of the land itself: land in Vietnam remains under State ownership in every case, for Vietnamese citizens and foreigners alike under the Land Law 2024; the certificate only ever grants a right to use it, and for foreign individuals that right applies to the building, not the plot beneath it.
How you obtain your LURC after a purchase
⏱ Typically 30–50 working days after full payment, once the dossier is complete
You do not apply for the certificate before you buy — it is issued to you, in your name, only once your purchase is complete and registered. For an off-plan unit, the developer typically files the project-level dossier first; for a resale, you or your lawyer files directly. The steps below are the same whether you complete the paperwork in Hanoi or remotely through a power of attorney.
- 1
Complete payment and collect the handover file
⏱ At handover / completion
Pay the final instalment under your Sale & Purchase Agreement and receive the handover minutes from the developer, or complete the transfer deed for a resale. This file — together with your passport — forms the basis of your LURC application.
DocumentsSale & Purchase Agreement · Handover minutes or transfer deed · Passport
⚠Do not accept handover before confirming the unit's floor area and reference number match exactly what will be filed with the land office.
→ law firms - 2
Submit the registration dossier to the Land Registration Office
⏱ 1–2 weeks to file
The developer (off-plan) or your lawyer (resale) files the application with the district or provincial Land Registration Office, including proof of payment, the SPA or transfer deed, and identity documents. A Vietnamese-licensed lawyer acting under power of attorney is the practical route for buyers who are not resident in Hanoi.
DocumentsRegistration application form · Proof of full payment · Notarised passport copy
- 3
Pay the registration fee and any land-related fee due
⏱ Same visit◈ 0.5% registration fee
The 0.5% registration fee is paid at this stage, calculated on the contract price or the local land-price schedule, whichever the office applies. For most foreign-individual apartment purchases in a project already zoned residential, no separate land-use conversion fee applies — but ask your lawyer to confirm this for your specific project before you file.
- 4
Land office verification and appraisal
⏱ 20–40 working days
The Land Registration Office checks the dossier against the project's approved plans and the developer's own records, confirms the foreign-ownership quota was respected at the time of your purchase, and prepares the certificate for issuance.
⚠Delays are common where a developer has been slow to complete the project's own registration first — ask your lawyer to check this status before you buy, not after.
- 5
Collect or receive your certificate
Once issued, the certificate is collected in person, by a Vietnamese-licensed lawyer under power of attorney, or through the developer's after-sales service where offered. Keep the original safe — it is required again if you resell, mortgage, or renew the term.
DocumentsPower of attorney, if collecting remotely
What LURC registration costs
Figures combine the statutory registration fee with typical service costs for a foreign buyer using independent legal support; ranges scale with the recorded price of the unit.
| — | Min | Max | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration feeDecree 10/2022/ND-CP | 0.5% | 0.5% | % of contract price or land-price scheduleBuyer, at filing |
| Dossier preparation & filing (lawyer) | €150 (≈4M VND) | €400 (≈10.6M VND) | one-offBuyer, optional but recommended |
| Certified translation of the certificate | €40 (≈1.06M VND) | €120 (≈3.18M VND) | per documentBuyer, if needed for a bank or use abroad |
| Power of attorney (notarisation/legalisation) | €80 (≈2.1M VND) | €250 (≈6.6M VND) | one-offBuyer, if filing remotely |
| Total | ≈0.5% + €270 (≈7.2M VND) | ≈0.5% + €770 (≈20.4M VND) |
Example: €300,000 apartment, filed locally by a lawyer
- Registration fee (0.5%)
- €1,500
- Lawyer filing
- €280
- Certified translation
- €80
- Σ
- €1,860 (≈49.3M VND)
Decree 10/2022/ND-CP · Housing Law 2023 · Land Law 2024 · Decree 95/2024
Law firms who handle LURC registration for foreign buyers
Frasers Law Company
★Premier cabinet à avoir obtenu une licence de cabinet étranger au Vietnam (32 ans, 17 practices). Corporate & M&A, Real Estate & Construction, banking & finance, foreign investment, data protection, compliance. Conseil international pour entreprises étrangères investissant au Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City + Hanoi · EN, VN
Vision & Associates
★Investissement étranger, immobilier, corporate/M&A, propriété intellectuelle, conseil - ~90 avocats/conseils
Hanoi · Vietnamien, Anglais
GV Lawyers (Global Vietnam Lawyers)
★Conveyancing immobilier, due diligence, acquisition foncière, conseil aux acheteurs étrangers, transactions résidentielles/commerciales
Ho Chi Minh City · Vietnamien, Anglais
Russin & Vecchi
★Cabinet international parmi les premiers cabinets étrangers licenciés au Vietnam (1993, ~4 associés/20 avocats). 17 domaines dont Real Estate & Construction, FDI & corporate, M&A, IP, banking/capital markets, employment, fiscalité. Sert investisseurs étrangers (référencé pour l'assistance juridique par l'ambassade US).
Ho Chi Minh City + Hanoi · EN, VN
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner be named on a Land Use Right Certificate?
Yes. A foreign individual who has legally purchased an apartment or house in an approved commercial project can be named as the certificate holder, recognised for a 50-year term, renewable once, under the Housing Law 2023 — never as owner of the underlying land itself.
What is the difference between the LURC, the Pink Book and the Red Book?
They belong to the same family of document. The Land Use Right Certificate is the formal legal term; sổ hồng (Pink Book) is the common name for it, especially for apartments and houses; sổ đỏ (Red Book) was the older, land-only certificate that existed before the two were unified into a single form in 2009.
How long does it take to get the certificate after buying?
Once your dossier is complete and filed, the Land Registration Office typically takes 20–40 working days to verify and issue the certificate — though the overall timeline can run longer if the project itself has not yet completed its own project-level registration.
Can I collect my LURC if I am not in Vietnam?
Yes. A Vietnamese-licensed lawyer can file for, and collect, the certificate on your behalf under a notarised power of attorney — the standard route for buyers who complete their purchase remotely.
What happens when the 50-year term expires?
The term is renewable once under current law, and extensions have generally been granted in practice where the underlying project remains in legal, residential use. Renewal is a separate administrative step handled closer to expiry, not something to action at purchase.
Do I need the LURC to get a mortgage on the property?
Local mortgages are generally not available to non-resident foreign buyers, but the certificate is still central to the property's legal standing: any bank financing a purchase later, or any future buyer, will require it as proof of clear title.
Sources
- Housing Law 2023 (Law No. 27/2023/QH15) — foreign ownership term and conditions
- Land Law 2024 (Law No. 31/2024/QH15) — land-use rights, State land ownership and certificate issuance
- Decree 10/2022/ND-CP — registration fee schedule (0.5%)
- Decree 95/2024/ND-CP — implementing regulations for the Housing Law
Have your LURC pathway checked before you sign
Send us the project name and your target unit. Our Hanoi advisory desk confirms whether project-level land registration is complete and outlines your certificate timeline — an independent second opinion within 24 hours, at no cost for the initial assessment.