Comprendre la paperasse
Household registration (Hộ khẩu): what it is, why it matters, how it works
What is household registration (hộ khẩu) in Vietnam?
Household registration at a glance
Document- Vietnamese name
- Hộ khẩu — formally sổ hộ khẩu (household registration book)
- Now recorded as thông tin cư trú (residence information) in the digital system
- Issued by
- Commune/ward-level police (Công an cấp xã/phường), via the National Population Database
- A Vietnamese citizen requests a confirmation extract online through VNeID or in person
- Who it covers
- Vietnamese citizens with registered permanent or temporary residence
- Foreign nationals are not eligible for and cannot be entered on a household registration record
- Current format
- Digital entry in the national residence database since 1 July 2021
- Paper hộ khẩu booklets are no longer issued and lost stand-alone administrative validity from 1 January 2023
- Relevant to your purchase
- Confirms a Vietnamese seller's identity, registered address and household members during due diligence
- Not a document you personally need — it is checked about the other party, not issued to you
- Typical cost
- Free–≈€2 (≈0–50,000 VND) for the underlying residence confirmation
- Your own due-diligence review of it is normally priced into your lawyer's fee, not billed separately
- Validity
- No fixed shelf life — lawyers generally ask for an extract issued within days or weeks of use
- The underlying database can change at any time, so a stale extract is of limited use
- Governing law
- Law on Residence 2020 (Luật Cư trú, No. 68/2020/QH14), in force since 1 July 2021
Specimen: a household registration book page (hộ khẩu)
What household registration is — and how it works today
For decades, every Vietnamese household was recorded in a sổ hộ khẩu — a physical booklet listing the household head, family members registered at that address, and their relationship to one another. It underpinned access to local schools, healthcare and countless administrative procedures, and it is still the reference point Vietnamese people use when they talk about where they are "registered" (hộ khẩu thường trú, permanent residence registration).
The paper booklet itself no longer exists as an active system. Under the Law on Residence 2020, in force since 1 July 2021, Vietnam moved household and residence records into a single digital National Population Database, and old paper books lost standalone administrative validity from 1 January 2023. A Vietnamese citizen today requests a xác nhận thông tin về cư trú — a residence information confirmation — through the VNeID app or a local police station instead of presenting the old book.
None of this applies to you as a foreign buyer. Household registration is a citizen-and-permanent-resident system; foreign nationals are governed by a separate immigration-linked regime built around your passport, visa and, if you hold one, a Temporary Residence Card. Where household registration matters to your purchase is on the other side of the table — in confirming who the seller actually is.
How household registration comes up in a Hanoi purchase
⏱ Folded into due diligence, typically 1–2 weeks before signing
You will not request a household registration record for yourself. It surfaces on the seller's side of your transaction, as part of confirming their identity and marital status before you sign anything — and, separately, your own presence at the property is handled through a different registration once you own or occupy it.
- 1
Your lawyer requests the seller's residence confirmation
⏱ 1–3 working days◈ Free–≈€2 (≈0–50,000 VND)
As part of standard due diligence, your lawyer asks the seller (or the notary handling the file) for a current residence information confirmation covering the household registered at the property's address. This is now pulled from the national database rather than copied from an old paper book.
DocumentsSeller's ID card / passport · Pink Book or land-use right certificate
⚠A seller who resists providing this, or produces only an outdated paper booklet, is worth a closer look before you commit to a deposit.
→ law firms - 2
Cross-check it against the seller's ID and title
⏱ Same engagement
The name, date of birth and address on the residence confirmation should match the seller's identity document and the Pink Book. Discrepancies do not always mean fraud, but they need an explanation before you proceed.
⚠Never accept a photocopy or a translation supplied only by the seller's side — ask your own lawyer to obtain or verify the extract independently.
- 3
Confirm marital status and any other registered household members
⏱ Same engagement
Where the seller is married, Vietnamese property is often treated as joint marital property regardless of whose name is on the title, so your lawyer checks whether a spouse — sometimes identified through the same household record — needs to sign a consent alongside the seller.
DocumentsMarriage certificate or certificate of celibacy, seller's side
⚠A missing spousal consent is a common cause of a sale later being contested — confirm it in writing before transferring any deposit.
- 4
Register your own presence once you occupy the property
⏱ Within the statutory window after arrival
Household registration does not apply to you, but a parallel obligation does: if you stay at the property, Vietnamese law requires your temporary residence to be declared to the local police, usually within the first 12–24 hours through your host, building management or the online declaration portal.
DocumentsPassport with valid visa/entry stamp · Proof of address (lease, Pink Book or handover minutes)
⚠This is a separate document from household registration and is not optional — see our dedicated guide to temporary residence registration for foreigners.
→ expat services
What household registration checks cost in a purchase
The residence confirmation itself is free or nominal for the Vietnamese party requesting it. The figures below are the buyer-side costs of having it checked and cross-referenced as part of standard due diligence; VND figures use €1 ≈ VND 27,500.
| — | Min | Max | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seller's residence information confirmationOften free; a small admin fee applies at some commune offices | €0 | €2 (≈ 50,000 VND) | one-offSeller, via VNeID or local police |
| Lawyer's due-diligence review (seller identity & marital status)Rarely billed as a stand-alone line item — usually part of a broader title check | €80 (≈ 2.2M VND) | €200 (≈ 5.5M VND) | typically bundled into wider due diligenceBuyer, before deposit |
| Certified translation of the confirmation extractThe Vietnamese original remains the reference version | €25 (≈ 685,000 VND) | €60 (≈ 1.65M VND) | flat fee, per documentBuyer, if a translated copy is needed for your own records |
| Your own temporary residence registrationFull process detailed on our temporary residence registration page | €0 | €10 (≈ 275,000 VND) | one-off, per stayYou, within the statutory window after arrival |
| Total | ≈ €105 (≈ 2.9M VND) | ≈ €272 (≈ 7.5M VND) |
Example: due diligence on a single-owner resale apartment
- Residence confirmation
- €0
- Lawyer due-diligence review
- €120 (≈ 3.3M VND)
- Certified translation
- €35 (≈ 960,000 VND)
- Σ
- ≈ €155 (≈ 4.26M VND)
Law on Residence 2020 (Luật Cư trú, No. 68/2020/QH14)
Expat services that handle registration paperwork in Hanoi
InCorp Vietnam (Ascentium / Cekindo)
★Market entry, création société, legal advisory, comptabilité/fiscalité, RH/paie, recrutement, immigration & expat services
Ho Chi Minh City · EN, VI
Acclime Vietnam
★Corporate services: création société, comptabilité/fiscalité, RH/paie, work permit & immigration (TRC), advisory
Ho Chi Minh City · EN, VI, ZH
Emerhub Vietnam
Enregistrement société (LLC/JSC/RO), tax & payroll, product/trademark registration, importer of record, business visas & work permits
Ho Chi Minh City · EN, VI
Vietnam-visa.com (Vietnam Discovery Travel JSC)
E-visa, visa on arrival, work visa, investor visa, work permit, temporary residence card, fast-track aéroport, légalisation consulaire
Hanoi · EN, VI
Frequently asked questions
What is the household registration system?
It is Vietnam's system for recording where a Vietnamese citizen is permanently or temporarily registered to live, historically kept in a paper booklet (sổ hộ khẩu) and now held as a digital record in the National Population Database since the Law on Residence 2020 took effect on 1 July 2021.
Can a foreigner get household registration in Vietnam?
No. Household registration applies only to Vietnamese citizens with permanent or temporary residence status. As a foreign buyer, your own presence in Vietnam is instead governed by your passport, visa and — where applicable — a Temporary Residence Card, plus a separate temporary residence declaration to the local police.
Do I need household registration to buy property in Hanoi?
No. Buying property as a foreigner does not require, and cannot involve, household registration in your own name. What matters on your side is your valid passport and entry stamp, the property sitting within the 30% foreign-ownership quota, and — after purchase — declaring your own temporary residence if you occupy the unit.
How do I get a household registration certificate now that the paper book is gone?
Vietnamese citizens no longer receive a paper hộ khẩu book. Instead, they request a "confirmation of residence information" (xác nhận thông tin về cư trú) through the VNeID app or their local commune police station — this is what a lawyer requests on a seller's behalf during due diligence.
Why would a household registration check matter for my purchase?
It helps confirm the seller's identity, registered address and marital status before you pay a deposit. Because Vietnamese property is often treated as joint marital property, the household record can help surface whether a spouse's consent is required alongside the seller's signature.
Is household registration the same as temporary residence registration for foreigners?
No — they are distinct systems. Household registration covers Vietnamese citizens' permanent or temporary residence. As a foreign buyer or occupant, you instead complete a temporary residence declaration with the local police, usually within 12–24 hours of arrival at a private address.
Does household registration affect my Pink Book application?
Not directly — your Pink Book (land-use right certificate) is registered in your own name as a foreign owner and does not depend on Vietnamese household registration. It can, however, feature in the due-diligence checks run on the seller before you buy from them.
Sources
- Law on Residence 2020 (Luật Cư trú, No. 68/2020/QH14) — in force since 1 July 2021, governs household and residence registration.
- Housing Law 2023 (Luật Nhà ở, No. 27/2023/QH15)
- Land Law 2024 (Luật Đất đai, No. 31/2024/QH15)
- Decree 95/2024/ND-CP — implementing decree for the Housing Law 2023.
- Vietnam Immigration Department (Cục Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh) — governs foreigners' passport, visa, temporary residence and Temporary Residence Card status.
Have a seller's paperwork checked before you commit
Our Hanoi advisory desk reviews residence, identity and marital-status documentation as part of due diligence on any property you are considering — ask for an independent second opinion and we will respond within 24 hours.