Simplifying procedures, reducing administrative costs

Cutting administrative procedures is not merely about shortening a process or eliminating a type of document but also about reducing the time and costs for citizens and businesses.

In Dong Nai, this requirement is being translated into concrete action through simplification plans aimed at reducing processing time and compliance costs.

An officer at the city's Public Administration Service Center processes administrative procedures for a citizen.

Reducing waiting time

The processing time for several commune-level civil status procedures is set to be reduced from five to three working days under a simplification plan approved by the City People's Committee in Decision No. 2042/QD-UBND, dated August 5, 2026, regarding the simplification of administrative procedures under the state management functions of the justice sector.

Among the 28 administrative procedures covered by simplification plans approved in the aforementioned decision, shorter processing times have been proposed for many procedures directly related to citizens' lives. For procedures such as re-registration of birth, re-registration of marriage, re-registration of death, and issuance of marital status certificates, the processing time is proposed to be reduced from five to three working days. In addition to shortening processing times, the plan also provides specific calculations of compliance costs before and after simplification.

Nguyen Thi Hanh, a resident of Nhon Trach Ward, said, "The clearer the file and the fewer documents that need to be prepared, the easier it is for citizens to complete the procedures. If the processing time is shortened, it is also more convenient for those carrying out the procedures."

Dong Nai is reviewing and simplifying administrative procedures across a wide range of fields. Under Decision No. 1537/QD-UBND, dated July 13, 2026, the City People's Committee approved a plan to simplify 18 administrative procedures under the state management functions of the home affairs sector. Under the plan, the processing time for the procedure for receiving allowances following the death of a revolutionary contributor who was receiving state preferential allowances is proposed to be reduced from 12 to 10 working days. A similar reduction is also proposed to apply to the procedures for issuing extracts or copies of records to revolutionary contributors.

On July 28, 2026, the Dong Nai City People's Committee continued to issue Decision No. 1902/QD-UBND, approving a simplification plan for 27 administrative procedures under the state management functions of the culture, sports, and tourism sector.

In the field of social housing, specific requirements have been set for reducing processing time and compliance costs. Under Official Dispatch No. 2086/UBND-KTN, dated June 2, 2026, the City People's Committee requested departments, agencies, and localities to place social housing projects in the "green lane" or "priority lane" group and carry out procedures related to investment, land, planning, construction, and the environment in parallel, ensuring a minimum reduction of 50% in the time required to carry out administrative procedures and 50% in administrative procedure compliance costs compared with current regulations.

Ho Tan Tung, Director of a private enterprise in Phuoc Tan Ward, said that simplifying procedures, shortening processing times, and reusing information already held by state agencies will help businesses reduce costs, decrease their administrative workload, and devote more time to production and business activities.

At many conferences and meetings on administrative reform, member of the City Party Committee and Vice Chairwoman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Thi Hoang requested departments, agencies, and localities to continue reviewing and simplifying procedures and shortening processing times for eligible procedures, thereby creating greater convenience for citizens and businesses, improving work efficiency, enhancing the investment and business environment, and promoting economic growth.

Lower costs, less paperwork

In Dong Nai's land sector, the policy of reducing fees and charges for procedures conducted online is providing greater motivation for citizens to choose this method. Specifically, on July 20, 2026, the City People's Committee issued decisions to implement Resolution No. 08/2026/NQ-HDND, dated July 9, 2026, of the City People's Council on regulating fees for issuing land use rights certificates and ownership of assets attached to land in the city, and Resolution No. 09/2026/NQ-HDND, dated July 9, 2026, on regulating fees for appraising files for the initial issuance of land use rights certificates in the city.

Dong Nai is focusing on simplifying administrative procedures by shortening processing times, reducing file components, and lowering fees, charges, and compliance costs for eligible items. At the same time, the restructuring of processes and the exploitation and reuse of existing data are being promoted to reduce paperwork, time, and the number of trips citizens and businesses must make.

Notably, for files processed through the online public service system within the scope of the two aforementioned resolutions, fee and charge rates have been reduced by 100%, meaning they are now 0 VND. The regulation took effect on July 20, 2026.

Tran Van Minh, a resident of Long Binh Ward, said, "If completing procedures online costs nothing, it will be more convenient for citizens to choose this method. At the same time, if documents and information already held by state agencies are reused, citizens will have less paperwork to prepare and fewer trips to make. Being able to track the progress of their applications also provides them with greater peace of mind."

On July 29, 2026, the City People's Committee issued Plan No. 188/KH-UBND on restructuring processes and reusing digitized land data to reduce paperwork for citizens. The plan aims to minimize the number of file components and documents already available in the National Database and specialized databases, while strengthening the reuse of digitized land data. This will reduce processing time, compliance costs, and the number of trips made by citizens and businesses.

At the central level, Government Decree No. 320/2026/ND-CP, dated August 13, 2026, amending and supplementing several articles of Decree No. 69/2024/ND-CP on electronic identification and authentication, will take effect on September 28, 2026. One of its provisions related to reducing paperwork concerns the exploitation and use of information and documents integrated into the National Identification Application (VNeID) as prescribed.

Cutting and simplifying administrative procedures is one of the areas Dong Nai is focusing on to advance administrative reform and improve the investment and business environment. Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut emphasized that Dong Nai will continue to improve the investment and business environment, promptly and transparently handle administrative procedures related to land and investment, and create favorable conditions for businesses and investors in accordance with the law.

Changes in processes, fees, charges, file components, and methods of data exploitation demonstrate how Dong Nai is translating the requirement to reduce procedures and compliance costs for citizens and businesses into practice.

By Ho Thao – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha