New regulations on social insurance, health insurance take effect

In September 2026, several new regulations concerning social insurance, health insurance, and the management and payment of social security benefits (SSB) officially take effect.

The changes focus on promoting the use of electronic identification, simplifying administrative procedures, and refining regulations on the management and handling of violations in the social insurance sector.

Dong Nai Social Security staff provide guidance to citizens on procedures for claiming social insurance benefits.

Greater convenience in completing procedures and receiving benefits

One of the notable changes in September 2026 is the introduction of a mechanism for using SSB accounts on the national electronic identification application (VNeID). Under the Government's Decree No. 320/2026/ND-CP dated August 13, 2026, which will take effect on September 28, 2026, an SSB account is an identification credential on VNeID that allows the electronic identity holder to integrate payment accounts, e-wallets, or mobile money accounts to receive support payments, pensions, SSB benefits, and other legal funds.

State agencies, political organizations, and socio-political organizations shall make support payments, pension payments, SSB payments, and other legal payments from the state budget via bank transfer to the SSB accounts on VNeID.

Notably, the SSB accounts on VNeID are not independent bank accounts. VNeID serves as an identification platform through which citizens can integrate their payment accounts, e-wallets, or mobile money accounts to facilitate the receipt of payments.

Beneficiaries who have not yet created an SSB account or provided written authorization for another person to receive payments will continue to receive payments through other prescribed methods. Therefore, beneficiaries' entitlement to SSB is unaffected if they do not have such an account.

According to a representative of Dong Nai Social Insurance, the new mechanism provides an additional means of linking identification information with accounts used for payments. It offers a new digital method of transferring pensions, allowances, and other types of SSB, contributing to greater convenience, transparency, and security in the payment process.

Also in September 2026, the Government's Decree No. 301/2026/ND-CP dated July 30, 2026, amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 63/2024/ND-CP, officially took effect. The decree adds the issuance of ID cards for children under 6 to the electronic interconnection procedure, along with birth registration, permanent residence registration, and the issuance of health insurance cards.

Under the new process, the Ministry of Justice's administrative procedure handling information system receives birth registration applications from the National Public Service Portal. Notifications of the results of each procedure are sent to applicants via the National Public Service Portal, VNeID, or automated text message.

The processing time for the group of procedures comprising birth registration, permanent residence registration, and the issuance of health insurance cards for children under 6 shall not exceed three working days from the date the competent authority receives a complete application. In cases requiring verification, the processing time shall not exceed five working days.

ID numbers used for identification, employers face greater responsibilities

In September 2026, personal identification numbers or citizen ID numbers are used to replace social insurance codes on Vietnam Social Security's professional software. The conversion is carried out across the entire system, affecting software related to the collection and management of social insurance books and health insurance cards; policy consideration and approval; electronic social insurance transactions; the VssID application; centralized accounting; the Health Insurance Assessment information system; and other systems that use social insurance codes or management code sets.

Vietnam Social Security states that the change concerns the identification method used in the system and does not alter participants' insurance participation history or contribution and benefit data, the validity of health insurance cards, or health insurance-covered medical examination and treatment benefits. The conversion process must ensure accuracy, security, and synchronization while fully preserving data and participants' history of contributions and benefit receipt.

Citizens should monitor information on VssID and use their personal identification number/citizen ID number as instructed when conducting transactions following the system conversion. If they find any inaccurate information, they can contact the social insurance office for guidance.

Along with the modernization of management, the Government's Decree No. 283/2026/ND-CP dated July 15, 2026, on administrative penalties in the fields of labor, social insurance, and contract-based Vietnamese guest workers, officially took effect on September 10, 2026.

The decree prescribes administrative violations, forms and levels of penalties, remedial measures, the authority to issue violation reports, the imposition of penalties, and the enforcement of penalties and remedial measures in the fields under its scope of regulation.

Dong Nai Social Security notes that the new regulations taking effect in September 2026 both enhance the use of data and electronic identification in policy implementation and continue to refine mechanisms for managing and handling violations. For participants, the key point is that the system conversion must safeguard their data and benefits. Citizens should proactively monitor their personal information and use electronic methods as instructed to ensure that benefit and policy-related procedures are processed smoothly.

By Kim Lieu – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha