Vietnam 2025: Factory completion steps in industrial parks

The factory completion process is the final step in the construction journey within an industrial park. It is a mandatory legal procedure that certifies the facility as ready and eligible for lawful operation. In 2025, with updated regulations under construction law, understanding the completion process helps businesses avoid unnecessary risks and delays. In this article, KTG Industrial provides a comprehensive guide to the procedure, required documents, and critical legal notes when completing factory construction in an industrial park in Vietnam.

Legal basis for factory completion procedures

To ensure compliance, businesses must refer to and follow these key legal documents:

• Law on Construction 2014
• Law amending and supplementing certain provisions of the Construction Law 2020
• Decree No. 06/2021/ND-CP: Detailing regulations on construction quality control, execution, and maintenance
• Decree No. 15/2021/ND-CP: Detailing regulations on management of investment and construction projects
• Circular No. 10/2021/TT-BXD: Guiding the implementation of Decree No. 06/2021/ND-CP
• Circular No. 06/2021/TT-BXD: Regulations on classification of construction works and its application in investment project management

Strict compliance with legal documents ensures a smooth and lawful completion process.

Factory completion procedure – step-by-step

Step 1: Collect and prepare completion documents

According to Article 26 of Decree No. 06/2021/ND-CP, the investor is responsible for preparing the factory’s completion dossier. This includes three main groups of documents:

1. Investment preparation and construction contract documents:

• Decision approving the investment project for the factory within the industrial park
• Pre-feasibility study or technical-economic report
• Appraisal documents and opinions from competent authorities
• Land lease or allocation certificates (for IP developers)
• Land lease contracts (for enterprises leasing land)
• Construction permit
• Construction contracts with contractors
• Financial invoices or documents proving the investor’s financial capacity
• Investment policy decision and pre-feasibility report (if applicable)
• Compensation and site clearance plan (if applicable)
• Other related documents during the investment preparation phase (if applicable)

2. Survey and design documentation:

• Construction site survey reports
• Acceptance documents for survey and design results issued by competent authorities
• Technical design dossiers: including assessment reports and approval decisions
• Other related documents in the survey and design phases (if applicable)

3. Construction quality management documents:

• As-built drawings and their corresponding list
• List of design changes during construction with approval documentation
• Construction quality inspection plan
• Documentation on the quality control of installed equipment
• Completion acceptance report for the entire project
• Monitoring and measurement results during construction (if applicable)
• Acceptance reports for each construction phase (if applicable)
• Testing and quality verification reports (if applicable)
• Documentation on operational procedures and maintenance plans (if applicable)
• Fire safety, environmental protection approvals from competent authorities (if applicable)
• Incident and issue handling reports during construction (if any)
• Any other related documentation arising during this stage (if applicable)

In addition to legally required documents, businesses are advised to proactively prepare supplementary materials to streamline the completion process. These may include:

• Completion request form
• Declaration for registration fee payment
• Request form for asset change registration

In practice, the factory completion dossier is often complex and includes a wide range of documents. Therefore, preparing everything thoroughly and accurately from the outset helps avoid repeated revisions and saves valuable time.

Note: It is possible and advisable to prepare the completion documents concurrently during the construction process. This proactive approach not only ensures that all paperwork is properly managed but also significantly reduces the time needed to finalize procedures once the project is completed.

A land lease contract is one of the essential documents required when preparing the completion dossier.

Step 2: Submit the dossier to competent authorities

The investor must submit the completion dossier to the appropriate authority. For industrial properties such as factories, industrial parks, or manufacturing facilities, the documents are typically submitted to the Investment and Construction Management Board for processing.

Cases that require a completion dossier submission include:

• Construction of new factories or temporary factory structures
• Projects that undergo architectural or structural changes due to repair or renovation

Step 3: Dossier review process

Once the completion dossier is received from the factory investor, the receiving office will begin verifying that the submitted documentation is complete and valid.

• If the dossier is incomplete: It will be returned to the business for the necessary additions.
• If the dossier is complete and valid: The officer will issue a receipt and inform the business of the expected date for result delivery.

Following this, the Investment and Construction Management Board will carry out the following steps:

• Dossier Appraisal: Review the completeness and validity of all documents. Conduct an on-site comparison between the actual completed structure and the information in the dossier to ensure accuracy.
• Approval of Completion: If all requirements are met and the facility qualifies for use, the authority will issue an official decision approving the completion.
• Result Delivery: The business will collect the completion result on the scheduled date.

The process includes dossier appraisal, approval issuance, and result delivery.

Step 4: Payment of completion fees and result collection

Once the dossier review process is completed and before receiving the official result, the investor must pay all applicable fees related to the completion procedure. On the appointed date, the business will visit the designated authority to collect the results and proceed with the next steps to commence operations.

Fees incurred during the completion process may include:

• Registration fee: A mandatory fee paid to the government authority upon project completion.
• Basic construction taxes: Including Value Added Tax (VAT) and Corporate Income Tax (CIT). These may either be paid by the contractor or transferred to the investor if no construction contract is in place.
• Other costs: This may include the cost of preparing as-built drawings, project site appraisal fees, etc. These costs are not fixed and may vary based on the contract value and the specific requirements set by the property owner.

After completing all procedures, the factory will officially meet the legal conditions to begin production and business operations.

How long does the factory completion procedure take?

Currently, there is no specific legal regulation on the exact duration required to complete the factory handover procedure. However, businesses can estimate the timeline based on the following steps:

• Site Measurement and Survey: Typically takes around 7 days.
• Dossier Review and Validation: On average, this takes 3 weeks to 1 month, depending on the local authority’s processing timeline.
  • If the dossier is incomplete, the Industrial Park Investment and Construction Management Board will respond in writing within 15 days, stating the reasons and requesting corrections.
• Financial Obligations (Tax Payment): Takes approximately 7–10 days. After the dossier is confirmed as valid, the tax authority will issue a tax notification, and the business must complete payment as required.

Estimated total time to complete the factory handover procedure: approximately 45 days.

Note: Actual processing time may vary depending on the responsiveness of the local Management Board, particularly during peak periods or if on-site inspections are required.

Completing the factory handover procedure typically takes around 45 days.

What documents are required for factory completion?

The completion dossier is essential for final project approval and legal commissioning of the factory. Below is a checklist of the necessary documentation, divided into two main groups: Quality Management Documents and Legal Documents.

Key notes when completing factory handover procedures

In practice, many businesses face challenges during the factory handover process due to insufficient preparation or lack of clear guidance. To ensure a smooth and compliant process, here are some important considerations for investors:

1. Prepare the completion dossier concurrently with construction

To avoid delays and ensure a smooth approval process, businesses should prepare the completion dossier in parallel with the construction phase. This helps maintain proper documentation of progress, quality control, and acceptance reports—key components when submitting the final dossier.

2. Clearly define roles and responsibilities of all involved parties

The factory handover process typically involves multiple stakeholders, including:

• Investor – responsible for compiling the full dossier, ensuring accuracy, and managing legal procedures.
• Contractor – responsible for executing construction per design, and preparing acceptance reports for each stage.
• Supervising Consultant – responsible for verifying construction quality and confirming completion at each stage.

Clear coordination and accountability among all parties are essential for a smooth and compliant handover process.

3. Conduct acceptance before preparing the completion dossier

Final acceptance is a mandatory step before preparing the completion dossier. All elements—foundations, structural frames, electrical and plumbing systems, fire protection, etc.—must undergo proper acceptance and documentation.

Only after full acceptance is achieved can the investor proceed with compiling and submitting the official handover dossier to the relevant authorities.

It is important to conduct acceptance inspections before proceeding with factory completion.

Frequently asked questions

What is factory completion?

Factory completion is the final step in the construction process, involving the fulfillment of all legal procedures and documentation after construction has been completed. This stage includes quality inspection, final acceptance, and the preparation of the as-built dossier for submission to the competent authority in order to obtain the Certificate of Land Use Rights.

Factory completion plays a vital role in legalizing a business’s manufacturing operations, minimizing legal risks, and ensuring full compliance with current regulations.

Is factory completion important?

Factory completion is not just a bureaucratic procedure—it holds significant importance for all stakeholders, including investors, contractors, and government authorities.

• For the investor:
  The completion certificate is the legal proof of ownership and confirms that the factory has been constructed according to approved designs, meeting safety and quality standards. It is also a mandatory requirement to legally operate and use the facility.
• For the contractor:
  Factory completion serves as a basis for final payment and confirms that the contractor has fulfilled construction commitments in terms of quality and timeline, thus enhancing their credibility in the industry.
• For government authorities:
  The completion dossier helps authorities monitor construction activities in the region, ensuring compliance with regulations. It also serves as a basis for inspections and oversight of facility use. Moreover, the process helps detect and resolve any legal violations, contributing to construction safety and order.

Can a factory built without proper permits still be eligible for completion approval?

According to Clause 1, Article 98 of the Law on Construction (2014), certain changes require an adjustment to the construction permit. These include:

• Changes to the architectural appearance in areas with specific architectural requirements
• Modifications to construction location, project scale, floor area, number of stories, or height
• Internal design adjustments that affect fire safety, environmental standards, etc.

If any of these changes apply, the project is deemed to have been constructed without proper permits and cannot proceed with the completion process without a valid adjustment to the construction permit. In such cases, the investor must submit a request for permit adjustment and obtain approval from the competent authority before continuing with completion. Failure to comply may result in the facility being subject to demolition.

However, under Clause 17, Article 16 of Decree 16/2022/ND-CP, if changes made to the project do not fall under the categories requiring permit adjustments, they are not considered violations. In such cases, the investor can still proceed with the standard completion process.

In summary: If there are any deviations from the approved permit, the investor must carefully assess whether they fall under “unauthorized construction.” Based on this, appropriate steps can be taken to ensure the completion procedure is in line with legal requirements.

Conclusion

While the factory completion procedure within industrial parks is not overly complex, it requires thorough preparation of documentation and strict compliance with current legal regulations. Taking a proactive approach during construction, coordinating closely among all parties involved, and conducting acceptance inspections in accordance with proper procedures will help shorten the handover timeline and enable efficient project commissioning.

Understanding the completion steps in 2025 will be key for businesses to implement their projects professionally and lawfully.

Thank you for following this article by KTG Industrial. We hope you’ve found the most helpful insights on the factory completion procedure in industrial parks for 2025.