Decree 116/2026/ND-CP: Amendments to Administrative Procedures for Printing, Broadcasting, Copyright, and Internet Services under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

RegHub explainer by New MarketerLast updated: July 21, 2026

Based on:116/2026/NĐ-CP - Government Official Gazette

This explanation was generated by AI and checked by an automated AI review, not by a human expert. It is not legal, tax or accounting advice and may contain errors. Check the official document before you rely on it.

Decree 116/2026/ND-CP, effective April 8, 2026, amends a broad set of administrative procedures under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It affects businesses operating in printing, pay television/radio broadcasting, copyright and related-rights registration, internet services and domain name registration, video game publishing, cinema, and karaoke/dance hall services. Key changes include shortened processing timelines for many licensing procedures (for example, approval of pay-TV channel registration certificates drops from 24 to 20 working days, and several internet and mobile-content procedures are also shortened), simplified documentation when authorities can retrieve applicant information directly from the National Population Database or the National Business Registration Database (removing the need to submit identity or business registration copies separately), and replacement or repeal of numerous forms and provisions across Decrees 60/2014, 06/2016, 144/2020, 17/2023, 76/2023, 147/2024, 131/2022, and 54/2019. Businesses in these specific sectors should review the updated filing procedures, forms, and processing deadlines to avoid delays. Applications submitted before the effective date continue to be processed under the prior rules.

Scope

Decree No. 116/2026/ND-CP, dated April 2, 2026, amends and supplements numerous administrative-procedure provisions across decrees under the management scope of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Decree takes effect on April 8, 2026.

Chapter I - Printing activities (amending Decree 60/2014/ND-CP)

Restates the printing-activity registration procedure: the application file includes a registration declaration and a resume of the legal representative or head of the printing facility.
Facilities may submit the file directly, by post, or online via the National Public Service Portal. Electronic certificates carry the same legal value as paper ones.
Processing time for issuing or reissuing the printing-activity registration certificate: 5 working days from receipt of a complete, valid file.
Clarifies the cases and procedure for revoking the certificate (failure to meet conditions, no operation for over 12 months, cessation/dissolution/bankruptcy).
Repeals Articles 12 and 13 and several old forms; replaces Form No. 10 with a new template.

Chapter II - Pay television and radio services (amending Decree 06/2016/ND-CP)

Shortens several licensing processing periods: from 24 to 20 working days, from 12 to 10 working days, and from 16 to 11 working days, depending on the procedure.
Enterprises seeking a license extension must submit the request 60 days before expiry.
The initial content-list registration file for pay-TV services may be filed directly, by post, or online; the certificate review period is 16 working days.
Adds a procedure for notifying changes to the channel list (at least 10 working days before applying the new list), with a new notification form (Form No. 01).
Repeals several points/clauses in Articles 15, 18, and 20 relating to conditions no longer required.

Chapter III - Performing arts (amending Decree 144/2020/ND-CP)

Revises documentation requirements for scripts and work lists tied to authors (foreign works must include a Vietnamese translation).
Sets a 10-day review period for approving contests and festivals from receipt of a complete file; results must be published on the electronic information system.
Simplifies the documentation for international competition entries (removing unnecessary papers).

Clarifies processing times: 22 working days for new registration, 8 working days for reissuance, and 13 working days for replacement, from receipt of a valid file.
Allows receiving agencies to retrieve applicant data from the National Population Database or the National Business Registration Database instead of requiring copies of ID cards or business registration certificates, unless the data is incomplete or inaccurate.
Repeals several points/clauses and Form No. 08 in Appendix III that are no longer needed.

Chapter V - Domestic violence prevention (amending Decree 76/2023/ND-CP)

Simplifies the file for heads of domestic-violence support facilities (health-check certificates are waived when data can be retrieved from the National Population Database).
Shortens the processing time for one related procedure from 10 to 6 working days.

Chapter VI - Internet, domain names, and video games (amending Decree 147/2024/ND-CP)

Updates the mandatory information required for domain-name registration by organizations, enterprises, individuals, and household businesses (electronic ID codes, tax codes, technical contact details, etc.).
Sets licensing conditions for new top-level shared domain-name management organizations.
Establishes the licensing procedure for social networks with large numbers of regular users: enterprises have 60 days from notification to file a license application, and authorities have 22 days from receiving a valid file to issue the license.
Ties the validity period of G1 online-game issuance decisions and G2/G3/G4 game notification certificates to the term of the underlying agreement, capped at 5 years; adds a procedure for when that agreement is extended.
Repeals the requirement for a connection-registration certificate for mobile telecom content services; certificates already issued under the prior rules become invalid once this Decree takes effect.
Shortens several processing periods (from 15 to 10 days, from 30 to 15 days) and replaces Forms No. 07, 19, and 61; repeals 13 forms no longer in use.

Chapter VII - Cinema (amending Decree 131/2022/ND-CP)

Shortens the processing period for one procedure from 15 to 10 days.

Chapter VIII - Karaoke and dance halls (amending Decree 54/2019/ND-CP)

Repeals several business-condition clauses in Articles 4, 5, and 10 that are no longer applicable.

Effective date and transitional provisions

The Decree takes effect on April 8, 2026.
Files submitted and already accepted for processing before the effective date continue to be handled under the prior rules.
For procedures that have been repealed but for which a file was already submitted, the receiving agency must notify the applicant and return the file.
Connection-registration certificates for mobile telecom content services (issued under Decree 147/2024/ND-CP) become invalid from the effective date of this Decree.

116/2026/NĐ-CPEffective: April 8, 2026