Website copyright registration in Vietnam: 2026 update

Today, it is easy to see the boom in online sales channels from websites. Many businesses have built a brand website to promote themselves and increase sales. Seeing the benefits of this popular sales channel, many bad actors take advantage of businesses' lapses to steal data and copy websites, then pass them off as their own or use them to run shady transactions. So to keep their business safe, companies need to register copyright for their website so that it is protected by law.

Why register copyright for your website?

Website copyright registration is an administrative procedure carried out by the website owner. The owner submits legal documents and a dossier to the competent authority to certify ownership of the interface or source code, so that no other organization or individual in Vietnam can infringe on it.

The benefits that registering copyright for website content brings to a business include:

• Preventing unlawful acts such as data theft, copying or misuse of the website for bad purposes.
• Serving as certification of the website owner's creativity and exclusive content, as well as the business's hard work.
• Asserting and declaring ownership of the website. Any outside organization or individual who wants to use the website must have the owner's consent.
• Protecting the website owner's rights if a dispute over ownership arises between parties.
• A website copyright certificate is recognized as an asset and can be used for transfer or assignment.

Although website copyright registration is not mandatory, given the benefits it brings, businesses should consider it to have their rights secured and protected by the competent authorities as well as possible.

Forms of website copyright registration

There are two forms of copyright registration for a website. The first is registering copyright for the website's interface. The second is copyright for the source code. The corresponding ways to register are:

• Register copyright protection for the website interface as an applied fine art work.
• Register copyright protection for the website code as a computer program.

You can choose one of the two forms, or both if needed, to register copyright as described above.

Website copyright registration dossier

Dossier for registering copyright of a website interface

• 2 printed copies of the website interface on A4 paper.
• 1 notarized copy of the business establishment license.
• 1 notarized copy of the business license.
• A signed handover document for the website interface from the author, organization or company.
• The author's (or co-authors') full name and pen name (if any), with address, fax (if any) and phone number.
• 1 notarized copy of the author's ID card or citizen ID.
• The author's written statement attesting to the honesty of the interface design process, with the author's signature.
• The original power of attorney for registering copyright of the website interface (if the applicant is an authorized representative).
• Documents proving the right to apply (a design contract or assignment decision, or documents showing the applicant is a beneficiary by inheritance, succession, transfer, etc.).

Dossier for registering copyright of a website's source code

• 2 discs containing the website source code.
• 2 printed copies of the website source code on A4 paper.
• 1 notarized copy of the business establishment license.
• 1 notarized copy of the business license.
• A signed handover document for the website interface from the author, company or organization.
• The author's (or co-authors') full name and pen name (if any), with address, fax (if any) and phone number.
• 1 notarized copy of the author's ID card or citizen ID.
• The author's written statement attesting to the honesty of the interface design process, with the author's signature.
• The original power of attorney for registering copyright of the website interface (if the applicant is an authorized representative).
• Documents proving the right to apply (a design contract or assignment decision, or documents showing the applicant is a beneficiary by inheritance, succession, transfer, etc.).

Website copyright registration procedure

Once the paperwork is complete, the website owner's representative submits it to the competent authority, the Copyright Office of Vietnam under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. You can submit by post or in person at the 3 locations below:

• Representative office of the Copyright Office in Ho Chi Minh City: 170 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
• Copyright Office headquarters in Hanoi: No. 33, Lane 294/2 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.
• Representative office of the Copyright Office in Da Nang: No. 58 Phan Chu Trinh, Hai Chau District, Da Nang.

Once your dossier is accepted, within the next 15 to 45 days, if it is valid, the state copyright authority will issue your website copyright registration certificate.

If the dossier is invalid, the state copyright authority will notify the applicant in writing.

Website copyright registration costs

Under Article 40 of Decree 22/2018/ND-CP, individuals and organizations must pay a fee when carrying out copyright and related rights registration procedures as required by law. Circular 211/2016/TT-BTC sets out the specific fees payable for copyright registration.

The fee is collected by the Copyright Office when an individual or organization submits a dossier requesting a copyright registration certificate. Specifically, the fee depends on the type of work being protected (under Article 4 of Circular 211/2016/TT-BTC):

• Copyright registration fee for an applied fine art work: 400,000 VND.
• Copyright registration fee for a computer program: 600,000 VND.

That covers all the procedures and information about the latest website copyright registration procedure in 2026. Mona Media We hope this article is useful and gives you more knowledge in this area.

See more:

• Everything you need to know about copyright
• Verifying domain ownership in Google Search Console