JPA Vietnam · Tax Newsletter · September 2026
Vietnam Tax Newsletter – September 2026
JPA Vietnam’s September 2026 Tax Newsletter highlights five regulatory updates affecting accounting, international tax, foreigner temporary residence, foreign investment and exchange-rate application.
Download English newsletter01. Circular 58/2026/TT-BTC: New Accounting Regime for Micro Enterprises
Circular 58/2026/TT-BTC replaces Circular 132/2018/TT-BTC and guides accounting documents, bookkeeping and financial statements for micro enterprises; tax matters remain subject to tax regulations.
Micro-enterprise criteria
Agriculture, forestry, fisheries, industry and construction: no more than 10 average annual social-insurance-covered employees and annual revenue not exceeding VND 3 billion or total capital not exceeding VND 3 billion. Trade and services: no more than 10 employees and annual revenue not exceeding VND 10 billion or total capital not exceeding VND 3 billion.
Bookkeeping by tax method
The ledger system follows four combinations of VAT and CIT methods. When the tax filing method changes, the corresponding accounting ledger system applies.
SME accounting regime option
Micro enterprises may choose the SME accounting regime when appropriate, but must apply it consistently within a financial year. Changes take effect only from the start of the following accounting year.
Financial statements
Micro enterprises paying CIT on taxable income must prepare annual financial statements, including B01-DNSN and B02-DNSN.
02. Circular 95/2026/TT-BTC: Tax Agreements, MAP and APA
Circular 95 guides double taxation agreements, tax-evasion prevention agreements, the Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) and Advance Pricing Agreements (APA).
- Expands the scope of real estate in Vietnam.
- Clarifies Permanent Establishment cases involving locations, establishments, equipment or assets in Vietnam.
- Requires taxpayers to refer directly to the applicable tax agreement for withholding-tax treatment of dividends, loan interest, royalties and technical-service fees.
- Adds provisions on direct and indirect capital transfers involving entities whose assets primarily consist of Vietnamese real estate.
- Adds guidance on MAP/APA dossiers and procedures, information exchange, tax collection assistance and dispute resolution.
03. Circular 87/2026/TT-BCA: Temporary Residence of Foreigners
Circular 87/2026/TT-BCA, effective from 24 July 2026, guides temporary-residence declarations for foreigners in Vietnam.
12-hour declaration
Accommodation establishments and responsible parties must use Form NA17 within 12 hours of arrival; the deadline is 24 hours in remote, border and island areas.
Electronic information flow
Information must be transmitted to the competent authority before the hard-copy declaration. Commune-level Police receive declarations 24/7 and update the electronic system.
04. Decree 96/2026/ND-CP: Investment Law Guidelines
For foreign investors, a key change is the “ERC first, IRC later” mechanism.
12 months for IRC
The IRC procedure must be completed within 12 months from ERC issuance. The ERC establishes legal-entity status, but the project may only be implemented after the IRC and required specialized licences are obtained.
Before IRC
The enterprise may organize its internal structure, lease offices, recruit staff, hire consultants, conduct non-revenue market research and prepare the IRC dossier. It may not implement the project or generate project revenue.
Two deadlines
Registered charter capital must be fully contributed within 90 days from ERC issuance; IRC procedures must be completed within 12 months.
Tax, accounting and DICA
Pre-investment transfers must comply with foreign-exchange rules. Once ERC is issued, tax filing, bookkeeping and e-invoice obligations arise even before revenue is generated.
05. Official Letters 6810/CT-QLNT & 21591/CHQ-NVTHQ: Exchange Rates
Invoice exchange rate
The invoice rate is the actual transaction exchange rate under accounting regulations. Enterprises may use the average transfer buying/selling rate of their regular commercial bank or an approximate rate within ±1% of that average on the transaction date.
Advance payments
Revenue corresponding to an advance uses the rate at the time the advance is received; the unpaid portion uses the rate when revenue is recognized.
Customs taxable value
The applicable rate is the Vietcombank Head Office transfer buying rate at the end of Thursday of the immediately preceding week, applied to declarations registered during the following week.
Other currencies
If Vietcombank does not publish a rate, the State Bank of Vietnam cross exchange rate is used.
How JPA Vietnam can support
Our team can support businesses in assessing how these updates affect operations and compliance procedures.
Contact JPA VietnamJPA Vietnam
No. 06–07 Phan Ton Street, Tan Dinh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
+84 28 2245 8787 · clientcare@jpa.vn · jpa.vn
No. 06–07 Phan Ton Street, Tan Dinh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
+84 28 2245 8787 · clientcare@jpa.vn · jpa.vn
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