The Ministry of Construction has issued Circular 32/2025/TT-BXD, amending Circular 05/2024/TT-BXD, marking a major step in streamlining social housing procedures. The key highlight is the introduction of Form 01a — a new document that combines both beneficiary verification and income certification, helping simplify the entire approval process for a wide range of applicants, from contracted workers to freelancers and retirees.
https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/Xay-dung-Do-thi/Thong-tu-32-2025-TT-BXD-sua-doi-Thong-tu-05-2024-TT-BXD-huong-dan-Luat-Nha-o-680536.aspx
Major updates to social housing application documents
Circular 32/2025/TT-BXD comes as the 2023 Housing Law and its guiding decrees, including Decree 261/2025/ND-CP, are gradually taking effect.
Effective from October 11, 2025, the Circular demonstrates the Ministry’s determination to prevent legal gaps and quickly remove procedural obstacles for both citizens and reviewing authorities.
The Circular revises Articles 6 and 8 of Circular 05, restructuring the system of forms used to verify eligibility for social housing. The most notable change is the updated Form 01 and the new Form 01a.
Form 01 has been redesigned to better fit specific applicant groups such as households whose land has been reclaimed, individuals returning public housing, and students. It is also now used for low-income urban applicants without labor contracts and without pension payments — essentially self-employed workers. Because they do not have employers to confirm income, the verification responsibility shifts to commune-level authorities.
Form 01a — the standout feature of the reform — targets the most common applicant groups: low-income urban workers (excluding freelancers), laborers and factory workers, and public officials. The form serves as a “two-in-one” certificate, allowing applicants to verify both eligibility and income with just one confirmation from their employer. This significantly cuts administrative steps, time, and costs.
Circular 32 also closes an important legal gap by clarifying verification rules for retired officials and public employees. Pension-paying Social Insurance Agencies or local People’s Committees now have clear responsibility for confirming their eligibility under Form 01a.
A more coherent system for income verification
The Circular also streamlines the income-verification requirements in Circular 05, aligning them more clearly with the specific applicant groups eligible for purchasing or rent-purchasing social housing.
Circular 32 Introduces New Documentation Requirements for Social Housing Applications
Circular 32 brings a series of new rules on verification forms used in social housing dossiers. Specifically: Form 01a applies to workers with formal labor relationships (Clauses 5, 6 and 8); the revised Form 04 applies to members of the armed forces (Clause 7, Article 76); and the revised Form 05 is reserved for self-employed workers under Clause 5 who do not have labor contracts.
A key highlight is a new requirement targeting married applicants: if the person applying to buy or rent-purchase social housing is married, their spouse must also submit income-verification documents using one of the three corresponding forms — 01a, 04 or 05. This rule underscores a shift toward assessing income on a household basis rather than an individual basis, ensuring fairness, accuracy and preventing loopholes in determining eligibility.
Circular 32 also standardizes the validity period of all modified forms — including Forms 01, 01a, 02, 03, 04 and 05 — requiring that each is valid for only six months. This adjustment helps ensure applications are based on up-to-date information and gives authorities a clearer reference point when reviewing dossiers.
Safeguarding applicants’ rights during the transition period
One of the most notable aspects of Circular 32 is its transition provisions in Article 3.
First, Clause 1 confirms that documents proving eligibility, income or housing status that were previously issued under Circular 05 remain valid for six months from the effective date of Circular 32 (November 10, 2025). This stability helps avoid disruptions and protects applicants who have already completed—or are in the process of preparing—documents under the old regulations.
Second, Clause 2 introduces a highly practical and citizen-friendly measure: for applicants under Clauses 5, 6 and 8 of Article 76, if they already possess income-verification documents (under Circular 05) but do not yet have beneficiary-verification documents, Circular 32 allows the income document to serve both purposes for a six-month period. This provides an important temporary solution that resolves procedural inconsistencies from the previous system and ensures applications can continue without delay.
Beyond major updates to social housing procedures, Circular 32 also refines several technical provisions in Appendix II of Circular 05 to ensure consistency in state management. Notably, Section 3 of Part I has been revised so that expert competency levels (CG1–CG4) are now aligned with standards for domestic consulting experts issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
