What is an environmental permit? Which investment projects are required?

Article overview

An environmental permit is a type of license issued by competent state agencies to organizations and individuals to carry out production, business and service activities that may impact the environment. This license helps control environmental issues and ensures legal business. The article below will provide specific information about environmental permits and projects that require environmental permits.

What is an environmental permit?
What is an environmental permit?

What is an environmental permit?

According to the provisions of Clause 8, Article 3 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, an environmental permit is a document issued by a competent state management agency to organizations and individuals engaged in production, business, and service activities that are permitted to discharge waste into the environment, manage waste, and import scrap from abroad as raw materials for production, along with requirements and conditions on environmental protection as prescribed by law.

Investment projects are required to have an environmental permit

According to Article 39 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, the following subjects must have an environmental permit:

  • Group I, group II and group III investment projects generate wastewater, dust, and exhaust gases discharged into the environment that must be treated or generate hazardous waste that must be managed according to regulations on waste management when officially put into operation.
  • Investment projects, facilities, concentrated production, business, service zones, industrial clusters operating before the effective date of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 have environmental criteria like those in case 1.
  • Subjects in case 1 are urgent public investment projects according to the provisions of law on public investment that are exempt from environmental permits.
The project is required to have an environmental permit
The project is required to have an environmental permit

Contents of Environmental Permit

Clause 1, Article 40 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 stipulates that the content of the environmental license includes:

  • General information about investment projects, facilities, production and business zones, concentrated services, industrial clusters;
  • Content of environmental licensing; environmental protection requirements;
  • Term of environmental permit; Other content (if any).

Term of Environmental Permit

The term of the environmental permit is specified in Clause 4, Article 40 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 as follows:

  • 07 years for group I investment projects;
  • 07 years for production, business, service establishments, concentrated production, business, and service zones, industrial clusters operating before January 1, 2022 with environmental criteria as investment projects group I;
  • 10 years for subjects not falling into the above two cases.

Note: The term of the environmental license may be shorter than the above term at the request of the investment project owner, facility, investor in construction and business of infrastructure of concentrated production, business, service areas, and industrial clusters.

Consulting services for projects applying for environmental permits

Long Phan provides professional consulting services, supporting customers in the process of applying for environmental permits:

  • Consulting on projects requiring environmental permits;
  • Consulting on cases of exemption from environmental permits;
  • Determine the type of environmental permit needed;
  • Consulting on conditions for obtaining an environmental permit;
  • Consulting and guidance on preparing environmental impact assessment reports;
  • Consulting on when to issue environmental permits for each specific project;
  • Consulting with competent authorities to issue environmental permits;
  • Consulting and support in preparing documents for environmental permits;
  • Instructions on the order and procedures for applying for environmental permits;
  • Representing customers in carrying out procedures for applying for environmental permits;
  • Consulting and answering problems during the process of applying for an environmental permit;
  • Support customers in the process of implementing environmental protection requirements.
Consulting on projects that must have environmental permits
Consulting on projects that must have environmental permits

Environmental permits are required for investment projects that have the potential to impact the environment. Complying with regulations on environmental permits not only helps businesses operate legally but also contributes to protecting the living environment and doing business effectively. If you are in need of applying for an environmental permit or in-depth advice on other related issues, please contact Long Phan via the hotline: 0906735386 for the best support.