On 10 December 2025, the Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court and the Chief Procurator of the Supreme People’s Procuracy jointly promulgated Joint Circular No. 03/TTLT-TANDTC-VKSNDTC, providing regulations on the first-instance jurisdiction over criminal cases of the provincial People’s Courts and the coordination in transferring cases during the adjudication stage in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code.
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Joint Circular No. 03/TTLT-TANDTC-VKSNDTC of 2025 specifies the first-instance jurisdiction over criminal cases of the provincial People’s Courts as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 268 of the Criminal Procedure Code, specifically including the following cases:
(1) Criminal cases involving particularly serious crimes for which the highest penalty prescribed by the Criminal Code is life imprisonment or death.
(2) Criminal cases that fall under the jurisdiction of regional People’s Courts but fall into one of the following circumstances:
- The case involves many complicated circumstances, relates to multiple levels and sectors, and attracts special public attention;
- The handling of the case affects political or foreign relations;
- The offender is a key leadership official at the provincial level or higher;
- The offender is a religious dignitary or a person of high prestige within an ethnic minority community.
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Image 1. First-Instance Jurisdiction over Criminal Cases of the Provincial People’s Courts from 2026_Hotline: 0972118764
Clause 2, Article 268 of the 2015 Criminal Procedure Code, as amended by Clause 31, Article 1 of the Law Amending the Criminal Procedure Code 2025, provides that:
The provincial People’s Courts shall conduct first-instance trials of the following cases:
- Criminal cases involving offenses not falling within the jurisdiction of regional People’s Courts;
- Criminal cases falling within the jurisdiction of regional People’s Courts but involving many complicated circumstances, relating to multiple levels and sectors, attracting special public concern; cases whose handling affects political or foreign relations; or cases in which the offender is a key leadership official at the provincial level or higher, a religious dignitary, or a person of high prestige within an ethnic minority community.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court shall preside over and coordinate with the Chief Procurator of the Supreme People’s Procuracy to provide detailed regulations on this matter.
Joint Circular No. 03/TTLT-TANDTC-VKSNDTC shall take effect as of 01 January 2026.
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