How to apply for Vietnamese citizenship again?
Lawyer Pham Van Chung (Department of Justice of Kon Tum province) advises on reapplying for citizenship as follows:
Returning Vietnamese nationality In the case of a person who once had Vietnamese nationality but has renounced Vietnamese nationality or has had Vietnamese nationality revoked and now wants to retain Vietnamese nationality, he or she must carry out the registration procedure to regain Vietnamese nationality.
Therefore, the procedure for returning to Vietnamese nationality only applies to people who have been relinquished or stripped of their nationality by the President of Vietnam.
In case you have not yet filed an application to renounce your Vietnamese nationality or have not been stripped of your Vietnamese nationality, and now want to return to your Vietnamese nationality, you will need to carry out the procedure for registering dual citizenship.
The implementation of dual citizenship registration procedures depends on the different regulations of each country. Since you are an American overseas Vietnamese, you should refer to the procedures prescribed by the US.
In case he has renounced his nationality or had his nationality revoked and now wants to return to Vietnamese nationality, the application to regain Vietnamese nationality is specified in Article 24 of the Law on Vietnamese Nationality, including the following documents:
1. Application to restore Vietnamese nationality (with prescribed form).
2. Copy of birth certificate, passport or other documents with replacement value;
3. Background statement;
4. Judicial record card issued by a competent Vietnamese agency for the time the applicant for restoration of Vietnamese nationality resides in Vietnam; Judicial record card issued by a competent foreign agency for the time the applicant to regain Vietnamese nationality resides abroad.
The criminal record certificate must be issued no more than 90 days before the date of application submission;
5. Documents proving that the person applying to return to Vietnamese nationality once had Vietnamese nationality;
6. Documents proving eligibility to regain Vietnamese nationality as prescribed in Clause 1, Article 23 of the Law on Vietnamese Nationality (having a spouse, biological father, biological mother or biological child who is a Vietnamese citizen; has made special contributions to the cause of building and protecting the Vietnamese Fatherland; is beneficial to the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; made investments in Vietnam; has renounced Vietnamese nationality to acquire foreign nationality, but not allowed to acquire foreign nationality).
The processing time for an application to restore Vietnamese nationality is 85 days from the date the Department of Justice receives a complete and valid application.