1. If I lose my passport abroad, can I return to Vietnam?

1.1. What is the passport?

Clause 3, Article 2 of the Law on Exit and Entry 2019 stipulates that a passport is a document issued by a competent Vietnamese agency to Vietnamese citizens to use to exit, enter, and prove nationality and identity. 

In transactions and administrative procedures, the passport is considered one of the important identification documents along with other documents such as citizen identification. If you do not have a Citizen Identification Card, you can use a passport instead.

1.2. If I lose my passport abroad, can I return to Vietnam?

A passport is a travel document with extremely important value that everyone should always keep with them when they go abroad, because only with a passport are you fully qualified to enter a country. other countries, as well as returning to Vietnam. This is a type of document that is very familiar to Vietnamese people who often go abroad for the purpose of studying, traveling, and working. If your documents are lost, returning to Vietnam will incur more procedures, and returning to Vietnam will also be extremely difficult.

Pursuant to Article 17 of the Law on Exit and Entry, the subjects who are granted ordinary passports according to simplified procedures include:

+ People who have gone abroad for a limited period of time have lost their ordinary passports and are planning to return to their home country

+ People who have a written deportation decision from the competent authority of the host country but do not have a passport.

+ People must return home according to international treaties or international agreements

+ People who are issued ordinary passports for national defense and security reasons

Thus, in case a Vietnamese citizen goes abroad and loses his or her ordinary passport and intends to return home, he or she will still be granted an ordinary passport according to simplified procedures.

However, to follow the correct order, you need to note that when you lose your passport, you must immediately notify the competent authority about the loss of your ordinary passport to cancel the value of the lost passport. Because losing all your identification documents but still residing abroad is a violation of the host country's laws and will be subject to different forms of handling, depending on the legal regulations of each country.

So, when you lose your passport, you can still return to Vietnam. You need to go to the Vietnamese embassy in your country of residence to apply for a new passport.

2. What to do when you lose your passport abroad?

What you need to do when you lose your passport abroad are:

– Report lost passport to the police and ask for confirmation:

When you lose your passport, you need to report it to the local police as soon as possible to get confirmation. This makes it easy for you to get your passport re-issued as quickly as possible.

– Contact the Vietnamese Embassy in the nearest area to apply temporary passport

Immediately after receiving confirmation of the loss of your passport, go to the Vietnamese Embassy in the nearest area for instructions on how to apply for a temporary passport.

Some procedures when reporting lost passport:

– Download and fill out all information in the Passport Loss Report Form according to the Passport Form (according to the form), and email it to the Vietnam Diplomatic Mission where the citizen is present, along with 02 4× size photos. 6 cm, submit with a copy of the passport loss confirmation from the local police. Prepare additional documents related to personal identity such as copy of old passport, copy/original citizen identification card, copy of birth certificate, copy of household registration book...)

– Download and fill out the replacement passport application form (form TK02 2022)

– The content of the lost passport report will be entered into the database of the Immigration Department. There will then be a notice to cancel the validity of that passport to most countries. A passport reported lost after being notified of its cancellation will no longer be valid. If an old passport is found, it cannot be used. If you want to go abroad, you must apply for a new passport.

– Be present directly at the Representative Office to submit the above documents and complete the procedures

– Time for the Vietnam Representative Agency to consider re-issuing a passport or Travel Document:

+ If you provide complete proof of Vietnamese nationality such as original citizen identification card, birth certificate, household registration book (or notarized copy); Proof of legal entry into the host country (airline ticket, entry declaration) within 2 working days will be issued a passport according to simplified procedures for citizens to continue their journey to another country or return home.

+ If you cannot provide any other documents and do not belong to the above mentioned subjects, the Vietnamese representative agency will carry out procedures to verify your personal information with the Immigration Department. Within 05 working days of waiting for verification results from domestic competent authorities, you will be considered for a replacement passport or a passport according to simplified procedures.

– Things to note when losing your passport abroad

+ If you lose your passport in a country that does not have a Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate office, you will authorize the Vietnamese Embassy office located in a neighboring country.

+ It should be noted that when a passport is lost and has been notified of cancellation, it will no longer be valid.

+ When traveling abroad, to prevent the risk of losing your passport, you should make multiple copies of your passport and store it in different places.

+ If you do not bring all the documents proving that you are a Vietnamese citizen, you need to immediately contact your family for support.

+ Losing your passport when going abroad is a possibility, so before departure you need to prepare your personal documents such as a copy of your old passport, a copy/original of your citizen identification card, Copy of birth certificate, copy of household registration book for use when necessary.

Ordinary passports issued under simplified procedures are valid for no more than 12 months and cannot be extended. So if you want to have a passport to use on your next trip, you must get a passport. The fee for reissue due to damage or loss is 400 thousand VND.

3. Procedures for applying for a passport:

– Direct work form:

+ Applying for a passport for the first time:

Pursuant to the provisions of Clauses 3 and 4, Article 15 of the Immigration Law:

Where to submit application:

– Immigration Management Agency of Provincial Police of permanent/temporary residence

– If you fall into one of the following special cases, you can work at the Immigration Management Agency of the Ministry of Public Security:

+ The applicant has a referral or request from the hospital to go abroad for medical examination and treatment

+ The applicant has confirmation that a relative abroad had an accident, illness, or death

+ The applicant must have a written request from the agency directly managing officers, civil servants, public employees, officers, non-commissioned officers,Professional military personnel, workers, officers in the armed forces, people working in cipher organizations

+ For other humanitarian or urgent reasons decided by the head of the Immigration Management Agency of the Ministry of Public Security

+ Apply for a passport from the second time onwards:

According to Clause 5, Article 15 of the Immigration Law, the place to submit the application is:

+ Provincial Police Immigration Management Agency at a convenient place for the issuer

+ Immigration Management Agency under the Ministry of Public Security.

Clause 2, Article 15 of the Immigration Law stipulates that an application for an ordinary passport in the country includes the following documents:

– Declaration according to form

– Portrait photo 4 * 6

– Copy of Birth Certificate or birth certificate extract for people under 14 years old.

- The most recently issued ordinary passport, if the passport has been issued, if the passport is lost, it must be accompanied by a loss report or notice of receipt of the loss report from the competent authority.

– Copy of Citizen Identification Card if there is a change in personal information compared to the information in the most recently issued passport

– A certified copy of documents proving the legal representation for people under 14 years old, people who have lost civil act capacity, or have difficulties in cognition and behavior control issued by competent authorities in Vietnam. Vietnam issued.

If the photocopy is not certified, the original must be presented for checking and comparison.

– Online passport making form

+ Make a passport online through the Public Service Portal of the Ministry of Public Security without having to go directly to the immigration agency to submit the application.

The steps are as follows:

– Prepare documents: documents are similar to when working in person

– Log in to the Ministry of Public Security's public service portal

– Search for passport issuance services to submit your application

– Fill in all information and download the application according to the instructions

– Pay fees online

– Wait and receive results

Text used in the article:

Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens 2019