1. What is a Vietnamese passport? Passport validity

A Vietnamese Passport is a document owned by the State issued by a competent Vietnamese authority to Vietnamese citizens for use in exit and entry purposes, to prove identity and identity. Nationality (According to the Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens 2019).

Basic information on the passport includes:

• Last name, middle name, first name
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Nationality
• Symbol
• Immigration document number
• Date of issue
• Granting agencies
• Personal identification number
• Identity card number
• Position, title,...

There are 3 types of Vietnamese passports: Ordinary passport, Diplomatic passport and Official passport. The Ordinary Passport (purple blue cover) is the most popular and most used type of passport.

The validity period of an Ordinary Passport according to law is as follows:

• Ordinary passports issued to people aged 14 years or older are valid for 10 years and cannot be renewed;
• Ordinary passports issued to people under 14 years old are valid for 5 years and cannot be renewed;
• Ordinary passports issued under simplified procedures are valid for no more than 12 months and cannot be extended.

2. Benefits of foreigners having a Vietnamese passport

When Vietnamese people settle abroad, their ID cards (or Citizen ID cards) will be revoked and their names will be erased from their household registration. Therefore, overseas Vietnamese will no longer have or will not be able to get a passport in Vietnam when settling abroad.

However, the current policy is somewhat more open. You can still keep Vietnamese nationality when residing abroad if you are the wife, husband, biological father, biological mother or biological child of a Vietnamese citizen,... (dual nationality). Accordingly, these subjects will still be granted Vietnamese passports if needed.

When you own a Vietnamese passport, you will get the following benefits:

• Entering Vietnam is extremely convenient and fast without needing a visa
• There is no limit to the length of stay in Vietnam
• Carry out permanent residence registration procedures in Vietnam easily

3. Conditions for foreigners to apply for a Vietnamese passport

Possessing many such benefits, to apply for a Vietnamese passport, foreigners also need to meet a number of conditions:

– Haven't completed procedures to renounce Vietnamese nationality

– Have documents proving Vietnamese nationality issued by a competent Vietnamese agency:

• Birth certificate
• Identity card
• Travel document, or
• Other documents issued by competent Vietnamese authorities to Vietnamese citizens from 1945 to before July 1, 2009, including Vietnamese nationality or information related to nationality. or Vietnamese citizens

4. Documents to apply for a Vietnamese passport for foreigners

Overseas Vietnamese who want to apply for a Vietnamese passport need to prepare the following documents and records:

• 01 fully filled declaration form TK01 requesting issuance, amendment, supplementation of ordinary passport/travel document, taken no more than one year ago
• 02 portrait photos are sized 4×6, white background, straight face, bare head, no colored glasses, of which 01 photo is attached to the Declaration and 01 photo is attached.
  • For children under 14 years old who request a separate passport, the declaration must be signed by their father or mother. In case the declaration is signed by the adoptive father, adoptive mother or guardian, present documents proving that he/she is the adoptive father, adoptive mother or guardian;
  • In case a parent requests a joint issuance of a child under 09 years old to the parent's Vietnamese passport, they must declare it together in the parent's declaration form and submit 02 3 x 4 cm photos of that child.
• Copy or photocopy (if it is a photocopy, you need to present the original for checking and comparison) of one of the following documents used as a basis for issuing a passport (in case of issuance of a child together with a Vietnamese passport). Male of the father or mother, documents related to that child):
  • Documents proving Vietnamese nationality (with photo) according to the provisions of Vietnamese law on nationality issued over time;
  • Personnel certification of Vietnamese citizens currently abroad issued by the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security is still valid (form X04);
  • Documents issued by competent Vietnamese state management agencies to citizens are still valid, fully stating personal details and photos. Personal factors of a person include: full name, date of birth, place of birth, gender, and nationality of that person.

(If the above documents are no longer valid or do not have photos, they are only used for reference as a basis for issuing a passport)

• ​A copy of the birth certificate for children under 14 years old who require a separate passport (if it is a photocopy, present the original for comparison).

In case of applying for a lost passport, you need to additionally submit:

Most recently issued ordinary passport for the person who has been issued a passport; In case the passport is lost, it must be accompanied by a lost notice or notice of receipt of the application from the competent authority

In case the passport applicant has lost his/her civil act capacity, he/she needs to additionally submit:

Certified copy of documents issued by a competent Vietnamese agency proving the legal representative of a person who has lost civil act capacity or has difficulty in cognition and behavior control according to regulations. of the Civil Code, people under 14 years old. In case the photocopy is not authenticated, present the original for checking and comparison.

5. Procedures for Vietnamese people abroad to apply for an Ordinary Passport

The process of applying for an ordinary passport for Vietnamese citizens abroad includes the following steps:

Step 1:Prepare documents according to VISANA's instructions above

Step 2: Fill out the paper form TK01 declaration form or submit the declaration online

Instructions for filling out declaration form TK01here.

Instructions for submitting online declaration here.

Step 3:Submit

You bring all documents and documents to apply for an ordinary passport along with the declaration to:

• Diplomatic missions, Vietnamese consulates in the country of residence (If applying for a passport for the first time)
• Vietnamese representative agency abroad in a convenient location (If applying for a second passport)

Time for receiving documents and returning results: working days according to the regulations of the diplomatic mission (except days off and holidays according to the regulations of the host country and holidays and New Year days according to the regulations of Vietnam).

Some diplomatic representative agencies of Vietnam abroad:

Embassy of Vietnam in the US

Embassy of Vietnam in Japan

Embassy of Vietnam in Korea

Embassy of Vietnam in Australia

Embassy of Vietnam in Canada

Embassy of Vietnam in France

Embassy of Vietnam in Germany,…

Step 4: ​The representative agency receives the dossier and considers and resolves it

Vietnamese Embassies/Consulates abroad receive and review applications if they have been fully submitted as required.

In case the application does not have complete information and grounds for issuing a passport, the Embassy/Consulate may request additional information.

Next, the Embassy/Consulate conducts verification, verification content includes: personal history, permanent or temporary residence address in the country before leaving the country, documents used to enter/exit, and information about relatives in Vietnam...

The Embassy will transfer information of first-time passport applicants to the competent authority in Vietnam to conduct identity verification procedures; Verification time depends on each specific profile.

Coordinating agencies for verification include: Consular Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration Management Agency of the Ministry of Public Security.

Step 5: Return results

Passport is only issued after the results of identity verification and approval of passport issuance by a competent Vietnamese agency are obtained.

When you receive the results, you can pick them up directly at the agency's headquarters according to the document receipt.

In case of not meeting the conditions for issuance of a passport, the Vietnamese Consulate abroad will respond in writing to overseas Vietnamese and state the reason.

►Note from July 1, 2022:

Citizens 14 years of age or older have the right to choose whether to issue a passport with or without an electronic chip. For children under 14 years old, only passports without electronic chips are issued or issued according to simplified procedures.

6. Time to process applications for Vietnamese Passport for Vietnamese people abroad

Time to process applications for Vietnamese Passport for Vietnamese people abroad is as follows:

– 05 working days from the date of receiving the first passport application

– 03 working days from the date of receiving the second passport application onwards

If there are enough grounds to issue a passport, the Vietnamese representative agency abroad at the receiving place will request a passport, return the results to the applicant and notify the Ministry of Immigration Management in writing. Police and Consular Offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in case they have not yet connected to the National Database on exit and entry of Vietnamese citizens.

If there is not enough basis to issue a passport or it is necessary to extend the time to determine the basis for issuing a passport, the Vietnamese representative agency abroad shall respond in writing to the applicant, stating the reason.

The extended time to determine the basis for issuing a passport according to the provisions of Clause 4 of this Article is specified as follows:

– Within 03 working days from the date of receiving the request, the Vietnamese representative agency abroad sends a document according to the form to the Consular Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Immigration Management Agency of the Ministry of Public Security for Verify according to authority;

– Within 15 days from the date of receipt of the exchanged documents, the Consular Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Immigration Management Agency of the Ministry of Public Security shall respond in writing to Vietnamese representative agencies abroad;

– Within 02 working days from the date of receiving the response from the Consular Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Immigration Management Agency of the Ministry of Public Security, and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to issue passports and return the results. reward for the proposer; In case a passport has not been issued, the Vietnamese representative agency abroad shall respond in writing to the applicant, stating the reason.

7. Fees for applying for ordinary passports for Vietnamese people abroad

According to Circular 112/2021/TT-BTC amending regulations on fees and charges in the field of Diplomacy at Vietnamese representative agencies abroad:

Current exchange rate: 1 USD = 23,685 VND

Note: Passport applicants who request to receive results at a location other than the representative agency must pay a delivery service fee.