1. What is a passport? How many types of passports are there?

Passport is a document owned by the State, issued by a competent Vietnamese agency to Vietnamese citizens for use in exiting and entering the country, proving nationality and identity. The passport includes information such as: portrait photo; surname, middle name and first name; Expiry date, month, year; Personal identification number or identity card number, position, title for diplomatic passports and official passports in accordance with foreign affairs requirements. There are types of passports such as:

Diplomatic passport, red-brown cover page (issued to high-ranking State officials as prescribed in the Immigration Law; appointed or allowed to go abroad by a competent agency or person to perform public duties) work.

Official passport, dark green cover page (issued to subjects subject to the Immigration Law such as civil servants, public employees, police, police, military... appointed by competent agencies and people) or permission to go abroad to perform business obligations).
 Ordinary passport, blue and purple cover page (issued to Vietnamese citizens.

There are two passport models, including: Passport with electronic chip; Passport does not contain an electronic chip. Both types are issued to Vietnamese citizens aged 14 years or older. In cases where Vietnamese citizens are under 14 years old or have passports issued under simplified procedures, only passports without an electronic chip will be issued.

According to the Immigration Law, the validity of a passport is specified as follows:

Ordinary passports issued to people 14 years of age and 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; Diplomatic passports and official passports are valid for 1 year to 5 years and can be renewed once for no more than 3 years.

2. Regulations on new passport models

Based onCircular 73/2021/TT-BCA regulations on implementation effect and transitional provisions are as follows: blank passport publications and laissez-passers issued before the effective date of this circular but have not yet expired can continue to be used no later than January 1. January 2022 must comply with passports and travel documents. Thus, passports with the old form before July 1, 2022 that are still valid will still be used until the expiration date stated in the passport.

General specifications and specifications of the new passport model, specifically as follows:

·    The outside of the cover page is printed with the national emblem, national emblem, and passport name; Passport with electronic chip;

·    The images on the passport pages are images of the country's beautiful landscapes and Vietnamese cultural heritage combined with bronze drum motifs;

The languages ​​used in the passport are Vietnamese and English; The chip is placed in the back cover of the passport with an electronic chip attached; The letters and numbers of the passport are perforated with laser technology smoothly from page one to the back cover and coincide with the letters and numbers on page number one; All content and images printed in the passport are made using modern technology to meet security requirements, prevent the risk of counterfeiting and meet ICAO standards.

3. First-time passport application

Documents related to passport issuance include:

·    01 passport application form according to the prescribed form;

·    02 photos sized 4cmx6cm, white background, frontal view, bare head without colored glasses (photographed at a photography facility permitted by the Immigration Department);

·    Valid identity card or citizen identification card or passport (present when submitting the application for inspection and comparison by the Immigration Management agency);

·    Temporary residence book (in case the applicant has not yet been issued a citizen identification card and submitted the application at the temporary residence).

First-time passport applicants must do so at the Immigration Management Department of the province or centrally run city where they permanently or temporarily reside. In case of having a citizen identification card, it must be done at the Immigration Management Office of the Provincial Police Department or centrally run city where it is convenient.

Cases in which a first-time passport application can be made at the Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security, include: There is a referral or request from a hospital to go abroad for medical examination and treatment; There are grounds to determine that a relative abroad has an accident, illness, or death; There is a written request from the direct management agency for cadres, civil servants, public employees, officers, non-commissioned officers, professional soldiers, workers and employees in the armed forces, and people working in organizations. weak muscle function; For other humanitarian or urgent reasons decided by the head of the Immigration Management Agency of the Ministry of Public Security.

4. Passport re-issuance application

The application for a second ordinary passport includes:

·    01 passport application form according to the prescribed form;

·    02 photos sized 4cm x 6cm, white background, straight face, bare head, no colored glasses (taken at a photography facility permitted by the Immigration Department);

·    ID card or citizen identification card or valid passport (present when submitting application for inspection and comparison by the Immigration Management agency);

·    The most recently issued ordinary passport for the person who has been issued a passport, and in case the passport is lost, the person who wants to apply for a new one must submit a loss report according to the form or notice of receipt. application from the competent authority;

·    Photocopy of ID card or citizen identification card in case there is a change in personal information compared to the information on the most recently lost passport.

·    Submit the application at the Immigration Management Department, Ministry of Public Security or the Immigration Management Department of the Police of the province or centrally run city where convenient.

In case of granting a passport to a person who has lost civil act capacity, a person with difficulty in cognition and behavior control according to the provisions of the Civil Code, and a person under 14 years old.

The application includes the following documents:

·    01 passport application form according to the prescribed form. The declaration is declared and signed by the parents or legal representative, certified and stamped with a photo of the police of the ward, commune or town where you permanently or temporarily reside;

·    02 photos sized 4cm x 6cm, white background, straight face, bare head, no colored glasses (taken at photo facilities permitted by the Immigration Department);

·    Identity card or Citizen Identification card if there is a change in relative information compared to the information in the most recently issued passport;

·    Certified copies of documents issued by a competent Vietnamese State agency proving the legal representative. In case the photocopy is not authenticated, present the original for checking and comparison.

·    Application for a second passport is made at the Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security or the Immigration Management Department of the Provincial Police or centrally run cities where convenient.

·    The father, mother or guardian legally represents the dossier for a person who has lost civil act capacity or has difficulty understanding and controlling their behavior according to the provisions of the Civil Code; Those under 14 years old must present their ID card or citizen identification card or other valid documents issued by a competent Vietnamese agency to prove.

How to perform:

·    Submit your application directly and receive results at the place of application. If you request to receive results at a location other than the place where you submitted your application, you must pay a postal delivery service fee. People who have lost civil act capacity, people with difficulty in cognition and behavior control according to the provisions of the Civil Code, and people under 14 years old must submit the application by their legal representative.

·    Application reception time is from Monday to Friday and Saturday morning every week.

·    Results delivery time is from Monday to Friday every week.

·    Processing time: No more than 8 working days from the date the Immigration Management Department of the Provincial or Central City Police receives a valid application. No more than 05 working days from the date the Immigration Department and the Ministry of Public Security receive valid documents.

5. New note on passport issuance from September 15, 2022 - update with "place of birth" missing

The Immigration Department only implements "place of birth" information when requested by citizens. For citizens who have been issued a new passport model, they are now required to have their "place of birth" information removed as follows:

In case a citizen presents a domestically issued passport, the citizen needs to submit a passport application form according to the form, in the "request" section, clearly state the content "place of birth is not included in the household registration" without a photo and Attached is the newly issued passport.

In case a citizen presents a passport issued by a Vietnamese representative agency abroad, in addition to the above documents, the citizen must submit additional documents proving his/her place of birth such as a birth certificate or old passport. ..

The processing time is 02 (two) working days if the application is submitted at the Immigration Department and 05 (five) working days if the application is submitted to the Police of a province or centrally run city. For citizens who have not yet been issued a new passport model, the request for a passport is now marked with the "place of birth" information, the dossier components and the processing time limit in accordance with the provisions of the law on exit and entry of the company. Vietnamese citizens, however, in the request content section in the passport issuance declaration, clearly state "passport issued and place of birth noted".

6. Is an old, unexpired passport still legally valid?

The person with the old passport will continue to use it until the expiry date stated in the passport expires.

Currently, people can completely register applications for ordinary passports online on the national public service portal, without needing to go to the immigration agency to carry out this procedure. The online form applies to Vietnamese citizens in the country using chip-embedded CCCD, barcode CCCD and valid 12-digit ID card.

The process of registering an application for an ordinary passport on the national public service portal includes the following steps:

·    People register for national public service portal accounts. Access the link dichvucong.gov.vn.

·    Log in to the public service portal of the Ministry of Public Security, select the Passport Issuance service and submit your application. (upload a 4cm x 6cm portrait photo with a white background, front and back photos of the CCCD; enter complete information in the columns; register where to receive the passport; download attached documents as prescribed; in case of passport Valid passports must be submitted directly or sent by post to the immigration management agency to receive the application; complete the steps and wait for approval from the immigration management agency.

·    Pay fees online. After the documents are delivered to the registered address by the immigration authority or postal unit, citizens pay the delivery fee when receiving their passport.