Vietnam: Can students under 14 years old obtain an identity card?

Can students under 14 years old obtain an identity card (ID card)?

According to Article 19 of the Law on Identification 2023 of Vietnam, it is clearly stated as follows:

Persons eligible for issuance of ID cards

1. Persons eligible for issuance of ID cards are Vietnamese citizens.

2. Vietnamese citizens from 14 years of age shall carry out procedures for issuance of ID cards.

3. Vietnamese citizens under 14 years of age will be issued with ID cards if they have demands.

Additionally, according to Article 21 of the Law on Identification 2023 of Vietnam, it is clearly stated as follows:

Age eligible for replacement of ID cards

1. A Vietnamese citizen issued with an ID card shall carry out procedures for replacement of the card when he/she reaches from 14 years of age, 25 years of age, 40 years of age and 60 years of age.

2. An ID card which is issued, replaced or re-issued within 2 years before a citizen reaches the age specified in Clause 1 of this Article shall remain valid until he/she reaches the subsequent age eligible for card replacement.

According to Clause 2, Article 23 of the Law on Identification 2023:

Procedures for issuance of ID cards

...

2. A person under 14 years of age or his/her legal representative may request the identification-managing agency to issue an ID card. Procedures for issuance of an ID card to a person under 14 years of age shall be carried out as follows:

a) The legal representative of a person under 06 years of age shall follow procedures for issuance of an ID card to such person via the public service portal or the national identification application.  If procedures for obtaining birth registration for a person under 06 years of age have yet to be conducted, his/her legal representative shall follow procedures for issuance of an ID card by those interconnected with birth registration on the public service portal, the national identification application or in person at the identification-managing agency.  The identification-managing agency does not collect and receive information about identity and biometric identifiers of persons under 06 years of age;

b) Persons from 06 to under 14 years of age accompanying their legal representatives shall come to the identification-managing agency to provide information about identity and biometric identifiers according to regulations in Point b Clause 1 of this Article.

The legal representative of a person from 06 to under 14 years of ages shall follow procedures for issuance of an ID card instead of that person.

The age for issuing identity cards starts from 14 years old, and students who are Vietnamese citizens under 14 years old can still be issued identity cards upon request.

For those from 06 to under 14 years old, they must go with their legal representatives to the identity management agency to collect face and biometric information. The legal representative of those from 06 to under 14 years old carries out the procedures for issuing identity cards on their behalf.

Note: Citizens who have been issued identity cards must carry out procedures for reissuance when they turn 14 years old.

However, an identity card issued within two years before the age of reissuance will be valid until the next age of reissuance.

This means that if a child under 14 gets an identity card (within two years before the age of 14), the card will be valid until the next reissuance age (25 years old).

Can students under 14 years old get identity cards? (Image from the Internet)

Which grade do 06-year-old children study in?

According to Clause 1, Article 28 of the Education Law 2019 of Vietnam:

Educational levels and entry ages

1. Educational levels and age groups of general education are regulated as follows:

a) Primary education lasts for 05 school years, from the first to the fifth grade. The entry age for the first grade is 06;

b) Lower secondary education lasts for 04 school years, from the sixth to the ninth grade. Students must complete the primary educational programme before entering the sixth grade. The entry age for the sixth grade is 11;

c) Upper secondary education lasts for 03 school years, from the tenth to the twelfth grade. Students must complete the lower secondary educational programme before entering the tenth grade. The entry age for the tenth grade is 15.

Based on the above regulations, children who are 06 years old will study in grade 01.

Procedures for issuing identity cards for students under 14 years old

According to Clause 2, Article 23 of the Law on Identification 2023, a person under 14 years of age or his/her legal representative may request the identification-managing agency to issue an ID card. Procedures for issuance of an ID card to a person under 14 years of age shall be carried out as follows:

- The legal representative of a person under 06 years of age shall follow procedures for issuance of an ID card to such person via the public service portal or the national identification application.  If procedures for obtaining birth registration for a person under 06 years of age have yet to be conducted, his/her legal representative shall follow procedures for issuance of an ID card by those interconnected with birth registration on the public service portal, the national identification application or in person at the identification-managing agency. The identification-managing agency does not collect and receive information about identity and biometric identifiers of persons under 06 years of age;

- Persons from 06 to under 14 years of age accompanying their legal representatives shall come to the identification-managing agency to provide information about identity and biometric identifiers according to regulations in Point b Clause 1 of this Article.

The legal representative of a person from 06 to under 14 years of ages shall follow procedures for issuance of an ID card instead of that person.