What are procedures for re-issuance of passports for Vietnamese citizens who lose their passports when traveling abroad?

What are procedures for re-issuance of passports for Vietnamese citizens who lose their passports when traveling abroad?

Pursuant to Clause 1 Article 17 of the Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens in 2019 stipulating persons to be issued with regular passports via adoption of shortened procedures as follows:

Persons to be issued with regular passports via adoption of shortened procedures

1. Persons travelling abroad for a definite period, losing their regular passports and wishing to return immediately.

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Pursuant to Clause 1 Article 18 of the Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens in 2019 stipulating issuance of regular passports via adoption of shortened procedures as follows:

Issuance of regular passports via adoption of shortened procedures

1. A person travelling abroad for a definite period, losing his/her regular passport and wishing to return immediately shall be issued with a regular passport as follows:

a) The applicant shall submit a notice on loss of passport, a completed declaration form using defined templates, 2 pictures and personal identification documents issued by Vietnamese competent authorities if any;

b) Within 2 working days from the date on which the application is received, a Vietnam representative office located overseas shall consider and decide issuance of passport, return results to the applicant and submit written notice to immigration authority of Ministry of Public Security in case the Vietnam representative office located overseas has not connected to the National database for entry and exit of Vietnamese citizens;

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As regulations above, when Vietnamese citizens lose their pasports while traveling abroad, they are eligible to be issued with regular passports via adoption of shortened procedures.

Procedures for issuance of regular passports via adoption of shortened procedures are as follows:

Step 1: Submit the application

The applicant shall submit following documents:

- A notice on loss of passport;

- A completed declaration form using defined templates;

- 2 pictures;

- Personal identification documents issued by Vietnamese competent authorities if any;

Step 2: The Vietnam representative office located overseas shall consider the validation of the application

- In case the documents are not valid or complete, the officer receiving them shall return the documents and guide the applicant to supplement and complete the documents according to regulations.

- In case the documents are valid for processing, the officer receiving them shall issue a Return Appointment Notice and transfer the documents to the department responsible for processing the documents to resolve them according to their authority.

Step 3: The Vietnam representative office located overseas shall return results to the applicant

- Within a period of 02 working days from the date of receiving the complete and valid documents, a regular passport with a validity of not more than 12 months shall be issued to the applicant. The result shall be returned to the applicant and notified in writing to the Immigration Management Agency, Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in case there is no connection to the national database on entry and exit of Vietnamese citizens.

- In case there is insufficient basis to issue a passport:

+ Within a period of 02 working days from the date of receiving the application, the Vietnamese representative office located overseas shall send a written document according to the template to the immigration management agency for verification, and at the same time notify the applicant in writing.

+ Within a period of 01 working day from the date of receiving the response, the Vietnamese representative office located overseas shall issue a regular passport with a validity of not more than 12 months and return the result to the applicant. If the passport cannot be issued, a written response stating the reason shall be provided.

- In case the Vietnamese representative office located overseas receives a notification from the immigration management agency confirming the loss of passport by a Vietnamese citizen abroad, within a period of 01 working day from the date of receiving the notification, the office shall collect the applicant's photo, issue a regular passport with a validity of not more than 12 months, and return the result.

What are procedures for re-issuance of passports for Vietnamese citizens who lose their passports when traveling abroad? - Image from Internet

Who are eligible to be issued with regular passports via adoption of shortened procedures in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 17 of the Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens in 2019 (amended by Clause 5 Article 1 of the Law on amendments to the Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens and Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam in 2023) stipulating persons to be issued with regular passports via adoption of shortened procedures as follows:

- Persons travelling abroad for a definite period, losing their regular passports and wishing to return immediately.

- Persons whose applications for residency are rejected by the foreign country and are also not regulated by any international agreement on repatriation.

- Persons forcibly returning to their countries according to international agreements or treaties on repatriation.

- Persons issued with regular passports for purposes of national defense and security.

Who are eligible to be issued with regular passports in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 14 of the Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens in 2019 stipulating persons to be issued with regular passports in Vietnam as follows:

Persons to be issued with regular passports

Vietnamese citizens not specified in Article 21 of this Law shall be considered for issuance of regular passports.

As regulations above, persons to be issued with regular passports are those do not belong to following cases of delayed issuance of entry and exit documents:

- Persons failing to comply with decisions on administrative sanctions against following violations:

+ Provide on purpose false information to be issued, extended or restored or false information relating to loss of entry and exit documents.

+ Fabricate or use fabricated entry and exit documents to make entry or exit, or travel or reside in foreign countries.

+ Gift, give, purchase, sell, borrow, lend, rent, lease, mortgage or receive collateral as entry and exit documents; destroy, erase or falsify entry and exit documents.

+ Use entry and exit documents against regulations and law negatively impacting trustworthiness or damaging interests of Government.

+ Take advantage of entry and exit to violate national security, social security and order of Vietnam, legal rights and interests of agencies and organizations, or lives, health, legal rights and interests of individuals

+ Make entry or exit illegally; organize, arrange, assist, conceal, harbor or enable others to illegally make entry or exit; cross national borders without following procedures as per the law.

+ Obstruct or interfere with law enforcers in issuing entry or exit documents or controlling entry or exit activities.

- Persons suspended from making exit, except special cases where Minister of Public Security shall enter into agreements with persons making decisions on exit suspension to allow exit of persons subject to exit suspension. 

- Persons influencing national defense and security according to decision of Minister of National Defense or Minister of Public Security.

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