10 Things to Know About the Citizen Identification Card Replacing the National Identity Card

1. At the beginning of 2016, citizen ID cards will be issued

On November 20, 2014, the National Assembly passed the Citizen Identity Law with 76.66% of delegates in agreement. From January 1, 2016, the national ID card will be replaced by the citizen ID card.

For national ID cards issued before the Citizen Identity Law takes effect, they will remain valid until the expiration date as prescribed. When citizens request, they will be able to exchange them for citizen ID cards.

2. Citizen ID card includes a citizen identification number

According to the Citizen Identity Law just passed by the National Assembly, Vietnamese citizens aged 14 and older will be granted citizen ID cards.

As stipulated, the front of the citizen ID card includes the following information: photo, citizen ID card number, full name at birth, date, month, year of birth, gender, nationality, place of birth, permanent residence; date, month, year of expiration.

The back of the card has an encoded information storage section; fingerprints, physical characteristics of the cardholder; date, month, year of issuance; full name, title, and signature of the issuing authority, seal of the issuing institution.

3. What documents does the citizen ID card replace?

The citizen ID card is the personal identification document of Vietnamese citizens, proving the identity of the cardholder for performing transactions within Vietnamese territory.

The citizen ID card replaces previously used documents such as household registration numbers, marriage certificates, social insurance books, etc.

4. The card can be used as a passport

The citizen ID card can be used instead of a passport in cases where Vietnam and a foreign country have signed a treaty or international agreement allowing citizens of the signing country to use the citizen ID card instead of a passport. The card must be exchanged when citizens turn 25, 40, and 60 years old.

5. Information on the citizen ID card

The card includes information such as: photo, card number, full name at birth, date, month, year of birth, gender, nationality, place of birth, permanent residence; date, month, year of expiration.

The back includes encoded information; fingerprints, physical characteristics of the cardholder; date, month, year of issuance; full name, title, and signature of the issuing authority, and the seal with the National Emblem.

6. Citizens aged 14 and older will be issued citizen ID cards

According to the Citizen Identity Law passed by the National Assembly on November 20, 2014, starting January 1, 2016, children aged 14 and older will be issued citizen ID cards.

7. National ID cards issued before January 1, 2016, remain valid

From now until January 1, 2016, citizens will still be issued 9-digit (issued manually) and 12-digit (using new technology) ID cards. These ID cards will remain valid until the expiration date as prescribed. When citizens request, they will be able to exchange them for citizen ID cards.

Documents with legal value issued using information from the national ID cards will remain legally effective. Forms already issued requiring the use of information from the national ID cards will continue to be used until December 31, 2019.

8. The card must be renewed three times as stipulated

The citizen ID card is the personal identification document of Vietnamese citizens, proving the identity of the cardholder for performing transactions within Vietnamese territory.

The citizen ID card must be renewed three times, when citizens turn 25, 40, and 60 years old.

9. Citizens are exempted from the first-time issuance fee for the citizen ID card

Citizens will be exempted from the fee for the first-time issuance of a citizen ID card and will only have to pay a fee for the reissuance or renewal of the citizen ID card (the specific fee will be issued by the Ministry of Finance). The procedures for reissuing or renewing the card are also much simpler than those for reissuing or renewing the national ID card.

Specifically, citizens only need to submit an application for reissuance or renewal of the citizen ID card, without needing confirmation from the commune-level police office, as all information about citizens is already stored in the citizen identification database.

10. In the future, the card will be embedded with a chip to progress towards an electronic citizen card

Projected at the latest by January 1, 2020, the issuance of citizen ID cards will be implemented synchronously nationwide. After completing the national population database, citizen ID cards will be embedded with chips to become electronic citizen cards, helping citizens eliminate many types of personal documents when participating in daily life transactions.

Source: Young Entrepreneurs

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