Procedures for the registration of death for Vietnamese citizens residing abroad

Procedures for the registration of death for Vietnamese citizens residing abroad​ (Image from the Internet)

On May 20, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam issued Decision No. 1275/QD-BNG regarding the announcement of administrative procedures that have been revised and supplemented in the consular field under the management of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Procedures for the registration of death for Vietnamese citizens residing abroad

(1) Procedures:

- The requester prepares the required documents and submits the application to the Vietnamese representative office abroad in charge of the consular area where the deceased's last residence or where the body was discovered.

- The officer receiving the dossier is responsible for checking all the documents, verifying the validity of the documents submitted or presented by the requester; cross-checking the information on the Application Form with the documents in the dossier:

(i) If the dossier is complete and valid, accept the dossier;

(ii) If the dossier is incomplete or invalid, guide the applicant to supplement and complete the dossier as required. After the dossier is supplemented, repeat step (i); if the dossier cannot be supplemented immediately, a written guidance must be provided, specifying the type of documents and content needing supplementation, signed, and clarified with the name of the consular officer.

(iii) If the dossier cannot be supplemented or completed, notify the rejection of dossier processing.

- The dossier processing officer is responsible for re-checking all documents, ensuring the dossier is complete and valid:

+ If the dossier needs to be supplemented or completed, send a notice regarding the dossier status to the applicant and repeat step (ii); if the conditions for processing are not met, a rejection notice must be sent to the applicant.

+ If verification is needed or for other reasons delaying the result delivery, an apology slip and a new appointment date, specifying the reasons for the delay and the new delivery date, must be issued to the requester.

+ If the dossier is found complete, valid, and conformable, the consular officer will record the death registration content in the Death Registration Book and report to the Head of the Representative Office to sign and issue the Death Certificate Extract for the registered person.

- The requester for death registration verifies the information on the death certificate extract, in the Death Registration Book, signs the Death Registration Book, and receives the Death Certificate Extract.

(2) Method of Implementation:

- The requester directly performs or authorizes another person to submit the application either in person or by mail to the Vietnamese representative office abroad in charge of the consular area where the deceased's last residence or where the body was discovered.

- Besides the methods mentioned above, if the Vietnamese representative office abroad uses a common electronic application for registration, management of civil status, and is technically connected to the National Database on Population, the application can be submitted online through the electronic environment.

(3) Composition and Number of Documents:

(3.1) Composition of documents:

* Documents to present:

- Passport or a passport-substitute document, ID card, citizen identity card, or other documents with a photo and personal information issued by competent authorities, valid for verifying the identity and nationality of the requester.

- Passport or a passport-substitute document, ID card, citizen identity card, or other documents with a photo and personal information issued by competent authorities, valid for verifying the identity and nationality of the deceased.

If submitting the application by mail, submit a notarized copy of the above documents.

If the requester is a Vietnamese citizen with a citizen identification card or a card with a personal identification number, they can present the original document (if submitting in person) or submit a copy of this document (if submitting by mail or through the online civil status registration system) to verify identity when the technical infrastructure allows the Vietnamese representative office abroad to connect with the National Database on Population.

- Documents proving the deceased's last residence to determine jurisdiction; if the last residence cannot be determined, present documents proving the place of death or where the body was found.

* Documents to submit:

- Death registration application form, as specified in the Appendix of Circular No. 04/2020/TT-BTP (if the requester chooses to submit the application in person).

- Death notice or a substitute document issued by competent foreign authorities.

- Authorization document, as per legal regulations, in case of authorizing the death registration.

(3.2) Number of documents: 01 (one) set.

(4) Processing Time:

On the same day of receiving the application, if the application is received after 3 PM and cannot be processed immediately, the result will be delivered on the next working day. If verification is needed, the processing time should not exceed 3 working days.

Refer to the detailed content in Decision No. 1275/QD-BNG issued on May 20, 2024.

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE