Regulations on identity certificates in Vietnam as of July 1, 2024

Regulations on identity certificates in Vietnam as of July 1, 2024 (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

1. What is Identity/ID certificate?

Identity certificate means an identification document containing identification of a Vietnamese resident of undetermined nationality and issued by an identification-managing agency according to regulations of this Law.

2. Who is eligible for the issuance of ID certificates in Vietnam?

An ID certificate is issued to a Vietnamese resident of undetermined nationality who is residing for 06 months or longer in a commune-level or district-level administrative unit where the commune-level administrative unit is unavailable.

3. Information printed on an ID certificate in Vietnam

Information printed on an ID certificate includes:

- A national emblem of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam;

- A phrase “CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM, Độc lập - Tự do - Hạnh phúc” (THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM, Independence - Freedom - Happiness);

- A phrase “CHỨNG NHẬN CĂN CƯỚC” (IDENTITY CERTIFICATE);

- Portrait photo, fingerprints;

- Personal identification number;

- Family name, middle name and first name;

- Date of birth;

- Gender;  

- Place of birth;  

- Place of origin;  

- Ethnic group; 

- Religion;

- Marital status.

- Current place of residence;

- Family name, middle name and first name, nationality of parents, spouses, legal representative, guardian, and ward;

- Date of issuance; issuing body; 

- Date of expiry.

4. Agencies in Vietnam where the procedures for issuing, replacing, and re-issuing ID certificates shall be carried out

Procedures for issuing, replacing and re-issuing ID certificates shall be carried out at the following agencies.

- Identification-managing agencies of police authorities of districts, urban districts, district-level towns, cities of provinces, cities of central-affiliated cities or identification-managing agencies of police authorities of provinces, or central-affiliated cities where Vietnamese residents of undetermined nationality are residing;

- If necessary, identification-managing agencies specified in Point a of this Clause shall organize implementation of procedures for issuance of ID certificates at communes, wards, district-level

5. Uses of an ID certificate in Vietnam

Uses of an ID certificate are regulated as follows:

- An ID certificate is used to prove identification for performance of transactions and exercise of legitimate rights and interests in the Vietnamese territory

- Agencies, organizations and individuals may use personal identification numbers on ID certificates to inspect information about the certificate holders on the national population database, the national database and the specialized database in accordance with law.

In case a Vietnamese resident of undetermined nationality must present his/her ID certificate at the request of the competent agency, organization or individual, such agency/organization/individual must not request him/her to present another document or provide information certified on the ID certificate, except for case where information about the person is changed or information on the ID certificate is not consistent with that on the national population database;

- The State shall protect legitimate rights and interests of holders of ID certificates in accordance with law.

Legal basis: Clause 12 of Article 3 and Article 30 of the Law on Identification 2023.

Ho Quoc Tuan

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