Procedures for citizenship registration by overseas Vietnamese

Procedures for citizenship registration by overseas Vietnamese (Internet image) 

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

1. Citizenship registrants under the law in Vietnam

Citizenship registrants include:

(i) Holders of valid Vietnamese passports or other passport substitutes.

(ii) Persons without any papers specified in Clause (i) but having a paper proving their Vietnamese citizenship.

(Article 2 of Circular 02/2011/TT-BNG)

2. Procedures for citizenship registration by overseas Vietnamese

- Each citizenship registrant shall submit 1 dossier, comprising:

+ A completed citizenship registration form (which can be filled in online on websites of representative missions);

+ A copy of the Vietnamese passport or passport substitute, for the cases specified in Clause 1. Article 2 of Circular 02/2011/TT-BNG;

+ A copy of the personal identity paper and a copy of the paper proving Vietnamese nationality provided in Article 11 of the Law on Vietnamese Nationality 2008 (certificate of birth: identity card; decision permitting nationalization in Vietnam, decision permitting restoration of Vietnamese citizenship, decision recognizing adoption of a foreign child or decision permitting a foreigner to adopt a Vietnamese child), for the cases specified in Clause 2. Article 2 of Article 4 of Circular 02/2011/TT-BNG.

+ A stamped addressed envelope, in case the registrant wishes to receive dossier-processing results by post.

- Citizenship registration dossiers may be submitted directly or by post to representative missions.

- Within 1 working day after receiving a complete and valid dossier, the representative mission shall examine and check information declared in the citizenship registration form against other papers in the dossier and. on that basis, process the dossier and notify the results in writing to the registrant.

- In case none of papers proving Vietnamese citizenship is available or such papers need further examination or verification, the representative mission shall guide the registrant to carry out procedures to verify his/her Vietnamese citizenship according to the nationality law. Upon receiving verification results from competent agencies, the representative mission shall immediately process the dossier and notify the results in writing to the registrant.

(Article 4 of Circular 02/2011/TT-BNG)

3. Modification of information of citizenship registration by overseas Vietnamese

- Persons who have registered citizenship shall notify in writing any changes in their personal identity details already provided in citizenship registration forms within 90 days after these changes occur to representative missions for modification of citizenship registers.

- An applicant for modification of citizenship registration information shall submit 1 dossier, comprising:

+ A completed citizenship registration form. which can be filled in online on websites of representative missions:

+ A stamped addressed envelope, in case the applicant wishes to receive dossier-processing results by post.

- Dossiers of application for modification of citizenship registration information may be submitted directly or by post to representative missions.

- Within 1 working day after receiving a complete and valid dossier, the representative mission shall process the dossier and notify the results in writing to the applicant.

(Article 5 of Circular 02/2011/TT-BNG)

4. Archive of dossiers on citizenship registration by overseas Vietnamese

- A citizenship registration dossier comprises the citizenship registration form (including also forms submitted for modification of citizenship registration information), copies of papers and documents already submitted by citizenship registrant to the representative mission, verification documents, and other relevant papers and records.

- Citizenship registration dossiers shall be numbered according to the time of recording the entries in citizenship registers. Citizenship registers shall be made in printed form and computerized form.

- Representative missions shall take measures to preserve citizenship registration dossiers and preserve them:

+ For 5 years, for citizenship registration dossiers;

+ Forever, for citizenship registers.

(Article 6 of Circular 02/2011/TT-BNG)

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