[Updated] Vietnam: New Passport Introduced Followed by Revisions

Last Updated on February 23, 2023

This article was originally published on 16 August 2022 and was updated on 9 September 2022 and 21 November 2022 to reflect new information.  

21 November 2022 Update: The government of Vietnam passed a resolution that will allow places of birth to be added to Vietnamese passports. The government originally introduced a new passport on 1 July 2022. Since the introduction of the new passport, several government authorities refused to recognize the new version of the passport due to missing information related to place of birth.  


This article was originally published on 16 August 2022 and was updated on 9 September 2022 to reflect new information.  

9 September 2022 Update: The government of Vietnam announced that four additional countries have approved the use of its new passport if it contains a stamp with information on the holder’s date and place of birth. The four countries are Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic. The stamp must be produced by the official authorities of Vietnam.   

Many countries throughout the European Union (EU) originally refused to accept the new passport due to missing information, including the holder's date of birth. Vietnamese nationals who currently hold a valid version of Vietnam’s previous passport will be permitted to use this passport without requiring a government-issued stamp.  


Key Points 

  • The government of Vietnam met with officials from several countries that recently rejected the use of Vietnam’s newest passport format  

Overview  

The government of Vietnam recently introduced a new passport on 1 July 2022. Since the introduction of the new passport, several government authorities, including Germany, the Czech Republic, and Finland, have refused to recognize the new version of the passport due to the passports not containing information on place of birth. The government of Vietnam announced that holder’s birthplace will be added to the new passport in the appendix section of the passport.  

What are the Changes? 

On 12 August 2022, the government of Vietnam introduced a new passport format. Several governments recently announced that this passport would not be accepted due to missing information. The government of Vietnam met with officials from these countries to discuss the issue and subsequently made changes to the passport.  

Looking Ahead  

Continue to check the government of Vietnam’s website and Envoy’s website for the latest updates and information 


For more news and insights from around the world, please sign up for Envoy’s Global Blog Digest, emailed to you every Wednesday morning. 

Content in this publication is for informational purposes only and not intended as legal advice, nor should it be relied on as such. For additional information on the issues discussed, consult an attorney at one of the two U.S. Law Firms working with the Envoy Platform or another qualified professional. On non-U.S. immigration issues, consult an Envoy global immigration service provider or another qualified representative