Vietnamese Embassy in Czech Seeks Solution for New Passport

The Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic is coordinating with authorities to find a solution to this issue.

From July 1, 2022, the Embassy of Vietnam in the Czech Republic has issued a new passport model, 48 pages, navy blue cover; Old model passports, 48 pages, green cover, issued before July 1, 2022 can still be used until the passport expires.

On August 2, 2022, the Czech Embassy in Hanoi officially notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam about stop recognizing Vietnam’s new passports.

The Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic on August 2 announced it will issue new passports with an annotation on the holders’ place of birth added inside.

The embassy is coordinating with Vietnamese authorities in working with the Czech side to address the issue, it noted, adding that it will add an annotation on the place of birth on Page 4 of the new passports to facilitate the Vietnamese holders to apply for visa extension or other public administrative services in Czech.

Holders of passports issued before August 2 can visit the embassy for annotations to be added, it said.

According to Note No. 1868/2022-HANO of the Czech Embassy in Hanoi, the Czech authorities found that the new model passport of Vietnam does not display enough information needed to verify identity of the passport holder.

Therefore, the Czech Republic agrees with other member countries of the European Union (EU) and does not recognize this new passport model. The decision is effective from August 2, 2022.

The Czech Embassy in Hanoi said it is "ready to work closely with Vietnamese authorities in solving issues related to the new passport model."

Vietnam's new passport design. Photo: VNA

The other two European countries rejecting Vietnam’s new passports are Germany and Spain.

In separate announcements, both Embassies of Germany and Spain in Vietnam said the reason for the non-recognition of the new navy blue-colored passports because they do not have a place of birth (province/city) listed.

"This is important information for personal identification and is also required for processing visa applications to the Schengen countries," the Spanish Embassy in Vietnam announced Monday.

For German side, this can make it difficult for the German side to identify the specific locality where Vietnamese citizens were born, especially in the case of minors where ID number has not been granted, the Embassy of Germany said on July 27.

It noted the Vietnamese holders of the new passports who have already received visas to Germany should refrain from travelling since they would be denied entry at the border.

The Embassy of Vietnam in Germany has said it stands ready to provide written confirmation on the place of birth that can be tagged along with the new passports.

UK continues to recognize Vietnam’s new passports

The United Kingdom will continue to recognize all passports issued by Vietnam despite some countries in the European Union rejecting the latest version due to missing place-of-birth information.

“Visa applicants and travelers (including those in transit) should ensure they are fully aware of, and regularly checking, the situation on acceptance of these documents for all their destination(s),” the UK Embassy in Hanoi said in a notice posted on August 3.

The UK is the second country to have stated their recognition of the new Vietnamese passports with navy blue cover.

On July 28, 2022, the French embassy said, for the time being and until further notice, the French authorities will continue to recognize the new passports of Vietnam and issue visas as normal.

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