Vietnamese using new passport form can travel to Germany

In a notice dated August 19, the German Embassy in Vietnam said that it will temporarily recognise the new Vietnamese passport on the condition that the place of birth is added.

This decision was made to facilitate easy and safe travel between Vietnam and Germany. However, the issuance of multi-year visa type C (long-term immigrant visa) remains suspended until further notice.

Citizens using old passports (green) will continue to be granted visas of all types as before, including long-term C visas.

During the temporary recognition of the new passport with the addition of the place of birth, Germany wants Vietnam to include the place of birth on the information page of all passports currently being issued.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security previously stated that information will be added to the note page of the new passport when required by citizens. In the long term, Vietnamese authorities will add the place of birth to the new passport form.

On July 27, Germany became the first country in the Schengen area to stop issuing visas on Vietnam's new model passports, citing the lack of a place of birth.

After Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Finland all made similar moves. Currently, only Finland and the Czech Republic have not resumed issuing visas to Vietnamese citizens holding new passports.

The Ministry of Public Security started issuing new ordinary passports with a blue-violet colour from July 1, saying that the new model includes many improvements that ensure security and make them difficult to fake.

The passport remains the same size, 88mm wide, 125mm long, and about 0.75mm thick.

On each page are typical images of landscapes, national sovereignty, and famous cultural heritage sites from around the country that promote Vietnam's image to the world.

People who have been issued with old model passports before July 1 will continue to use them until the expiry date stated in their passports.

Germany stops issuing visas for Vietnam’s new passport The status of the new Vietnamese passport has been thrown up in the air after Germany declared that it would not issue visas, citing insufficient details regarding the holder’s place of birth.

Ministry plans to add “place of birth” to new passport version The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) is planning to add the “place of birth” to the new passport version to facilitate citizens’ seeking of visas to the Schengen countries.

Refusal to issue visas to new VN passport causes problems for travel firms The rejection of Vietnam’s new passport by some EU member countries is affecting HCM City tourism companies since their customers are unable to travel to those countries.

Outbound tours to Europe rocked by passport tangle A number of Vietnamese outbound travel companies have already been affected by the decision of some European nations to not recognise Vietnam’s new passports.