Vietnamese passport applications can now be done anywhere in Vietnam

Getting your passport for the first time is exciting – after all, it means that you get to travel overseas and see the world.

However, for decades, Vietnamese citizens who wanted to obtain a first-time passport have had to apply at the immigration office in the area where they were born or have registered their permanent residence. If not, they would need to bring along their KT3, a long-term resident book issued by local authorities, to the application interview if they were applying for a passport elsewhere. This regulation has caused a lot of inconveniences for those who live and work away from their hometowns.

However, starting from 1st July, Vietnamese citizens can apply for a first-time passport at any immigration office in Vietnam without having to go back to their hometowns to perform the application process, according to Thư Viện Pháp Luật.

Vietnamese can apply for first-time Vietnamese passports anywhere in Vietnam

From 1st July onwards, Vietnamese citizens don’t have to go back to their hometowns, or to the place where they have registered their permanent residence, to apply for first-time passports.

Vietnam immigration office
Image credit: Gia Hợp

It means that those whose hometowns are in Da Nang or Hanoi but currently living in Saigon can go to any immigration office in Saigon to apply for passports. They will not have to fly all the way to their hometowns for the process as before.

The only document you’ll need to bring along for the application process is your ID card.

Vietnam ID Card
A Vietnamese ID card
Image adapted from: Luật Việt Nam

This change in passport application rules comes as a great relief for many residents living in big cities such as Saigon and Hanoi, home to millions of people coming from other provinces. It helps people save time, energy, and money.

Visa requirements for Vietnamese citizens

When we’re able to travel abroad easily again, there are plenty of countries near and far to explore.

According to the Vietnam Embassy in England, the 90 million people eligible to hold Vietnamese passports can travel to the following countries without a visa on their passports, or by obtaining a visa on arrival.

Vietnam passport
Image adapted from: @huongf_ne.201 

Asia

  1. Singapore (30 days)
  2. Malaysia (30 days)
  3. Thailand (30 days)
  4. Cambodia (30 days)
  5. India (30 days)
  6. Laos (30 days, renewable every 30 days)
  7. The Philippines (21 days)
  8. Myanmar (14 days)
  9. Indonesia (30 days)
  10. Brunei (14 days)
  11. East Timor (30 days)
  12. Nepal (90 days)
  13. Iran (17 days)
  14. Tajikistan (45 days)
  15. Papua New Guinea (60 days)
  16. Kyrgyzstan (unlimited)
  17. Maldives (30 days)
  18. South Korea – Jeju island (5 days)
  19. Taiwan (30 days)

* Visa–free entry applies to Vietnamese citizens whose passports contain visas of the US, Canada, England, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Schengen)

Oceania

  1. Marshall Archipelago (90 days)
  2. Palau (30 days)
  3. Tuvalu (30 days)
  4. Micronesia (30 days)
  5. Samoa (30 days)

Indian Ocean nations

  1. Seychelles (60 days)
  2. Madagascar (visa on arrival, 90 days)

Africa

  1. São Tomé and Príncipe (visa on arrival, 90 days)
  2. Kenya (90 days)
  3. Zambia (90 days)
  4. Togo (7 days)
  5. Burundi (visa on arrival, 30 days)
  6. Somalia (30 days)

Europe

  1. Romania (90 days) * Visa–free entry applies to Vietnamese citizens whose passports contain visas to Cyprus, Croatia, Bulgaria, and the Schengen Area.
  2. Cyprus (90 days) * Visa–free regime applies to holders of passports containing Schengen visas
  3. Serbia (90 days) * Visa–free entry applies to Vietnamese citizens whose passports contain visas to the US and Europe.

The Americas/Caribbean countries

  1. Dominican Republic (21 days)
  2. Saint Lucia (42 days)
  3. Panama (90 days)
  4. Dominica (30 days)
  5. Haiti (90 days)
  6. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (30 days)
  7. Turks and Caicos (30 days)
  8. Panama (90 days)
  9. Ecuador (90 days)
  10. Chile (90 days)
  11. Guinea-Bissau (90 days)
  12. Croatia (90 days)

* Visa–free regime applies to holders of passports containing Schengen visas

This list applies to regular Vietnamese passport holders. Diplomatic and official passport holders will enjoy different privileges when it comes to  visa-free travel, so they should check in with their sponsor company or business partners.

Citizens can apply for a Vietnamese passport anywhere in Vietnam

From now on, Vietnamese nationals living and working away from home don’t have to travel all the way to their hometowns to apply for first-time passports. They can go through the process at their nearest immigration offices, which spares them a lot of time, energy, and money.

We’re glad to see how the Vietnamese government is making headways with new changes in governmental services, which streamlines the procedures and makes things easier for Vietnamese civilians.

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Cover image adapted from: visa24h.info

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