The German Embassy in Vietnam has posted a notice: "Vietnamese passports issued from January 1, 2023 and showing the place of birth on the identity page are now recognized. Thus, it is possible to re-issue multi-year visas of type C (which were suspended while waiting for the new passport to be recognized)".

The German Embassy stated that passports issued between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 without the place of birth on the identity page will be recognized if they are still valid and the birthplace information is added in the note section.

In July 2022, Germany was one of the first countries to temporarily suspend issuance of visas to Vietnamese citizens holding new ordinary passports due to technical reasons.

The German authorities explained that passports without the place of birth cannot clearly identify the passport holder, especially as many people have the same surname in Vietnam. For German authorities, finding the place of birth through the passport number was impossible.Therefore, Germany could not issue a C or D visa.

In August 2022, Germany temporarily recognized the new passport, provided that information about the place of birth was added. Visa issuance resumed, except for the multi-year visa category C.

Type C visa (also known as a Schengen visa) allows entry to one of the 26 Schengen countries without any additional entry procedures.

Type D visa (or national visa) is issued by the German Embassy or Consulate in Vietnam, allowing free travel in 25 other countries within the Schengen area with a maximum stay of 90 days.

The new passport was issued by the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam on July 1, 2022.

From March 1, 2023, the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security began issuing passports with electronic chips. An electronic chip is placed on the back cover, storing personal information and biometric information of the passport holder such as face photo, fingerprint and digital signature of the passport issuing authority.

Tran Thuong