Germany officially recognises Việt Nam’s new passports and resumes Schengen visa issuance

Việt Nam’s new passport with a navy-blue cover. — Photo tuoitre.vn

HÀ NỘI — Germany has officially recognised Vietnamese passports issued from January 1, 2023 and containing information on the holders’ birthplace, the Germany Embassy in Việt Nam has announced.

The embassy noted that Vietnamese passports issued between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 without stating the place of birth on the identity page will be recognised, provided the birthplace has been added to the appendix.

Germany will receive Schengen visa applications for those with valid old-style passports with a green cover.

The German Embassy in Việt Nam noted that it is again possible to issue multi-year visas (known as Schengen visas), which were temporarily suspended until the passports were recognised.

On July 27, 2022, the German Embassy in Việt Nam informed that Việt Nam’s new passports with a navy-blue cover, of which issuance began on July 1, 2022, were temporarily not recognised in Germany due to the omission of the place of birth, making it harder for immigration authorities to identify the passport holder.

Therefore, their holders will not be issued visas to enter Germany.

Germany was the first country in Schengen to announce the suspension of visas on Vietnamese new-style passports.

Some other Schengen countries then followed the move.

Schengen visa allows its holder to stay up to 90 days within 180 days of entry. Depending on the schedule, the applicant can apply for a single, double or multiple entry and exit visa, but the stay should not exceed 90 days.

In mid-August 2022, the embassy announced that new passports can now be accepted again for the purpose of applying for a visa. 

In response to several countries on issues related to birthplace information on new Vietnamese passports, in November 2022, the National Assembly agreed to add the information.

The 'surname', 'middle name' and 'first name' will be printed on two separate lines, making it easier for Vietnamese citizens to handle immigration and residence procedures abroad and avoid mistakes in transactions and document issuance. — VNS