Eligibility quiz
Were both your mother's parents or both your father's parents citizens of Vietnam?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Vietnamese passport
Vietnamese citizens can get a Vietnamese passport for travel.
Live in Vietnam for life
Vietnamese citizenship gives a lasting right to live in Vietnam without a residence permit.
Citizens can enter and leave Vietnam, and Vietnam cannot send them to another country for trial or punishment.
Study in Vietnam
Vietnamese citizens have the right to study.
Admission, fees and financial help depend on education rules and individual circumstances.
Work in Vietnam
Vietnamese citizens can choose their occupation, job and workplace.
Paid workers have rights to fair and safe conditions, pay and rest.
Get help abroad
Vietnam protects the rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens abroad through its representatives.
Own property
Vietnamese citizens have the right to own property lawfully, with restrictions set by law.
Vote and run for office
Vietnamese citizens can vote from 18 and stand for the National Assembly or People's Councils from 21.
Some court decisions, imprisonment or loss of legal capacity can affect election rights.
Citizens also have freedoms of expression, belief and association, with limits set by law.
Access social support
Vietnamese citizens have a right to social security.
Social insurance benefits and an insurance book depend on participation and other conditions; some beneficiaries also receive health insurance.
How to apply
Applying from inside VietnamApplying from inside Vietnam
Find your local office
Find the provincial Justice Department for the place where you live in Vietnam.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which provincial Justice Department handles applications for Vietnamese nationality in your city Vietnam?”
Get the application forms
Get the application for Vietnamese nationality and the personal history form. For a child applying with a parent, get the under-18 application and parents’ agreement form; ask the office which forms to use for a child applying separately.
Find the application formsSearches DuckDuckGo for “Where can I get the Vietnam application for Vietnamese nationality and personal history forms for an adult or child?”
Fill in the forms
If you are applying as an adult, complete and sign your forms yourself. For a child, follow the office’s instructions on completing and signing the forms; a child aged 15 to 17 applying with a parent also signs.
Get help with formsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I complete and sign the Vietnam application for Vietnamese nationality forms for myself or my child?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the provincial Justice Department.
See required documentsHand in your application
Take your completed forms and documents to the provincial Justice Department where you live, and submit your application yourself. For a child’s application, ask the office how to submit it; postal submission may be available if the office accepts it.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit an application for Vietnamese nationality at the provincial Justice Department in your city Vietnam?”
Wait for the decision
Wait while the authorities review the application and the President makes a decision. Answer the office’s questions and provide any further records it asks for.
See what happens nextSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens after I submit an application for Vietnamese nationality at a provincial Justice Department in Vietnam?”
Collect your decision
Follow the office’s notice to collect the result and complete any further nationality formalities it gives you. Once approved, you can apply for a Vietnamese passport.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I collect the decision on my application for Vietnamese nationality from a provincial Justice Department in your city Vietnam?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Grandparents’ citizenship records
Provide valid copies of Vietnamese citizenship or civil-status records showing that both your father’s parents or both your mother’s parents were Vietnamese citizens. Having just one grandparent from Vietnam is not enough for this route.
Birth certificates *
Get copies of your birth certificate and your parent’s birth certificate if they are needed to link you to your Vietnamese grandparents. If a minor child applies with you, include a copy of the child’s birth certificate or another valid record showing you are their parent; if you were adopted, include the adoption decision where needed to show the link.
* Only if you need them to show your family ties or a child applies with you.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationMarriage certificates *
Get copies of the marriage certificates needed to show how you, your parent and your Vietnamese grandparents are related. Include divorce or name change records if they are needed to explain differences in the family records.
* Only if you need them to explain family ties or changes in family names.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationDeath certificates *
Get evidence of the parent’s death, such as a copy of the death certificate. If a parent’s civil-capacity status affects the agreement instead, provide evidence of that status.
* Only if a parent of a child applying has died and their death record replaces the parents’ agreement.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Military service for men
Vietnamese men may be called up for service in peacetime from ages 18 to 25, depending on health and other conditions.
The age extends to 27 after a college or higher education postponement.
Some people qualify for an exemption or postponement.
Citizenship can be lost
Citizenship can end through approved renunciation, a treaty or another legal case.
Vietnam can take it away for seriously harming its independence, development, defence or reputation if you live abroad or became a citizen through naturalisation.
A naturalisation decision can also be cancelled within five years for deliberate false statements or forged documents.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Vietnam Is Awesome
English Facebook group for people living in Vietnam interested in Vietnamese local life
Join on FacebookExpats In Vietnam
English Facebook group for people living in Vietnam interested in Vietnamese local life
Join on FacebookExpats in Da Nang City
English Facebook group for people living in Vietnam interested in Vietnamese local life
Join on FacebookConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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