Schengen Area/Vietnam: Visa Suspensions to New Vietnamese Passport Holders
August 18, 2022
Countries / Territories
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At a Glance
- Some Schengen Area countries announced visa suspensions for individuals holding new-format Vietnamese passports, issued after July 1, 2022, which do not include the passport holder’s place of birth.
- UPDATE AUGUST 17, 2022: The Ministry of Public Security has stated that it will consider regulations to incorporate the place of birth in the new passport automatically going forward. The Ministry has stated that in the meantime, applicants can go to a local immigration office or Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to request that their place of birth be added to their passport manually.
- We will consolidate further updates on this alert page.
The situation
Several Schengen Area countries currently suspend visa issuance to individuals holding a Vietnamese passport issued on or after July 1, 2022 (blue-cover passports).
UPDATE AUGUST 17, 2022: The Ministry of Public Security has stated that it will consider regulations to incorporate the place of birth in the new passport automatically going forward. The Ministry has stated that in the meantime, applicants can go to a local immigration office or Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to request that their place of birth be added to their passport manually.
When and if the Ministry starts issuing passports with the place of birth, European countries that have issued related restrictions thus far may roll the restrictions back, though this is yet to be confirmed country-by-country. At this time, the affected European countries' restrictions are still in place.
Czech Republic
The Czech Embassy in Vietnam has suspended visa and permit of stay applications for individuals holding blue-cover passports. Visa issuance to blue-cover passport holders is similarly suspended.
Finland
The Finnish Embassy in Vietnam has temporarily suspended visa and permit of stay applications for individuals holding blue-cover passports. Visa issuance to blue-cover passport holders is similarly temporarily suspended.
Germany
The German Embassy in Vietnam has suspended the issuance of C visas (short-term Schengen visas) and D visas (long-term visas for stay over 90 days) for Vietnamese citizens with blue-cover passports instead of the traditional green cover. Those who have a German visa stamp in their blue-cover passport may be denied entry at the German border. It is not clear if this suspension is temporary.
Exceptions
Certain Schengen Area countries have confirmed continued visa issuance to individuals holding newly-issued Vietnamese passports. As of August 4, 2022, this policy is confirmed only for France.
Impact
There are no current confirmed workarounds for the visa suspensions.
Background
The new passports currently contain a 12-digit number which corresponds to a place of birth in Vietnam, but which can only be verified by manually checking a seven-page list.
Looking ahead
There have been reports that later this year, the Vietnamese government may begin embedding chips with information on the individual’s place of birth in the passports; however, these reports have not been officially confirmed.
Since the situation is fluid, we will consolidate further updates on restrictions for Vietnamese passport holders on this alert page. Further visa suspensions are expected.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
