New regulation facilitates Vietnamese nationality registration

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has signed Decree No. 97/2014/NĐ-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles in the Government Decree No. 78/2009/NĐ-CP dated September 22, 2009 on detailing and guiding the implementation of the Law on Vietnamese Nationality.

The new decree is expected to facilitate Vietnamese nationality registration for Vietnamese residing abroad.

Vietnamese residing abroad −whose Vietnamese nationality is not lost according to Vietnam’s laws before July 1, 2009 − without a valid Vietnamese passport, must register with a Vietnam representative agency abroad to keep their Vietnamese nationality.

Vietnamese settling abroad − who have not lost Vietnamese nationality according to Vietnam’s regulations before July 1, 2009 − without any proofs of Vietnamese nationality, are required to register with an overseas Vietnam authorised mission to identify their Vietnamese nationality and register to be issued Vietnamese passports, following prescribed procedures, in order to keep their Vietnamese nationality.

Diplomatic missions, consular offices, or other agencies authorised to perform consular functions of Vietnam in foreign countries where requesters are living, are responsible for receiving and resolving Vietnamese nationality registration and passport requirements.

In cases of requestors living in countries or territories without Vietnam representative offices, requestors should handle their requirements with a Vietnam representative agency at their convenience.

The new decree takes effect from December 1, 2014.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)