Diving Into The Process Of Passport Renewal Application

Passports are more than simply travel documents for Vietnamese nationals. This material is also a means of accessing a world full of experiences, contacts, and opportunities. Losing a Vietnam passport is a common matter that citizens often encounter. Having a thorough understanding of the Vietnam passport renewal application process is crucial when the time comes to renew it.

WHEN DOES THE PASSPORT EXPIRE?

Before delving into each individual situation, let us first review the most recent regulations regarding passport validity so you can have a more comprehensive understanding.

Currently, Vietnamese passports come in three different types:

• The cover page of an ordinary passport is blue and purple (HCPT form).

• Diplomatic passport: cover page in red-brown (HCNG form).

• Dark green cover page of the official passport (HCCV sample).

Personal passports

The expiration date of each kind of passport will vary. More specifically, per the most recent regulations:

• Personal passports for individuals 14 years of age or older will expire after a maximum of 10 years.

• This passport is valid for five years for those under the age of fourteen.

• Popular passports obtained using streamlined processes have a maximum 12-month validity period.

• Passports granted jointly by parents to children under the age of nine are only good for five years.

One of the most crucial notices for citizens to be aware of is that it is not possible to renew a personal passport. Ordinary passports that have not expired will be reissued, and when they do, new processes will be implemented. To facilitate citizens' entry and exit, each passport will be issued individually to each individual.

Official and diplomatic passports

Official and diplomatic passports have a one-to-five-year validity period, with one extension possible for a maximum of three years. The passport needs to be renewed at least thirty days before it expires.

Vietnamese authorities stipulated about applicable objects who can renew your diplomatic passports. As a result, only official and diplomatic passports are renewed (although sometimes they aren't), whereas regular passports are only issued altogether.

WHEN IS THE PASSPORT RENEWAL PERIOD?

You are unable to renew a passport if you hold a personal passport. You will receive a new passport if your old one expires, gets lost, gets damaged, or is still valid but has no pages.

Diplomatic and official passports are granted and renewed in the following situations:

• Individuals who work overseas and lose, damage, run out of pages, or expire their passports.

• Individuals who have changed positions and are affiliated with Vietnamese state-owned news and press organizations or representative agencies in other countries.

• Individuals who are appointed as members of Vietnamese state news and press agencies or Vietnamese representative agencies overseas and who are permanently residing abroad.

• Spouses, minors under the age of eighteen who are traveling, going with, or recently born children overseas of representatives of official news agencies or representative agencies of Vietnam who are permanently residing abroad.

PROCEDURES FOR RENEWING THE VIETNAM PASSPORT LOSING OR DAMAGED 

Follow the easy-to-obtain procedure to complete the passport renewal application successfully:

A passport renewal application needs to be prepared in the event that your passport is lost or damaged

Step 1: Gather the necessary paperwork for the passport renewal application process

There are two situations citizens need to care about when submitting their passport renewal application, specifically:

Case 1

The following document must be ready for anyone above 14 with typical civil behavior and cognitive ability:

• Declaration Form No. 1

If you are sending this declaration by mail, the Chief of Police of the ward, commune, or town where you constantly reside must verify it and provide a photo stamp.

The head of the agency, organization, or company to which the application has been entrusted must verify the declaration and attach a photo when the application is submitted through entrustment. This is accompanied by a document that the business, organization, or agency has sent.

• Two current images, measuring 4 cm by 6 cm, have a naked head, a straight face, no colorful spectacles, and a white background.

• Most recently issued regular passports are for the individual who has been granted one. Should the passport get misplaced, it must be accompanied by a lost notice form TK05 or a notification from the relevant government acknowledging receipt of the application.

• A copy of your ID card or citizen ID card is required in the event that your personal information changes from that on your most recent passport.

Case 2

According to the rules of the Civil Code, those under the age of 14 are considered to have insufficient awareness and capacity to act, as are those who have lost their capability to act civilly. They will need someone else to fulfill their civil rights and obligations on their behalf. The following documents must be ready to submit their passport renewal application in this situation:

• The passport application form needs to be completed, signed by the applicant's parents, guardians, or legal representative, and certified. This document must also be stamped by the commune, ward, or town police where the applicant resides, whether temporarily or permanently.

• For those under the age of 14, one copy of their birth certificate is required.

• Certified copy of records from an authorized Vietnamese agency attesting to the legal representation of an individual who is under 14 years old. Or they have lost the capacity to participate in civil society or struggle with cognition and behavior control. Present the original to be checked and compared if the photocopy isn't authenticated.

Step 2: Submit the passport renewal application

The produced documentation is then submitted to the appropriate authorities for a renewal or change of passport. Individuals can send all required documents to the Immigration Department in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City or the Immigration Management Department of the Provincial and Central City Police.

Renewable applicants may choose to have their passports sent to them by courier or postal service. However, they will need to cover the cost of the required formalities.

In the event that the application is sent directly, the following is the estimated time of receipt: Monday through Friday, with Saturday mornings (excluding holidays and Tet).

Step 3: Acquire outcomes

If you get the results straight, you'll visit the office where the passport renewal application was filed on the scheduled date to pick them up.

Note: Results for passports are returned Monday through Friday of each week, excluding holidays and Tet.

RENEWAL OF OFFICIAL AND DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS

This guide will guide citizens through the process of finalizing the passport renewal application. 

How to renew the Vietnam official and diplomatic passport

Step 1: Get your paperwork ready

A passport renewal application form, according to the regulations of the Vietnamese government.

A competent agency or individual's appointment decision or original document allowing travel overseas that expressly states the subject matter of the request, such as:

Indicate in detail the recipient's full name, position, type, country of travel, length of stay, reason for the trip, and source of funding (if any).

The number and stamp between pages of documents that are transmitted overseas must be included in the document.

Step 2: Send in your application

To submit your application, bring it to one of the following addresses:

The following addresses are for the consular departments in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City: 

• 40 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, or 184 Bis Pasteur Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. 

• You also submit your form to the department responsible for receiving and returning results from the Public Administration Service Center in the provinces.

Step 3: Acquire outcomes 

According to the receipt, pick up the results right at the application location.

FEES ASSOCIATED WITH RENEWING A PASSPORT

If you're unsure whether the cost of renewing your passport is pricey or not, the following table provides specific costs for your reference:

Note: This figure is not a fixed price, and it can be changed for different periods of time.

PROCESSING TIME FOR PASSPORT RENEWAL APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Applications for passport renewals have a well-defined processing time of:

Reissuing a passport that is lost or damaged

If submitting the application directly to the Immigration Management Department, citizens will receive the result within eight working days of the Provincial Police or Centrally Managed City's receipt of the legitimate application.

If you are applying to the Immigration Department, you have up to five working days to get your passport from the date that the Ministry of Public Security and the Immigration Department receive a legitimate application.

Official and diplomatic passport renewal

The processing period for renewing a passport is limited to two working days from the date of receipt of all properly completed and valid documentation. This time for processing applies if you submitted directly to the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Consular Department.

The application will be forwarded to the Consular Department/Department of Foreign Affairs by the local Foreign Affairs Agency if it is submitted there. This form will be processed within two working days of receiving complete legal documentation. Following that, the passport must be renewed by the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Consular Department within two working days of receiving all the required paperwork.

Vietnamese representative offices overseas will return the results within five business days of receiving them (in the case of renewing diplomatic or official passports abroad).

FAQS ABOUT THE PASSPORT RENEWAL APPLICATION PROCEDURE

These common questions can help you get deeper insight into the passport renewal application:

Frequently asked questions about the passport renewal process

Can minors under the age of eighteen renew their official and diplomatic passports?

Decree 94/2015/ND-CP states that minors who, based on their parents' accounts, possess diplomatic or official passports are not qualified for renewal.

Can individuals get a longer travel document?

The validity of the travel document is limited to a year and cannot be extended.

How long do citizens have to change their passports before they expire?

Official and diplomatic passports that are still valid after a year may be renewed once, up to a maximum of three years. Then, citizens need to submit a new passport renewal application. If an ordinary passport is still valid, it will be re-issued. When it expires, a new one will be issued.

All of the information regarding the passport renewal application in the event that it expires, gets misplaced, becomes damaged, or runs out of blank pages is provided above. Hopefully, this article will make renewing your passport easier than ever.

Do you intend to conduct a passport renewal but lack the time to learn about it and apply? For a legitimate passport without having to travel far or go through difficult processes, please contact us at [email protected] for more advice on the passport renewal procedure.