Circular No. 1584/NG-TT guiding the implementation of Government Decree No. 48/CP dated July 8, 1993 on passports and visas.

CIRCULAR

OF THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Implementation Guidance for the Decree
Government Decision No. 48/CP dated July 8, 1993 on passports and visas

THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Pursuant to Decision No. 157/CP dated October 9, 1961 of the Council of Ministers stipulating the tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

Pursuant to Decision No. 48/CP dated July 8, 1993 of the Government on passports and visas;

Issuing Circulars to guide certain issues within the tasks and powers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as follows:

2. Individuals who have registered as the principal investigator of a Research Project or Pilot Production Project and those participating in its implementation shall not participate in the Evaluation and Selection Council for that Research Project or Pilot Production Project (hereinafter referred to as the Council). In necessary cases, members of the Council may be staff members of the organization registering as the principal investigator of the Research Project or Pilot Production Project, but not more than one person and they cannot serve as Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, or reviewing member.

1. In accordance with Decision No. 48/CP of the Government, Vietnamese passports shall only be issued to Vietnamese citizens, including Vietnamese citizens permitted to travel abroad and Vietnamese citizens residing abroad.

When abroad, the holder of a Vietnamese passport may use it to prove Vietnamese nationality and request the Vietnamese State, through diplomatic missions and consular offices in the host country, to protect their legitimate rights and interests.

2. In principle, each person may only use one passport. In exceptional cases due to work requirements, if a ministry-level agency, an agency equivalent to a ministry, a government agency, a provincial People's Committee, or a centrally governed city People's Committee requests, a new passport of the same type or a different type may be considered for issuance before the current passport expires. A new passport will only be issued after the old passport has been returned.

3. The following agencies are authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue passports and visas:

a. The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Affairs Office of Ho Chi Minh City issue diplomatic and official passports.

The Director and Deputy Director of the Consular Department sign to issue all types of passports and visas under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and may delegate authority to the Heads of Exit-Entry Departments, Consular Departments, and Consular Departments in Da Nang to sign to issue official passports and various types of visas, except for visas in diplomatic passports.

The Director and Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Ho Chi Minh City sign to issue all types of passports and visas under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and may delegate authority to the Heads of Consular Departments of the Foreign Affairs Office to sign to issue official passports and various types of visas, except for visas in diplomatic passports.

b. Vietnamese embassies, general consulates, and consulates abroad (hereinafter referred to collectively as Vietnamese representative offices abroad) issue diplomatic and official passports in accordance with regulations on issuing passports in the following circumstances:

When the passport is lost, damaged, out of pages, or expired.

When there is a change in the work assignment of the passport holder or the nature of going abroad for work. In this case, the representative office must base its decision on the opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vietnamese representative offices abroad also have the function of issuing ordinary passports to Vietnamese citizens residing abroad and other cases upon authorization from the Ministry of Interior.

The head of the Vietnamese representative office abroad signs to issue all types of passports and visas and may delegate authority to diplomatic officials responsible for consular affairs or consular officials to sign to issue official passports, ordinary passports, and visas attached to those passports. If the representative office has a consular department, the head of the representative office may delegate authority to the Head of the Consular Department to sign to issue all types of passports and visas.

4. Vietnamese citizens residing abroad entering, exiting, or transiting Vietnam must present a valid passport, visa, or travel document replacing the passport. Vietnamese representative offices abroad do not issue Vietnamese visas in foreign passports but issue Vietnamese passports if requested, or issue visas attached to foreign passports or travel documents replacing passports, if at the time of applying for a visa they do not have a Vietnamese passport.

II. PROCEDURES FOR ISSUING, EXTENDING, AMENDING, SUPPLEMENTING, AND REVOKING
PASSPORTS AND VISAS

1. Application documents for passports and visas include:

a. An application form for a passport or visa according to the model prescribed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the form must bear a photograph of the applicant stamped and confirmed by the directly managing agency; three photographs (black and white or color) measuring 4x6 cm, looking straight ahead, bareheaded, taken no more than one year ago, must be submitted with the form.

If there are children under 16 years old accompanying them, the father (mother) or guardian's application form must clearly state the child's full name and date of birth, affix a photograph stamped by the father (mother)'s or guardian's agency, and submit two additional photographs.

b. A decision of the competent authority allowing exit, entry, or transit through Vietnam.

2. Passports are initially issued with a validity period of five years (for passports issued to persons aged 16 and over) and three years (for passports issued to persons under 16).

Thirty days before the passport expires, Vietnamese citizens residing abroad must extend their passport at the Vietnamese representative office in the host country or the neighboring country.

The representative office decides on the extension period of the passport, but it cannot exceed three years from the expiration date of the passport and can only be extended once.

AT Within the country, a person who has already been issued a passport only needs to extend it when applying for a new exit procedure. Based on the decisions of the competent authorities, the authorized agency will extend the passport for a maximum of three years and simultaneously issue a visa in that passport.

3. AT Abroad, the reissuance of diplomatic and official passports is regulated as follows:

a. The applicant must submit an application form, which includes confirmation from the local agency where they work, study, or live, or from the specialized department of the Vietnamese representative office directly managing them.

b. In the case of losing a passport, the applicant must submit an application form and a certificate from the local police authority in accordance with Clause 1, Article 13 of Decision No. 48/CP.

c. The representative office is responsible for:

Checking the documents;

Notifying in writing the diplomatic missions, consular offices of other countries, and relevant authorities of the host country about the revocation of the reported lost passport;

Issuing a new passport and notifying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the name, number, and type of the reported lost passport and the newly issued passport. In the case where the lost passport holder only needs documents to return home, a travel document replacing the passport may be issued.

d. In case the passport runs out of pages or its validity period expires (the passport has been extended once), the issuing authority shall issue a new passport and simultaneously notify relevant domestic agencies.

e. In case a civil servant or staff member of a Vietnamese representative office is newly appointed to a diplomatic rank, the representative office shall issue a new diplomatic passport.

4. The issuance of diplomatic passports and official passports within the country shall be regulated as follows:

a. A person who returns from abroad and loses their diplomatic or official passport during that time shall have it replaced according to point 3 above. The application must include a letter from the managing agency requesting the issuance of a different passport for the applicant.

b. If the passport is lost domestically but there is no immediate need to travel abroad, the individual must still report it as prescribed in Article 13 (Clause 1) of Decree No. 48/CP.

When there is a need to travel abroad, the person who has lost their passport must apply for a new passport and visa.

5. In cases where a damaged passport needs to be exchanged, the agencies authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue passports shall inspect the damaged passport before issuing a new one. If any actions mentioned in Article 14 of Decree No. 48-CP are discovered, these agencies may decide to revoke, recover, retain, or transfer the passport to the competent authority for examination and handling. In cases where the passport is transferred to the competent authority, the issuance of a new passport will be decided after receiving the conclusion of that authority.

6. The issuance of visas shall be regulated as follows:

a. When issuing a passport, the competent authority shall also issue an appropriate visa:

People traveling abroad for a limited period shall be issued an exit visa;

People currently abroad who are permitted by the competent authority to return to Vietnam temporarily (such as on leave, to handle urgent matters, etc.) shall be issued a single-entry entry-exit visa. If returning without an entry-exit visa, they must submit an application with confirmation from the provincial-level managing agency, ministry-level agency, or government agency. The agency authorized to issue passports and visas will consider issuing an exit visa for the applicant;

Vietnamese citizens residing abroad who are allowed to return temporarily shall be issued an entry-exit visa, and if they are permitted to return permanently, they shall be issued an entry visa;

People traveling abroad for a limited period but requiring multiple entries and exits, if the managing agency provides a written request, shall be issued a multiple-entry exit-entry visa or entry-exit visa valid for the duration of their work.

b. If a passport already exists, it must be submitted along with the decision of the managing agency, and a suitable visa will be issued according to point 6 (1) above. If the passport has expired, it will be extended according to the provisions of Section II (2) above, before a new visa is issued.

7. The extension of visas shall be regulated as follows:

a. Exit visas and entry visas can be extended one or more times, but the total extension period shall not exceed three months.

b. Single-entry entry-exit visas and single-entry exit-entry visas can be extended one or more times, but the total extension period shall not exceed six months.

c. If a visa has exceeded the six-month period (for entry or exit visas) or the twelve-month period (for multiple-entry entry-exit or exit-entry visas) since issuance, it cannot be extended and a new visa must be issued.

If a multiple-entry entry-exit visa or entry-exit visa valid for the duration of work, study, labor, etc., expires, it cannot be extended and a new visa must be issued.

d. When applying for visa extension, the passport and a written request from the managing agency must be submitted.

8. The supplementation and amendment of visas shall be regulated as follows:

a. The supplementation and amendment of visas shall be carried out upon written request from the managing agency.

The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City are authorized to supplement and amend various types of visas issued in diplomatic and official passports. Overseas Vietnamese representative offices are authorized to supplement and amend visas issued by them and other visas, except for changing the number of permitted entries and exits recorded in visas issued by domestic competent authorities.

9. In the following cases, the agency authorized to issue passports and visas may revoke the issued visa:

a. When there is no longer a reason for departure, entry, or transit.

b. When there are actions mentioned in Article 14 of Decree No. 48/CP, but not to the extent of administrative violation penalties or criminal prosecution;

c. When there are technical errors that may affect the value of the visa, and a new visa is issued.

III. IMPLEMENTATION

1. The fee for issuing and distributing passports and visas shall be applied according to the price list stipulated by the Joint Circular of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Home Affairs.

2. The Director of the Consular Department, the Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, the heads of overseas Vietnamese representative offices, and all officials and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas representative offices shall respect and strictly implement regulations on outbound and inbound delegations, Decree No. 48/CP, and this Circular.

3. This Circular takes effect from the date of issuance and replaces previous regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the issuance and distribution of passports and visas./.