Joint Circular No. 1801/TT-LB on issuing identification cards

CIRCULAR

JOINT MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AND PUBLIC SECURITY CIRCULAR NO. 1801/TT-LB
DATE DECEMBER 24, 1957 ON THE ISSUE OF ISSUING IDENTITY CARDS

THE MINISTER OF THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY

Dear: All Inter-District, District, City, and Provincial People's Administrative Committees;

Directors of Public Security Departments;

Chiefs of Public Security Offices

The Prime Minister has issued Decree No. 577/TTg on November 27, 1957 regarding the issuance of identity cards to the people. This circular further clarifies some necessary points and specifies certain concrete issues related to the issuance of identity cards in cities, towns, and townships.

I - OBJECTIVES OF ISSUING IDENTITY CARDS

Currently, the people do not have any officially recognized and unified document to verify their personal identification when needed, so during daily transactions, many individuals still temporarily use travel permits, household registration books, or old local documents such as identity cards, inspection cards, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to issue a unified and reliable identity card to ensure accurate personal identification for various essential daily situations such as buying and selling, seeking employment, purchasing goods from trading companies, receiving money from banks, collecting mail and guaranteed letters from post offices, etc.

II - PRINCIPLES FOR ISSUING IDENTITY CARDS

Given the aforementioned objectives, primarily due to the necessity of the people in daily business transactions, Article 2 of the decree stipulates that identity cards will be issued to all Vietnamese citizens aged 18 and above, except those suffering from mental illness who will not be issued such cards.

Government officials, workers, and employees will also receive identity cards like ordinary citizens, although they already possess identification cards from their agencies. Gradually, government officials and the general public will unify to use only this type of identity card.

Military personnel on active duty have separate identity cards issued by the military. Upon discharge and returning to civilian life, they will be issued these identity cards.

Due to current conditions where it is not feasible to issue identity cards to the entire population nationwide at once, initially, the issuance will be organized in cities, towns, and townships first; once sufficient conditions are met, the issuance will be extended to rural areas later.

III - ORGANIZATION OF ISSUANCE

The issuance of identity cards is a very important and new task, which must be completed within a specified time frame, thus likely encountering numerous difficulties and complexities. Therefore, thorough preparation is required.

To ensure the smooth progress of this task, each city, town, and township should establish a leadership board comprising representatives from the People's Administrative Committee, Culture, and Public Security Departments; the representative from the People's Administrative Committee serves as the head of the board. It may be appropriate to invite representatives from the Front to participate in the leadership board or provide feedback on the implementation of issuing identity cards.

The leadership board is responsible for organizing and leading the entire issuance process, including planning the issuance, organizing the implementation machinery, training staff, conducting extensive publicity and dissemination among the people, supervising and urging compliance, and summarizing the entire issuance work after completion.

For convenience in issuing identity cards to the people, multiple issuance units should be established (in large cities and towns, police stations serve as issuance units, while in towns and townships, units responsible for two or three household registration officers can be utilized). AT Each unit should arrange and allocate staff according to the number of residents to ensure adequate service within the prescribed timeframe. For government officials, workers, and employees, separate issuance arrangements should be made. After completing the issuance to the majority of the population within the specified period, police stations need to develop plans to continue regular issuance for remaining individuals and those reaching the age for identity card issuance.

IV - MATTERS TO BE DISSEMINATED TO THOSE
WHO RECEIVE IDENTITY CARDS

Article 6 of the Decree has specified certain specific cases to ensure the value of identification cards, but it is also necessary to inform those who are issued identification cards about the following points:

Must always carry the identification card on one's person for use in necessary situations.

Must carefully keep the identification card, not allowing it to be damaged or lost.

signing and implementing AgreementsWhen changing residence, it is necessary to present the identification card to the police at both the place of departure and arrival for certification;

In case of losing the identification card, a report must be made to the Administrative Committee or local police within 24 hours.

When the identification card expires or becomes damaged and cannot be used anymore, a new card must be requested.

The issuance of identification cards is a very important matter, directly serving the vital interests of the people and contributing positively to maintaining public order and security. Therefore, it is hoped that the Administrative Committees and Police at all levels in districts, cities, provinces, towns, and wards will thoroughly study the specific implementation plan of this Circular to achieve good results.

The implementation time at each locality will be stipulated later.