HCMC – The Spanish Embassy in Vietnam announced yesterday (August 8) that newly designed passports of Vietnam will be recognized in Spain as they contain essential information in accordance with international regulations.
The embassy was reported as saying that the prior non-recognition decision had been reversed following technical consultations. The Spanish authorities agreed that the new passports has all information required by international regulations.
As place of birth (POB) information is mandatory for issuing Schengen visas, Vietnamese holding new passports with a blue-violet cover must submit a valid ID or citizen identification card to verify their birthplace information, the Spanish Embassy noted.
From August 8, the embassy will therefore receive visa applications from holders of passports that have been issued since early July provided that they show a valid ID or citizen identification.
The embassy noted Schengen visas issued by Spain might not be accepted for entry into other Schengen countries that have yet to recognize Vietnam’s new passports due to the absence of the POB field on the personal identification page.
Hence, the Embassy of Spain recommended visa applicants, if traveling on to other countries, contact the relevant embassies beforehand.
The embassy said those applications using old passports with the green cover will be processed as normally as Schengen member states still recognize those passports because they contain the POB field.
On August 1, Spain announced a temporary suspension on issuing Schengen visas to Vietnamese who hold new passports due to the omission of the holder’s birthplace field.
Two other Schengen countries, Germany and the Czech Republic, still do not recognize the new version of Vietnamese passport.
The Vietnamese embassies in Germany and the Czech Republic are working with the relevant authorities there to solve the issue.
In Germany, the Vietnamese Embassy said it would provide a free birth certification letter for Vietnamese nationals if needed. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic would add the birthplace information on an Observations page.
