France to Continue Issuing Visas to New Vietnamese Passport Holders, But They Cannot Be Used for Travel to Germany

Through a statement published by the French Embassy on its official website on June 28, it is noted that for the moment and until further notice, the French authorities will continue to recognise the new Vietnamese passport and issue visas normally, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

“The German authorities recently announced that they do not recognise, at this stage, the new passport model issued by the Vietnamese authorities since July 1, 2022, because certain identity information such as the province of birth no longer appears there. The German authorities, therefore, do not issue visas (C-, D-) on these new passports,” the statement reads.

However, the Embassy has warned Vietnamese citizens who obtain a French visa from the French Embassy in Hanoi and the French Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City with their new passport that they will not be able to travel to Germany with the same visa.

“Visa applicants holding a new Vietnamese passport must therefore adapt their stay to exclude a stay or transit in Germany. Holders of previously issued passports are not affected,” the Embassy explains in its statement.

This week, AtoZSerwisPlus.com has reported that Germany does not recognise the new blue Vietnamese passports due to the lack of information on the place of birth on these passports and, as a result, does not issue any type of visas to the holders of such passports.

The decision has been taken by the German Ministry of the Interior and will remain effective until a reverse decision is taken.

“If your visa has already been issued, we strongly advise you not to travel to Germany. There is a risk that you will be rejected at the border. We will contact you individually,” explains a FAQ published on the website the German Embassy in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese authorities started issuing the new passport on July 1, 2022, and an official from the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security has told Tuoi Tre newspaper that Vietnam’s new passport follows regulations and international practices.

According to the same, Vietnamese authorities are working with Germany’s diplomatic missions in order for the latter to recognise the new passports after receiving a note explaining that the new passport model lacks information on the place of birth, making it difficult to identify the passport holder, in particular when several holders have the same surname.