Germany refuses to issue visas to new Vietnamese passport holders.

Recently, the German Consulate General's website stated that this was a decision made by the German Interior Ministry and that those who had applied for visas would receive separate notification from the Consulate General.

"Currently, the new dark blue Vietnamese passport (beginning with the letter 'P') is not accepted by Germany. This means that if you possess this new passport, you will not be able to apply for a visa to Germany," stated the German Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.

The German Embassy has confirmed that it has sent a diplomatic note to Vietnam regarding the new passport design issued from July 1, 2022. In the note, Germany announced that this passport design is "temporarily not recognized in Germany," and therefore German diplomatic and consular missions in Vietnam will not issue visas to citizens using this passport design. The note explains that the decision to temporarily not recognize the new passport design is due to a lack of information about the place of birth, making it difficult to identify the passport holder, especially in cases of duplicate surnames.

Due to the lack of information on passports, Germany can currently only determine the place of birth based on the 12-digit personal identification number and by cross-referencing it with a 7-page list. However, not all personnel involved in the verification process have access to this list.

The Embassy confirmed that Vietnamese citizens are currently "unable to apply for a German entry visa (Type C or D visa) with such a passport. Your application will not be accepted until further notice."

"If you have been granted a visa (with the new passport design), we strongly advise you not to travel to Germany. There is a risk that you will be denied entry at the border. We will contact you privately about this," the German Embassy added.

Anh Thi