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The announcement was issued this afternoon (August 8) by the Spanish Embassy in Vietnam on its official information channel.
"After completing the mandatory technical consultations with the competent central authorities of Spain, these authorities decided to recognize the new Vietnamese passport (dark blue cover), as this passport already includes the necessary information according to international regulations," the announcement stated.
However, the Spanish Embassy in Vietnam also emphasized that "place of birth" is mandatory information for Schengen visas (26 European countries have abolished border controls, allowing free movement), so visa applicants with new dark blue passports must submit a valid identity card/citizen identification card to prove their place of birth.
From August 8th, the Spanish diplomatic mission in Vietnam will resume accepting visa applications from individuals holding new passports and with valid identity cards/citizen identification cards.
"In all cases, visa applicants with new passports should note that, when planning to travel to Spain/Europe, according to Schengen regulations, the visa issued on the new passport will not be valid for entry into the territories of Schengen member states where the new passport is not accepted," the Spanish Embassy stated, and recommended that visa applicants, in the case of multi-country tours, contact the embassies of those countries before departure.
The agency also stated that Vietnamese passports with green covers, showing the place of birth, and not subject to entry restrictions by any Schengen member country, will continue to be processed normally and will not be affected by the aforementioned territorial restrictions.
Previously, in a statement issued on August 1st, the Spanish Embassy in Vietnam announced that the relevant authorities of Spain, in coordination with member states of the Schengen Area, were conducting a technical analysis of Vietnam's new passport design. Current regulations do not allow the issuance of Schengen visas to Vietnamese citizens holding the new passport due to the lack of place of birth information, making it impossible to verify the identity of the visa applicant.
The Spanish Embassy in Hanoi has confirmed that it cannot accept Schengen visa applications for this new passport design until further notice, as the relevant central authorities within the Schengen area have not yet made a decision on whether or not to accept the new Vietnamese passport with its dark blue cover.
Currently, Germany and the Czech Republic, the two countries that have refused to issue visas on Vietnam's new passport design, have not yet provided any updates on the visa processing for Vietnamese citizens.
Additional information
The new Vietnamese passport design, issued by the Ministry of Public Security to citizens residing in Vietnam and Vietnamese citizens abroad, began on July 1, 2022. The Ministry of Public Security asserts that the new passport design meets security standards and is difficult to counterfeit. However, Germany, Spain, and the Czech Republic have sent diplomatic notes to Vietnamese diplomatic agencies stating their non-recognition of this passport design due to the lack of birth information for the passport holder.
On August 3rd, at the regular government press conference, Lieutenant General To An Xo, Chief of the Office of the Ministry of Public Security, stated that most countries worldwide recognize the new passport, with only three countries—Germany, Spain, and the Czech Republic—temporarily not recognizing it due to certain "technical" issues.
Mr. To An Xo also informed that the Ministry of Public Security will coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to study the laws and regulations related to passports in order to add a place of birth section to the personal information section of the new passport.
