The above announcement was released by the Spanish Embassy in Vietnam this afternoon (August 8) on the agency's official information channel.
"After completing the required technical consultations with the competent central authorities of Spain, these authorities have decided to recognize the new Vietnamese passport (dark blue cover), as this passport 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 abolished border controls, allowing free movement), so visa applicants with new passports with dark blue covers must submit valid identity cards/citizen identification cards to prove their place of birth.
From August 8, the Spanish representative office in Vietnam will again accept visa applications from people with new passports and valid identity cards/citizen identification cards.
"In any case, visa applicants holding new passports should note that, when planning to travel to Spain/Europe, according to Schengen regulations, visas issued on new passports will not be valid for entry into the territory of Schengen member countries where new passports are not accepted" - the Spanish Embassy said and recommended that visa applicants, in case of traveling on a tour to many different countries, must contact the Embassies of those countries before preparing for departure.
The agency also informed that green-covered Vietnamese passports showing place of birth and not subject to entry restrictions by any Schengen member country will continue to be processed normally and are not affected by the above-mentioned territorial restrictions.
Previously, in a notice issued on August 1, the Embassy of Spain in Vietnam said that the competent authorities of this country coordinated with the member countries of the Schengen area to conduct a technical analysis of the new passport model of Vietnam. Current regulations do not allow the issuance of Schengen visas to Vietnamese citizens holding new passports due to the lack of information on the place of birth, which makes it impossible to verify the identity of the visa applicant.
The Embassy of Spain in Hanoi confirmed that it cannot accept Schengen visa applications for this new passport model until further notice, as the competent central authorities in the Schengen area have not yet made a decision on whether or not to accept the new passport model with a dark blue cover of Vietnam.
Currently, the two countries that refuse to issue visas on Vietnam's new passport model, Germany and the Czech Republic, have yet to make any new announcements about the visa processing process for Vietnamese citizens.
More information
The Ministry of Public Security has issued Vietnam's new passport model to citizens in the country and Vietnamese citizens abroad from July 1, 2022. The Ministry of Public Security affirmed that the new passport model ensures security techniques and is difficult to counterfeit. However, Germany, Spain, and the Czech Republic have sent diplomatic notes to the Vietnamese diplomatic agency to notify that they do not recognize this passport model because it lacks information about the passport holder's place of birth.
On August 3, at the regular Government press conference, Lieutenant General To An Xo - Chief of Office of the Ministry of Public Security - said that most countries in the world recognize the new passport, only 3 countries: Germany, Spain, and the Czech Republic have temporarily not recognized it due to some "technical" factors.
Mr. To An Xo also informed that the Ministry of Public Security will coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to study legal regulations related to passports to add the place of birth section in the personal information section of the new passport.
