The Vietnamese Embassy in Germany will temporarily issue birthplace certification to holders of Vietnam’s new passports to help them obtain residence permit and other administrative procedures in Germany.

The embassy is ready to issue such certificates for free to holders of new Vietnamese passports, which have been put in use on July 1,  so that they can present to German authorities when requested, said the embassy in its website on Friday.

The move came after the German Embassy in Hanoi said Thursday it cannot grant visas to holders of the new passports since their identities could not be verified without the place of birth.

A source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper confirmed that the German Embassy in Hanoi had sent a diplomatic note to the Vietnamese side stating the reason for the problem.

Accordingly, the new passport model, in blue-violet color, does not provide information on the place of birth, making it difficult to identify the passport holder, especially when holders have the same surname, the note said.

Meanwhile, the old passport, in green color, displayed the birthplace of the holders.

Chu Tuan Duc, Counselor of the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany, said that the embassy will continue issuing Vietnam’s new passports attached with a birthplace certificate.

Those who hold old passports are allowed to continue using them until the expiry date.

An official from the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security told Tuoi Tre on Thursday that Vietnam’s new passports comply with international regulations and practices.

According to a quick survey of Tuoi Tre, there are quite many passports of other countries that do not show the holder’s place of birth, such as South Korea.

Under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s passport standard set, which are accepted by many countries, the place of birth of the passport holder was not mandatory.

The embassy and the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs have asked Germany’s agencies concerned for coordination to solve the problem based on the spirit of the Vietnam - Germany strategic partnership.

The embassy will update new information on this issue on its website.

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