Can foreigners obtain Vietnam’s electronic identification accounts?
Tuesday, February 18, 2025, 11:40 GMT+7
Ngo Huong Giang, from Ho Chi Minh City, reached out to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper to inquire about the issuance of a Vietnamese electronic identification (VNeID) account to her boyfriend, who is 35 years old and holds French nationality.
As her boyfriend plans to move to Vietnam for long-term stay and work, Giang would like to know if he is eligible to obtain a VNeID account for convenient transactions and how long it would take to issue one for him.
Pham Van Chung, a lawyer from the Kon Tum Department of Justice in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, responded:
According to Clause 2, Article 11 of Decree No. 59/2022/ND-CP, which outlines the subjects eligible for electronic identification accounts:
- Foreigners aged 14 years or older entering Vietnam are eligible;
- For foreigners under 14 years old or under guardianship, their accounts are registered under the electronic identification account of their parents or guardians.
Based on these regulations, Giang’s boyfriend, who is 35 years old and entering Vietnam, is eligible to be granted an electronic identification account.
Regarding the processing time, as per Article 17 of Decree No. 59/2022/ND-CP, once a complete and valid dossier is submitted, the police agency in charge shall be processing the issuance of electronic identification accounts for foreigners within the following time limits:
- No more than one working day for issuing level-1 electronic identification accounts.
- No more than three working days for issuing level-2 electronic identification accounts with information on portraits and fingerprints already listed in the national database on entry and exit.
- No more than seven working days for issuing level-2 electronic identification accounts without information on portraits and fingerprints in the national database on entry and exit.
Therefore, the time limit for processing the issuance of electronic identification accounts for foreigners is no more than seven working days.
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