Where do people apply for Vietnamese citizenship?

According to Article 3 of Decree 16/2020/NĐ-CP, the procedures for submitting, processing applications, and announcing results for citizenship matters are as follows:

1. Individuals requesting the restoration, renunciation of Vietnamese citizenship, or resolution of other citizenship matters can directly submit their application or send it through the postal system to the competent authority handling the application in accordance with the Law on Vietnamese Citizenship and Decree 16/2020/NĐ-CP.Decree 16/2020/NĐ-CP does not authorize others to submit applications. In cases where individuals requesting the restoration, renunciation of Vietnamese citizenship, or resolution of other citizenship matters reside in a country or territory without a diplomatic representative office, consular office, or other authorized agency performing Vietnam's consular functions (hereinafter referred to as the diplomatic mission), they must submit their application to the nearest or most convenient diplomatic mission.Individuals applying for Vietnamese citizenship must submit their application directly to the Department of Justice where they reside.

Requests for resolving citizenship matters for minors, persons with limited civil act capacity represented by a legal guardian, or guardian shall be processed by the legal representative or guardian.

2. In cases where the law requires certified copies of documents to be submitted, the applicant requesting the resolution of citizenship matters may submit document copies obtained from the original, certified copies from the original, or copies issued from the original document. If submitting document copies from the original, the original must be provided for verification; the receiving authority must check and verify the copy against the original and sign a confirmation of verification.

If documents are sent through the postal system, document copies must be certified from the original or issued from the original; Applications, Declarations, and Personal History Statements must bear signatures as required by law.

3. The application processor is responsible for verifying the authenticity of documents in the application. If the application is incomplete or invalid, instructions for supplementary completion will be provided. If the application is complete and valid, the application processor will record it in the processing log and issue a processing receipt according to the prescribed form for the applicant. In cases where applications are sent through the postal system, the application processor will send the processing receipt through the postal system to the applicant.

4. The application processing agency shall maintain a complete document inventory for each application, along with a list of individuals requesting resolution of citizenship matters in accordance with the prescribed form.

For applications to renounce Vietnamese citizenship, the application processing agency is responsible for categorizing the documents into documents exempt from personal identity verification as stipulated in Article 30 of the Law on Vietnamese Citizenship and documents requiring personal identity verification.

In cases of documents exempt from personal identity verification, the validity of documents for foreign citizenship must be at least 120 days from the date of application processing; in cases requiring personal identity verification, the validity period must be at least 150 days from the date of application processing.

5. Results of resolving citizenship matters can be delivered directly or sent through the postal system to the requesting individuals. Individuals choosing to receive results via the postal system must pay the delivery fees.

6. The issuance of a Decision granting Vietnamese citizenship shall be conducted according to Article 12 of Decree 16/2020/NĐ-CP.

Therefore, if you wish to apply for Vietnamese citizenship, you must submit your application directly to the Department of Justice where you reside. Residency here may refer to your registered permanent or temporary address.

Where do foreigners submit applications for Vietnamese citizenship?