Establishing personal identification numbers for Vietnamese citizens abroad: Geographical distance is no longer an obstacle

Since August 25, through Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, Vietnamese citizens residing abroad can update their information in the National Population Database and establish their personal identification numbers.

The Law on Identification stipulates that Vietnamese citizens have the right to establish a personal identification number, have their identity information and information in the National Population Database confirmed, and be issued an identification card in accordance with the law. (Source: MISA )

This is done according to the Regulation on coordination in collecting information into the National Population Database, establishing personal identification numbers for Vietnamese citizens currently residing abroad, which has just been signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security .

The Law on Identification stipulates that Vietnamese citizens have the right to establish a personal identification number, have their identity information and information in the National Population Database confirmed, and be issued an identification card in accordance with the provisions of the law. Decree No. 70/2024/ND-CP dated June 25, 2024 of the Government detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Law on Identification has specified the provisions on establishing personal identification numbers for Vietnamese citizens living abroad. Accordingly, in the case of citizens currently residing abroad and have not yet established a personal identification number, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies shall collect information, request the identification management agency of the Ministry of Public Security to update information in the National Population Database and establish a personal identification number for citizens.

To ensure the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens living abroad as stipulated in the Law on Identification, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security have issued a Coordination Regulation specifying the subjects, principles, forms, and responsibilities of coordinating activities in the work of collecting and updating information into the National Population Database, and establishing personal identification numbers for Vietnamese citizens living abroad.

Subjects are Vietnamese citizens abroad whose information has not been collected and updated in the National Population Database, and whose personal identification number has not been established, including those who have registered their birth at competent Vietnamese authorities at home and abroad, and those who have not registered their birth but have been granted one of the types of documents proving Vietnamese nationality by competent Vietnamese authorities according to the provisions of law.

The Vietnamese representative agency abroad where the citizen resides will receive the citizen's file, check and compare the citizen's personal information in the file and forward the request to the Identity Management Agency, Ministry of Public Security. The citizen's personal identification number will be established by the Ministry of Public Security and forwarded to the representative agency to notify the citizen.

Previously, for children who are Vietnamese citizens born abroad and have their births registered at Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, the issuance of personal identification numbers is also proceeding smoothly. Implementing the Prime Minister's direction in Directive 07/CT-TTg on promoting the implementation of the Project on developing applications of data on population, identification and electronic authentication to serve national digital transformation in the period 2022-2025, with a vision to 2030, from April 15, 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice to deploy the use of shared electronic civil status software at Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to register births and issue personal identification numbers for Vietnamese children abroad.

From April 15, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice to deploy the use of electronic civil status software for common use at Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to register births and issue personal identification numbers for Vietnamese children abroad. (Screenshot)

Currently, the use of electronic civil status software is being implemented at a number of representative agencies and will be deployed synchronously at all Vietnamese representative agencies abroad before December 1, 2025. Through the representative agencies' use of electronic civil status software, all birth registration information of Vietnamese children born abroad will be updated in the electronic civil status database, connected to the national population database; therefore, the child's personal identification number is quickly established and shown on the birth certificate issued at the representative agency.

Currently, in many countries, all children born in that country are automatically registered on the local information system. Therefore, in these locations, Vietnamese representative agencies can only carry out the procedure of recording the birth in the family register after the child has been registered at the local authority.

However, Decree 70/2024/ND-CP dated June 25, 2024 of the Government detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Law on Identification only stipulates that personal identification numbers are established with individuals whose births are registered. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has discussed with the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice to propose that the Government soon amend Decree 70/2024/ND-CP in the direction that children who register their births at competent foreign authorities and carry out procedures to record their births in the household registration book at Vietnamese representative agencies abroad are granted personal identification numbers, ensuring that all Vietnamese children born abroad are granted personal identification numbers.

Thus, in addition to implementing birth registration and granting personal identification numbers for Vietnamese children born abroad at Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, the signing and implementation of the "Coordination Regulations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security in updating information into the National Population Database and establishing personal identification numbers for Vietnamese citizens residing abroad" has ensured that Vietnamese citizens abroad who do not have a personal identification number will have their personal identification number established; creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese citizens abroad to quickly be issued an ID card when returning to Vietnam, exercising the right to exploit information in the National Population Database, and facilitating access and implementation of procedures on the public service portal and the administrative procedure settlement information system.

In the coming time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to direct Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to actively propagate and guide citizens in collecting and updating information in the National Population Database and request competent authorities to establish personal identification numbers. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to closely coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice to handle arising issues and effectively implement the issuance of personal identification numbers to Vietnamese citizens abroad.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/xac-lap-so-dinh-danh-ca-nhan-cho-cong-dan-viet-nam-o-nuoc-ngoai-khoang-cach-dia-ly-da-khong-con-la-van-de-tro-ngai-328590.html