Consular services
Citizenship and Vietnamese origin
Many people who have become Australian citizens, or whose children were born in Australia, wonder whether they are still Vietnamese citizens and what document proves it. The amended Vietnamese Nationality Law took effect on 1 July 2025, so older information needs to be reviewed.
What this service is
This covers procedures relating to your status as a Vietnamese citizen and your Vietnamese origin: proving that you hold Vietnamese citizenship, applying to renounce citizenship, applying to acquire or resume citizenship, and applying for a certificate confirming Vietnamese origin. Each serves a different purpose, so the first step is to work out which situation you are in.
The Embassy's procedure menu has entries for acquiring citizenship, renouncing citizenship and issuing certificates of Vietnamese origin. As at the date we checked, the renunciation and acquisition pages had detailed guidance, while the Vietnamese origin certificate entry had no detailed content that we could read.
Who needs it and when
- Renouncing Vietnamese citizenship: people who hold Australian citizenship and want to end their Vietnamese citizenship. According to the Embassy, ACT, VIC and TAS fall under the Embassy in Canberra, NSW, SA and QLD under the Consulate-General in Sydney, and WA and NT under the Consulate-General in Perth.
- Acquiring citizenship: foreigners or stateless persons who have resided in Vietnam for 5 years or more and know enough Vietnamese to integrate, except in exempt cases such as having a spouse, child or parent or grandparent who is a Vietnamese citizen.
- Resuming citizenship: people who have previously lost Vietnamese citizenship. An analysis of the 2025 amended Law says that all applications to resume citizenship are considered, and that applicants must take back their former Vietnamese name.
- Confirmation of Vietnamese origin: usually needed when you no longer have old Vietnamese documents but want to apply for a 5-year visa exemption certificate.
People overseas can now lodge applications to acquire or resume citizenship at the Vietnamese representative office in the country where they live; that office has 20 days to check the application before forwarding it to the Ministry of Justice. Citizen identity cards and electronic identity cards have also been added to the documents that prove Vietnamese citizenship.
Documents usually needed
The list below follows the Embassy's renunciation page (updated July 2025). Acquiring citizenship and other matters have their own lists.
- 3 sets of the application to renounce citizenship (adult or minor form) with 4×6 cm photos taken within 6 months, and 3 personal background declarations.
- 3 certified copies of the Australian passport and 3 certified copies of the Australian citizenship certificate, with 3 Vietnamese translations certified by the Embassy.
- The original Vietnamese passport, and the original citizen identity card or identity card if you still have it.
- Copies of other Vietnamese documents, if any: birth certificate, household registration book, criminal record check.
- Children under 18: the parents' agreement to the child renouncing citizenship. A child aged 15 to under 18 also signs the application.
- An international registered post envelope so the Embassy can send the application to Vietnam.
Steps
- Work out your purpose: keeping Vietnamese documents, renouncing citizenship, or proving Vietnamese origin.
- Download the application forms and declarations from the Embassy's forms page.
- Prepare the documents. Documents issued in Australia must be legalised or carry an Apostille (see the Legalisation page), and the Vietnamese translation must be notarised or certified under Vietnamese law.
- Lodge the application. For renunciation, the guidance page says to lodge by post, and you can book an appointment through the booking page.
- The application is sent to Vietnam for consideration. When you are notified, you collect the result at the Embassy.
Timing and fees
The Embassy's citizenship pages do not state a processing time or fee amount, only how to pay (cash, money order or bank cheque made out to Embassy of Viet Nam). Because applications must be considered by authorities in Vietnam, the time is usually long and hard to predict. Please ask the Embassy and check the FAQ page for the current fee schedule.
How TNT Global helps
We help you identify the right procedure, check your application, translate documents into Vietnamese and prepare the required number of sets, remind you of common mistakes, and help with booking and sending the application. TNT Global helps prepare, translate and lodge documents; the assessment and the decision on citizenship are made by the Embassy and the competent authorities of Vietnam. We do not make any promises about outcomes, and if you need legal advice on the consequences of renouncing or keeping citizenship, please speak separately with a lawyer.
Common mistakes
- Lodging too few sets (many procedures require 3 sets) or forgetting the 4×6 cm photos.
- An Australian citizenship certificate that has not been certified, or a translation that does not meet requirements.
- Not considering the consequences before renouncing citizenship: once you renounce, you are no longer a Vietnamese citizen, and your Vietnamese documents will have to be dealt with as directed.
- Using outdated guidance. The amended Nationality Law took effect on 1 July 2025, so information from before then may no longer be correct.
Need help with this procedure?
Send us the type of document and your deadline. We reply by email with a document checklist and costs.
