VIETNAM, August 1 - HÀ NỘI — The Spanish Embassy in Việt Nam on Monday announced that it cannot accept Schengen visa applications from Vietnamese citizens using new-style passports until further notice.

The notice posted on the Facebook page of the Embassy of Spain in Việt Nam stated that new-style passports (navy blue cover) granted to Vietnamese citizens from July 1, 2022, do not list information about the place of birth of passport holders. This is important information for personal identification and is also required for processing Schengen visa applications.

Current regulations do not allow the issuance of a Schengen visa to Vietnamese nationals holding the new passports, according to the embassy.

Currently, the Spanish authorities, in collaboration with other Schengen member states, are conducting technical analysis.

Schengen visa applications are still accepted and processed normally with Việt Nam’s old passports (green cover) which show the place of birth and are still valid, the notice said.

Those who intend to enter the Schengen member countries are advised to contact the embassies of those countries in Việt Nam to confirm the relevant information, in order to avoid difficulties in completing immigration procedures at the borders between the countries in the Schengen zone.

According to Trần Thị Hương, First Secretary of the Vietnamese Embassy in Spain, the agency has immediately coordinated with relevant agencies in Việt Nam to address related issues.

Hương said the Vietnamese side needed to discuss in detail with the Spanish side to thoroughly understand the arising problem, for a solution that is acceptable to both sides.

For cases that have been issued with new passports, she advised them to stay calm, emphasising that the Vietnamese Embassy in Spain, as well as relevant agencies in Việt Nam, would have notices and instructions after agreeing with the Spanish side.

Germany earlier has also announced that it provisionally does not recognise Việt Nam’s new passports, also for lack of birth of place information, the first country to have done so.

Vietnamese and German authorities are actively working to tackle the problem.

The Embassy of Việt Nam in Germany on July 29 announced that it is ready to issue a confirmation in German about the place of birth for Vietnamese citizens using new-style passports, in case they need it to present to German authorities.

Meanwhile, on July 28, the French Embassy in Việt Nam said for the time being and until further notice, French authorities would still recognise the new Vietnamese passports.

The Schengen Area signifies a zone where 26 European countries, abolished their internal borders, for the free and unrestricted movement of people, in harmony with common rules for controlling external borders and fighting criminality by strengthening the common judicial system and police cooperation.

The 26 Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. — VNS