VIETNAM, August 16 -  

BERLIN — Germany will temporarily recognise Việt Nam’s new navy blue passports with information about holders' place of birth added in the appendix, according to a diplomatic note the German Federal Foreign Office sent to the Vietnamese Embassy on August 15.

This also means Germany will grant visas on the new passports supplemented with birthplace information and allow their holders to enter this country.

Chu Tuấn Đức, minister counsellor of the embassy, said the German authorities hoped Việt Nam would take measures to facilitate and ensure safety for travel between the two countries and that the two sides would keep exchanging information in the time ahead.

He added the embassy was still working on adding birthplace information to the new passports free of charge to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese citizens when they need to handle procedures at German agencies.

The German Federal Foreign Office and Federal Department of Home Affairs said authorities of Germany were working and examining the new passport version of Việt Nam, affirming that like Việt Nam, Germany also pays great attention to the safety of travel between the two countries.

Earlier, Germany, followed by the Czech Republic and Finland, announced their decisions to suspend recognition of Việt Nam’s new passports, which started issuance in July this year, due to a lack of a place of birth (province/city).

They said that the omission caused difficulties for immigration control personnel to identify the passport holders properly.

France and the United Kingdom said they would continue to recognise the passports, while Spain said they would grant visas to applicants who present their identification cards (that include the place of birth on it).

The US Embassy last week also asked visa applicants with new passports to include proof of place of birth, adding that they are reviewing the new passport form to see if it satisfies the domestic authorities’ requirements for visa issuance and travelling.— VNS