Last year, I have had the opportunity to get to know the birth certificate process in Vietnam. And what an accomplishment that as!

Sharing with you Henry Maher’s account on how he was able to process their child’s birth certificate wherein he also shares the different processes of other nationalities. And there have been some updates on the processes in the People’s Committee in District 1! They’ve got ticketing now! Hope this post helps someone. Thanks Henry!

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Hello my name is Henry Maher. My wife and I had our child in Hanh Phuc International Hospital last 2/1/2014. We live in Mui Ne and are  both avid windsurfers. We came back down to Saigon to get a birth certificate for our child as we both agreed that being in Saigon put us closer to our Embassy (to get documents stamped) and better communication with government offices (I was put in charge of getting the birth certificate and my Vietnamese is shocking).  We spent three weeks in Saigon to get our birth certificate.  The process of getting the certificate is not difficult but there is a lot of waiting.

This article is just an extension of Lyra’s post and specific information regarding certain country procedures. Please if you find any details to be incorrect with this document please send me amendments.

If you are  from Japan and reading this English document and only require citizenship for Japan then you are in luck.  To process ask a friend or family member to go the  your local provincial council in Japan and get the documents to register the baby. You will need to fill them out and then ask someone  to go to the council with the live report from the hospital and the documents. They will give you an amended  Koseki-tohon (family registry) with your newborn’s name in it. This will take 2 to 3 weeks. But if you are going for Dual Citizenship, do the other countries citizenship process first and do the Japanese amendment to the  koseki-tohon using the birth certificate from the Vietnamese government not the live report (the live report will be kept by the Sở Tư pháp).

You do not have to wait until the birth of your child to start this process. Really the sooner the better as once the baby comes you will not have much time for anything except the essentials.

Let’s begin. For starters before running around getting things stamped. Go and see your local Sở Tư pháp nice and early in the morning. The place gets busy as the day moves on. Show  them the following list of documents needed, let them clarify what you need. Here is the list

Below is extra information on some of the items

When you need certified copies you will need to go to the People’s Committee (every district has one and each is a little bit different in the way the work). In District 1, Ho Chi Minh City the process is:

Near Counter 4 is a ticketing machine. Get a ticket for certified copy (soa y)
Go to photocopier at end of room. Get copies needed + 1 (they keep one)
Wait for your number to be called. Then, give them the documents. Wait. Pay. Get documents.

Marriage certificates from:

• Japan: You need the Koseki-tohon (family registry) which is less then 3 months old.  Take to the embassy and ask them for an English version marriage certificate. The Vietnamese will not accept the Koseki-tohon. Take this marriage certificate to department of Foreign Affairs for authentication. SEE PROCESS DOFA below.
• Australia: Contact Births, deaths and marriages in your state of marriage for your certificates make sure you tell them your scenario as you should need the certificate  legalised.
• Great Britain: You need to get your marriage certificate legalised before the British consulate who will give you their stamp.  Go to this website: https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised

For Australia and Great Britain, once you have your marriage certificates (legalised) take them to your respective embassies for a stamp. This stamp is to verify that the documents are legit.  The stamped document then has to be taken to the department of Foreign Affairs for authentication SEE PROCESS DOFA below.

Permanent resident card or temporary residence. We had temporary residence in a hotel and are on tourist passports. We asked our hotel manager to get a letter signed and stamped by the local police station.  The letter should say “đơn xin xác nhận tạm trú” (application for temporary residence confirmed).

Affidavit of nationality from Foreign embassy.  I have been told that the US embassy has a stock standard form for this but the British and Australians do not.  Below is a template to use which worked for us. Remember to keep 1/3 of the page left blank for the embassies stamps. Both you and your wife will have to go to the embassy to get the signatures witnessed. The document then has to be taken to the department of Foreign Affairs for authentication SEE PROCESS DOFA below.

PROCESS DOFA Department of Foreign Affairs for authentication. (There job is to authenticate the stamp of another countries consulate/embassy stamp the document can not be used in Vietnam otherwise)
Two methods:
1. Go to guard house get a ticket …….. pick it up and get it translated
2. Go into the big building of the Foreign Affairs go down the left corridor and two or three offices down is a translation service. They will get the authentication stamp for (60,000) and then translate. They also have a translation express service for a higher price. But the plus side is you go back once and you pick up a stamped and translate copy. Saving taxi fare and time.

Affidavit of nationality from peoples committee (cam kết nhận con, thỏa thuận quốc tịch, Dân tộc, hộ của trẻ) For this you need:
* copies of passports
* Affidavit from embassy (ITEM 6) , stamped and translated
* live report from hospital
* And maybe proof of temporary residency (sorry I just can’t find my notes on this one)
You ask for it at the last counter next to the copy machine. You will not need to bring your wife to submit it. But you need to bring her on pickup.

Picking up your birth certificate from So Tu phap:
1. You take your receipt to counter 7
2. They make you sign for the certificate and then get two copies of it
3. The copy machine is next to the guard house
4. Have to wait a little bit and then they give you some more papers
I took the birth certificate straight down to a translation company called Hanoi Translation Co. Ltd, 95 Pasteur St., Ben Nghe Ward, Dist. 1, . a few block from Notre Dame Cathedral. Don’t be fooled by the mess they are competent. With that you can take it to your embassy for application for citizenship. And because the birth certificate is a standard form I got the translation back the next morning.

Affidavit of nationality template (make sure that when you print you only use 2/3 of the page. As your government need 1/3 stamping room):
I, <husband’s name>
Passport Number: <husband’s passport no>
Date of birth (dd/mm/yy): <husbands dob>
I am the husband of <wife’s name>. I am the father of <babies name> born <date born> in <hospital name>. I agree with my wife <wife’s name> (shown below) that our child will be given the nationality <child’s nationality>.

I, <wife’s name>
Passport Number: <wife’s passport no>
Date of birth (dd/mm/yy): <wife’s dob>
I am the wife of <husband’s name>,  I am the mother of <babies name> born <date born> in <hospital name>. I agree with my husband <husband’s name>  (shown above) that our child will be given the nationality <child’s nationality>.
Signed

<Husband’s name>
Date:
Signed

<Wife’s name>
Date: