Finland to accept Vietnam's new passport but with place of birth information

Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has decided to accept the new passport if the holders have their birthplace information manually added and officially stamped, the Vietnamese embassy in Finland said Friday.

The Finnish embassy in Hanoi had warned on August 11 that it would stop issuing visas to holders of the new passports.

Earlier Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic announced that they would no longer issue visas to holders of the new Vietnamese passport because it did not include place of birth.

On August 19 the German embassy had requested for such information to be filled in.

France and the U.K. have said they have no problems with the new passport.

Those preparing to apply for a U.S. visa must write their birthplace information in the application forms and bring along documents proving their place of birth to interviews.

Minister of Public Security To Lam said while information regarding place of birth would be added to the new passport to make it convenient for users, it is not an absolute requirement under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations.

It is not mandated by the Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens either, he said.

The new passport has been issued since July 1 this year.