Germany states conditions to accept Vietnam's new passport

The decision, announced on the German Embassy’s website, takes immediate effect, but will only apply for "a transitional period" with the expectation that Vietnam will soon take necessary measures to add the place of birth to all passports.

"This decision was made to facilitate convenient and safe travel between Vietnam and Germany," said the statement. The German Embassy also said the issuance of long-term residence visas will be paused until a new decision is made.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Germany said on Monday that the German Foreign Ministry would issue a visa for a new model passport of Vietnam that has included place of birth.

Earlier, Germany, Spain, Finland and the Czech Republic rejected the new Vietnamese passport because it does not show the place of birth of the holder.

Spain requires new passport holders to submit a valid ID to prove their place of birth. The U.S. also required people who are preparing to apply for a visa to ask the authorities to add information regarding the place of birth into the new passport.

On August 10, Minister of Public Security To Lam announced that in the long term, the ministry will add the place of birth into all new passports.

According to the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), required information on passports includes passport type, full name, passport number, nationality, date of birth, gender and passport expiration date. The place of birth in the passport is country-specific and not mandatory.