Vietnam ID cards to remove fingerprint data

ID cards will contain information about one's facial images, personal identification numbers, names, birthdays, sexes, places of residences and the cards' expiration dates, among others. Other data, including one's irises, DNA and voice signatures, will be contained in the personal identification database.

Instead of only giving citizens above 14 years of age their ID cards, the law will allow ID cards to be granted to those under 14 as well. Le Tan Toi, head of the NA defense and security committee, said the move will help those under 14 to integrate several types of paperwork together, saving costs for the state by reducing the number of paperwork that must be issued.

The law will also allow stateless people with Vietnamese origins to have ID cards. While some people proposed for all stateless people living in Vietnam to be able to possess ID cards, Toi said there can be foreign nationals who intentionally hide their nationalities to stay in Vietnam illegally, and allowing them to have ID cards may impact security and order.

On requests to consider the use of QR codes and chips on ID cards due to concerns about security and data theft, Toi said the QR codes on the cards only allow access to the information already on the cards themselves. The chips utilize biometric technologies, and only verification through either fingerprint or facial features can be used to gain access to information on the chips.

The new Law on Citizen Identification will go into effect starting July 1, 2024.