UK diplomatic missions in Vietnam to stop stamping documents for nationals

The British Embassy in Hanoi and Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City will stop legalizing U.K. documents for British nationals in Vietnam from November 13 to ensure their services comply with Vietnamese law, the embassy announced on Tuesday.

Documents that need to be legalized by the Vietnamese government, including university degrees, teaching qualification certificates and U.K. police checks, must be legalized by the U.K. Legalization Office and then by the Vietnamese Embassy in London before they can be used in Vietnam, the embassy said in a press release.

According to the embassy, the changes will help to free up time for British consular staff to provide more support for its most vulnerable citizens such as minors, the elderly, people with mental health problems and victims of serious crime.

In line with these changes, any British citizens who intend to live or work in Vietnam should check with future employers and relevant Vietnamese authorities to see what documents they need to submit.

Then they will need to get the documents legalized by the U.K. Legalization Office and then by the Vietnamese Embassy in London before bringing them to Vietnam.

For those who are in Vietnam already and need their documents legalized, they will need to send those documents to the U.K., first to the Legalization Office and then to the Vietnamese Embassy.

Other notary and documentary services for British nationals in Vietnam will be provided as usual at the embassy and consulate-general.