UK recognizes Vietnam’s new passport

“The U.K. currently continues to recognize the new Vietnamese passport. Visa applicants and travelers (including those in transit) should ensure they are fully aware of, and regularly checked, the situation on acceptance of these documents for all their destination(s),” it said in a Facebook post.

Before the U.K., France had said last week it would recognize Vietnam’s new passport and issue visas to holders “until further notice.”

Yet the French Embassy in Vietnam recommended that visa applicants holding the new Vietnamese passports exclude their duration of stay or transit time in Germany.

They are also asked to update their information, as “the situation can change rapidly.”

On Tuesday, the Czech Republic became the third country not recognizing Vietnam’s new passports after Germany and Spain.

All three countries explained their refusal as the exclusion of birthplace information.

It is still not clear if the Czech Republic would stop issuing visas for the new Vietnamese passports, but Germany and Spain had already confirmed they would deny visas to holders of the passport.

Vietnam’s new passport has been in use since July 1 this year. The old, green cover passports, which contain the birthplace information, will continue to be valid till they expire.

In the meantime, Schengen visa applications with a previous valid Vietnamese passport indicating place of birth will still be received and processed normally.