The days of the Soviet Union are in the past, but many former Soviet residents still remember who were the country's best friends, and whose merchants later flooded all markets from Vladivostok to Moscow. Today the situation is exactly the opposite. Many Russian immigrants choose their "best Soviet friend" as a new country, and therefore are interested in the question of how to obtain Vietnamese citizenship.
The main legal act in force today is the Citizenship Law of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, passed in July 1988. It is known that there are newer legislative documents on citizenship, but since they have not yet entered into force, they will not be discussed in this material.
How can you get Vietnamese citizenship?
At the moment, Vietnamese legislation offers several ways to acquire citizenship, some of them are automatic, for others, grounds are needed. There are several principles on which the legislation is based (but each of them has exceptions and reservations): citizenship by birthright (subject to conditions); citizenship by origin; citizenship through naturalization.
The first point, in turn, can be divided into two options for obtaining Vietnamese citizenship - automatic and non-automatic. Children born in the country, but their parents are unknown (foundlings), will automatically be counted among the Vietnamese citizens. The same category includes children born to parents who do not have citizenship at the time of the birth of the heirs, but permanently residing in the country. In other cases of newborns, Vietnamese citizenship is taken into account, which is held by both parents or one of the couple.
Citizenship by origin ensures the automatic receipt of documents from Vietnam if the newborn has both parents who are citizens of this socialist republic. In this case, a child can be born in any corner of the planet. If in a pair one parent is a citizen of Vietnam, and the other is a foreigner, then the place of birth of the baby will be decisive. He will become a Vietnamese citizen if he is born within the country.
Naturalization is a road for everyone
Vietnamese citizenship, in principle, is available to a citizen of any state on the planet. It is important to comply with certain conditions and you can go for a new passport. One of the important conditions is the renunciation of the citizenship of the country where the potential candidate for Vietnamese citizens used to live. The following conditions for acquiring citizenship in Vietnam are similar to those that can be found in the legislation of many countries: coming of age; residency requirement in the country of at least five years; knowledge of the Vietnamese language.
The age of majority comes in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam at the age of 18. The period of permanent residence is much shorter than other states put forward, it is most difficult for an immigrant from Europe to learn the Vietnamese language, phonetics is especially difficult. Naturally, the naturalization process is preceded by three more stages - obtaining an entry visa, obtaining a temporary permit and a permanent residence permit in the country. Thus, naturalization is the final stage, as a result, a person receives a Vietnamese passport, and with it rights and obligations.
Experienced immigrants who have already gone this way to the final point of obtaining a passport say that the legacy of the Soviet era is respected and cherished in Vietnam. Therefore, a potential applicant for Vietnamese citizenship will be required to learn the history of the country, carefully follow all laws, and regularly visit migration services.
Citizenship through marriage becomes a slightly simpler way of naturalization, it is not automatically assigned, the spouse who is an immigrant must declare his desire to obtain the rights of a citizen of Vietnam. The path is simpler, since a Vietnamese spouse helps to assimilate more quickly, to integrate into Vietnamese culture.
As for the children of immigrants, it all depends on their age, according to Vietnamese laws, up to 15 years old, parents decide everything for children, then a period comes (up to 18 years old) when children have the right to independently decide on citizenship, declaring this in writing.
And another important point is the loss of citizenship, which can be voluntary or involuntary. At the same time, there are categories of persons who cannot renounce citizenship, even if they really want to. Among the categories are military personnel, tax evaders and debtors, citizens under investigation or trial. For them, renunciation of citizenship is postponed until the fulfillment of obligations.
