Vietnam does not extend ordinary passports, so passport renewal Vietnam rules require a brand new passport every time the old passport expires, fills up, or stops matching the holder. The Vietnam Immigration Department (Cục Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh) under the Ministry of Public Security (Bộ Công an) issues every replacement. A citizen in Hanoi can file online from a phone in about 15 minutes. A citizen in Houston files by mail through a consulate instead. Both routes end with the same result: a new booklet, a new passport number, and a fresh validity period of 10 years for an adult. This guide covers validity rules, documents, the online route, the in-person route, fees in Vietnamese đồng (VND), processing times, the chip-based passport, and renewal at Vietnamese missions abroad.
When Does a Vietnamese Passport Need Renewal?
A Vietnamese passport needs renewal in five situations: expiry, fewer than six months of remaining validity, no blank pages, physical damage or loss, and a legal change to the holder’s personal details. Most destination countries and airlines demand six months of validity beyond the travel date, so a passport with five months left already fails at check-in. A traveler flying from Da Nang to Seoul in March 2027 needs a passport valid until at least September 2027. Damage counts as well. A booklet with a torn photo page or water damage across the data page no longer scans at border gates. Loss triggers a different fee and a police report. A name change after marriage triggers a replacement too, because the booklet must match the citizen identity card exactly.
- Expiry date reached or inside six months
- Visa pages completely full
- Booklet damaged, torn, or unreadable
- Passport lost or stolen
- Name or identity details legally changed
How Long Is a Vietnamese Passport Valid?
An ordinary Vietnamese passport is valid for 10 years from the issue date for a holder aged 14 or older, and 5 years for a child under 14, and neither validity period can be extended. The Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens 2019 sets both periods. A passport issued to a 20-year-old in June 2026 expires in June 2036, with no renewal stamp available at any point in between. Parents sometimes expect a child passport to stretch once the child grows older. The rule blocks that expectation. A passport issued to a 13-year-old still expires after 5 years, when the holder turns 18. Diplomatic and official passports follow a separate rule and may be extended once, but ordinary passports never qualify for an extension.
The Chip-Based Passport Explained
Vietnam has issued chip-based ordinary passports since 1 March 2023, and an applicant aged 14 or older may choose a chip-based passport or a non-chip passport on the same application form. The embedded electronic chip stores the holder’s personal data and biometric identifiers in encrypted form. Automated gates at Tan Son Nhat International Airport read the chip and clear the holder without a manual document check. Children under 14 receive non-chip passports only, because a child’s face changes too fast for stored biometric data to stay reliable across 5 years. An older non-chip passport stays valid until the printed expiry date. Nobody must swap a working non-chip booklet early. The choice appears at renewal time, and the fee is identical for both versions.
Documents Required for Passport Renewal in Vietnam
Every passport renewal Vietnam application filed inside the country needs four items: a completed declaration form, a chip-based citizen identity card, the most recent passport, and compliant photographs. The declaration form is Form TK01 (Mẫu TK01) for in-person filing, and the online portal generates the digital equivalent during submission. The citizen identity card (Căn cước công dân, CCCD) must carry an electronic chip for the online route. Officers cancel the old passport before releasing the new booklet, so the old booklet goes into the file, not back into a drawer. A lost passport changes the file: the applicant attaches a loss report confirmed by a competent authority instead of the booklet.
- Declaration form TK01, completed and signed
- Chip-based citizen identity card (CCCD), original
- Most recent ordinary passport, surrendered for cancellation
- Two photographs, 4 centimetres by 6 centimetres (4×6 cm), white background, no glasses
- Loss report from a competent authority, for a lost passport only
- Birth certificate copy, for an applicant under 14 only
Photograph rules reject more files than any other single item. The face must face the camera directly, the head stays uncovered, and the photo must be recent. A studio near any provincial immigration office in Vietnam charges about 50,000 VND for a compliant set, and the set prints in under 10 minutes.
How to Renew a Vietnamese Passport Online
A citizen renews a Vietnamese passport fully online through the National Public Service Portal (Cổng Dịch vụ công quốc gia) at dichvucong.gov.vn or the Ministry of Public Security Public Service Portal at dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn, and the passport renewal Vietnam online route requires a chip-based CCCD and a verified portal account. The portal route is a level-4 public service: filing, fee payment, and result delivery all happen without a counter visit. The applicant registers the delivery address during filing, and the postal service brings the finished booklet to that address. A software engineer in Ho Chi Minh City can file at midnight, pay by bank transfer, and receive the new passport at her office the following week.
- Open dichvucong.gov.vn and sign in with a national public service account or a VNeID (Vietnam Electronic Identification) account.
- Select the passport issuance service for ordinary passports and open the online application.
- Complete the electronic declaration, upload a digital portrait photograph, and upload images of the chip-based CCCD.
- Choose the receiving office, provincial immigration office or the Immigration Department, and register postal delivery or office pickup.
- Pay the 200,000 VND fee online through the government payment gateway after the office accepts the file.
- Track the application status on the Ministry of Public Security portal with the application code, then receive the passport by post or collect the passport in person.
One condition stops the online route cold. The portal account, the CCCD chip data, and the registered mobile phone number must all belong to the same person. A subscriber number registered under a relative’s name breaks verification, and the applicant must file in person instead.
How to Renew a Vietnamese Passport In Person
An applicant renews in person at the immigration office of the provincial police department where the applicant lives, or at the Immigration Department in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City for a faster result. A holder of a chip-based CCCD may file at any provincial immigration office in the country, not only the home province office. The counter process runs in one visit: the officer checks the TK01 form, scans the CCCD, takes the old passport, collects the fee, and hands over an appointment slip with the result date. The Hanoi Immigration Department office sits at 44-46 Tran Phu Street, Ba Dinh, and the Ho Chi Minh City offices sit on Nguyen Trai Street and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street. Offices receive applications Monday to Saturday morning, excluding public holidays, and return finished passports Monday to Friday. A farmer from Ha Giang files at his provincial office on Monday morning and holds a dated receipt before lunch.
Vietnam Passport Renewal Fees and Processing Times
The standard passport renewal Vietnam fee is 200,000 VND (about 8 United States dollars) for a new issuance or a routine reissuance, and 400,000 VND (about 16 United States dollars) when the old passport was lost or damaged. The Ministry of Finance fee schedule sets both amounts nationally, so a counter in Can Tho charges exactly what a counter in Hai Phong charges. Processing time depends on the receiving office, not on the fee. A provincial office works to an 8-working-day limit, counted from the day the complete file arrives. The central Immigration Department works to a 5-working-day limit. Postal delivery adds transit days on top of both limits.
| Service | Government Fee | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal at a provincial immigration office | 200,000 VND | Up to 8 working days |
| Renewal at the Immigration Department (Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City) | 200,000 VND | Up to 5 working days |
| Reissuance after loss or damage, inside Vietnam | 400,000 VND | Up to 8 working days |
| Renewal at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate in the United States | 110 USD, money order or cashier’s check | 3 to 5 business days for a routine case |
| Child passport renewal, inside Vietnam | 200,000 VND | Up to 8 working days |
Fees buy the booklet and the processing only. A rejected photograph, a courier envelope, and a replacement loss report each cost extra, and each extra stays small next to the price of a missed flight.
Passport Renewal for Vietnamese Citizens Living Abroad
A Vietnamese citizen living abroad renews a passport at the nearest Vietnamese embassy or consulate, in person or by mail, and a passport renewal Vietnam application filed in the United States goes to the Embassy in Washington, D.C. or a Consulate General in New York, San Francisco, or Houston. Missions abroad use Form TK02 instead of the domestic TK01 form. The file holds the completed form, the current passport, photographs sized 2 inches by 2 inches (5 cm by 5 cm), and proof of legal status in the host country, such as a green card (Permanent Resident Card) or a valid visa. Mail applicants add a prepaid return envelope with tracking, and carriers such as USPS Priority Mail and FedEx qualify. Payment travels as a money order or a cashier’s check payable to the mission; cash does not travel by mail.
Two eligibility lines matter at missions in the United States. The applicant must be at least 14 years old, and the current passport must still hold at least 30 days of validity on the filing date. A passport that already expired falls outside the renewal service entirely. The holder of an expired passport applies for a new passport instead, a service with a longer document list and a longer wait. Routine renewals at a mission take 3 to 5 business days. Cases that need identity verification with authorities in Vietnam take longer, sometimes months, because the mission cannot issue the booklet until Hanoi confirms the record. A student in Seattle renews by mail to San Francisco in one envelope and keeps her summer internship start date safe.
Renewing a Passport for a Child Under 14
A parent or legal guardian files and signs the renewal for every child under 14, and the child receives a non-chip passport valid for 5 years. The child’s file adds a copy of the birth certificate to the standard document set. The parent presents a personal CCCD or passport alongside the child’s file, and the local authority certifies the declaration when a guardian files. The 5-year clock runs from the new issue date regardless of the child’s birthday. A passport renewed for a 4-year-old in 2026 expires in 2031, when the child is 9, and the next renewal lands well before any secondary school trip abroad. Children aged 14 and older sign personal applications and may select the chip-based version.
Mistakes That Delay a Vietnamese Passport Renewal
Four mistakes cause nearly every delay: a non-compliant photograph, a portal account registered under another person’s phone number, a missing loss report, and a filing made after the passport already expired abroad. Each mistake restarts a clock rather than pausing the clock. A rejected photograph means a new file date. A name mismatch between the CCCD and the declaration form means a correction visit before processing even begins. Booking travel against an unissued passport creates the costliest mistake of all. Airlines refuse boarding on an expired booklet, and no immigration office in Vietnam runs a same-day ordinary passport service. Filing 2 months before a planned trip costs nothing extra and removes the whole category of risk.
FAQs
Can a Vietnamese passport be extended instead of renewed?
No. Ordinary Vietnamese passports cannot be extended under any circumstance. The holder applies for a new passport, receives a new booklet with a new number, and the old passport is cancelled.
How much does passport renewal cost in Vietnam in 2026?
A routine renewal costs 200,000 VND (about 8 United States dollars). Reissuance after loss or damage costs 400,000 VND. A renewal filed at a Vietnamese mission in the United States costs 110 USD.
How long does a Vietnamese passport renewal take?
Processing takes up to 8 working days at a provincial immigration office and up to 5 working days at the Immigration Department. Postal delivery adds transit time after issuance.
Does the new passport keep the old passport number?
No. Every new passport carries a new number. The Immigration Department records the old passport number inside the new booklet, so visas and travel history in the old booklet stay traceable.
Can I renew my Vietnamese passport online from the United States?
No. The online portal serves citizens filing inside Vietnam with a chip-based CCCD. Citizens in the United States file in person or by mail at the Embassy in Washington, D.C. or a consulate.
Do I have to replace a non-chip passport with a chip-based passport now?
No. A non-chip passport stays valid until the printed expiry date. The chip choice appears at the next renewal, and applicants aged 14 or older may pick either version for the same fee.
What happens if my Vietnamese passport already expired while I live abroad?
An expired passport cannot use the renewal service at a mission abroad. The holder applies for a new passport at the embassy or consulate, with extra documents and a longer processing period.
Can someone else submit my renewal application for me?
No, an adult applicant submits a personal application, in person at a counter or personally through a personal portal account. Parents or legal guardians submit applications for children under 14.
Conclusion
Passport renewal in Vietnam runs on fixed national rules: 10 years of validity for an adult, 5 years for a child, a 200,000 VND fee, and an 8-working-day limit at a provincial office. The online portal at dichvucong.gov.vn removes the counter queue for any citizen holding a chip-based CCCD. Citizens abroad hold a different but equally defined route through embassies and consulates, with a 110 USD fee in the United States and a 3 to 5 business day routine turnaround. A passport checked 6 months before a trip never cancels the trip.
