For children of foreigners and Vietnamese born in Vietnam, the procedure to apply for a birth certificate in Vietnam is carried out at the Vietnam’s provincial Department of Justice.

In today’s globalized world, it has become more common that people from different cultural backgrounds travel, and meet their spouse. Their children were born with happiness however they would face difficulties when applying for a birth certificate for the newborn in Vietnam. For the parents, the difficulties of registering a birth certificate in Vietnam could range from the choice of name, nationality, or whether or not the child is born out of wedlock.

When a child between a foreigner and a Vietnamese is born in Vietnam, according to the regulation on the registration and management of civil status, the Department of Justice will be the Vietnam government agency issuing the birth certificate.

In cases where parents choose foreign nationality for the child, they must obtain the agreement of the parents about the choice of nationality. The valid agreement of the parents about the choice of nationality shall be certified by the local authority.

After receiving a application dossier for birth certificate for newborn in Vietnam, civil status officials of the Department of Justice records in the birth registration and original birth certificate. The director of the Department of Justice shall sign and issue an original birth certificate for the newborn. Copies of birth certificates are issued at the request of the applicant.

For children born out of wedlock, if the father is not identified, the information about the father in the birth registration book and birth certificate are left blank. When the father officially agrees to recognize the father for a child, he has to carry out the procedure at the Vietnam’s provincial Department of Justice. The birth certificate could also be revised to reflect the father’s details into the new birth certificate. This birth certificate will be very important when the father applies foreign citizenship for the child.

The child can be named according to parental choice to be recorded on the birth certificate.