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Coming into force on July 1, the 2025 Law Revising the 2008 Law on Vietnamese Citizenship (the 2025 Law) is designed to provide more favorable conditions for overseas Vietnamese to return to the country to contribute to national development. By improving the legal framework on citizenship, this important legislation reaffirms the consistent policy of the Party and the State in protecting overseas Vietnamese while strengthening national solidarity and promoting reconciliation.
Compared to the previous legislation, the 2025 Law provides numerous significant changes, focusing on expanding the scope of eligibility for naturalization in Vietnam, adding provisions on dual citizenship, creating more favorable conditions for those wishing to restore Vietnamese citizenship, better protecting children’s and minors’ right to citizenship, simplifying application dossiers, and shortening the processing time for settlement of citizenship-related procedures.
Expanded eligibility for naturalization in Vietnam
The conditions for acquiring Vietnamese citizenship are modified under Article 1.5 of the 2025 Law. Accordingly, foreign nationals and stateless persons applying for Vietnamese citizenship may be considered for naturalization in Vietnam if they (i) have the civil act capacity under Vietnam’s law, except for minors applying for citizenship together with their parents, or minors whose father or mother is a Vietnamese citizen; (ii) abide by Vietnam’s Constitution and law, and respect Vietnamese culture, traditions and customs; (iii) have a good command of Vietnamese language for local community integration; (iv) are permanently residing in Vietnam; (v) have resided continuously for five years or more up to the time of application; and (vi) can afford their livelihood in Vietnam.
However, applicants for naturalization in Vietnam may be exempt from conditions (iii), (iv), (v) and (vi) mentioned above if both of their parents or their paternal and maternal grandparents are Vietnamese citizens; they have made meritorious contributions to national construction and defense; their naturalization is considered beneficial to the country; or they are minors applying for citizenship together with their parents.
Retention of foreign nationality upon naturalization
Article 1.6 of the 2025 Law allows applicants to retain their foreign nationality upon naturalization in Vietnam. Eligible cases include individuals whose spouses or biological children are Vietnamese citizens; those whose biological parents or paternal or maternal grandparents are Vietnamese citizens; those who have made meritorious contributions to national construction and defense; those whose naturalization is deemed beneficial to Vietnam; and minors applying for Vietnamese citizenship together with their parents.
However, the holding of dual citizenship must be approved by the President. It must also comply with laws of the relevant foreign countries, and must neither undermine national security, national interests, social order or public safety of Vietnam nor infringe upon the lawful rights and interests of domestic entities and individuals.
Restoration of Vietnamese citizenship
Under the 2025 Law, all persons who previously lost Vietnamese citizenship may apply for its restoration without having to satisfy any conditions.
Applicants for restoration of Vietnamese citizenship are required to resume their former Vietnamese names. A person applying for restoration of Vietnamese citizenship while still retaining foreign citizenship may adopt a compound name consisting of his Vietnamese name and foreign name, which must be stated in the President’s decision on restoration of Vietnamese citizenship.
Furthermore, applicants for restoration of Vietnamese citizenship may be permitted to retain their foreign citizenship, provided they fully satisfy conditions the same as those applicable to applicants for retention of their foreign citizenship upon naturalization in Vietnam.
Citizenship of children and minors
To better safeguard children’s right to citizenship, the 2025 Law provides that a child born to a Vietnamese parent and a foreign parent will acquire Vietnamese citizenship if his parents agree to choose Vietnamese citizenship for him at the time of birth registration. If a child is born in Vietnam and his parents fail to reach an agreement on choice of citizenship, he may by default acquire Vietnamese citizenship.
The 2025 Law amends Article 35 of the 2008 Law to ensure minors’ right to citizenship when their parents renounce Vietnamese citizenship. Accordingly, if parents change citizenship, the minor living with them will acquire their citizenship, unless otherwise requested by the parents.
Application dossiers and processing time
The 2025 Law abolishes the requirement to include a criminal record certificate issued by a Vietnamese authority in a dossier of application for naturalization in Vietnam, restoration or renunciation of Vietnamese citizenship. However, with regard to the period of residence abroad, an applicant for naturalization in Vietnam or restoration of Vietnamese citizenship is required to provide a criminal record document issued by a foreign authority no more than 90 days prior to the date of submission of the application.
Notably, Article 1.7 of the 2025 Law allows applicants to submit dossiers to either provincial-level Departments of Justice (if residing in Vietnam) or Vietnamese diplomatic missions (if residing overseas).
Within 20 days after receiving a complete and valid dossier, Vietnamese diplomatic missions must verify the documents, forward the dossier together with their recommendations to the Ministry of Justice, and concurrently notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for coordination in performing the state management of citizenship. The Ministry of Public Security will, at the request of the Ministry of Justice, verify the identity of applicants for naturalization in Vietnam.
By VLLF
