The regular passport of Vietnam (Photo: VNA)

The Ministry of Public Security said that from March 1, 2023, the Ministry of Public Security will issue ordinary passports with electronic chips to Vietnamese citizens in accordance with the Law on Exit and Entry of Vietnamese Citizens.

A passport with an electronic chip is a passport with an electronic device that holds the passport holder's encrypted information and the issuer's signature.

This is a new improvement step to facilitate Vietnamese citizens, improve the efficiency of State management of immigration and meet the country's international integration requirements.

Basic benefits of a passport with an electronic chip:

Firstly, passports with electronic chips are a prerequisite and the basis for automating border gate control, facilitating travel and entry and exit between countries (especially countries that apply biometric identification technology to control electronic passports at some international border gates).

Because it is possible to save a lot of passengers' information accurately and uniformly in terms of format, immigration procedures in other countries will take place more quickly and easily, almost without wasting time for immigration control officers of countries to control, Verify the information on the passport because everything will appear quickly when reading the passport.

E-passports not only store information written on paper such as full name, date of birth, nationality ... but also capable of storing human biometric information such as fingerprints, iris, face, blood type ... The more information it stores, the more accurate it is to identify a person.

Immigration control officers quickly confirm the passenger's information during check-in.

Secondly, passport holders with electronic chips will be given priority by the foreign side when processing entry visas.

Currently, there are more than 100 countries and territories in the world using e-passports, because they store a lot of information in a unified format between countries.

Because of this advantage, e-passport holders are often given priority by countries to allow easier entry and exit.

Specifically, the US Visa Waiver Program is applied to 39 countries and territories around the world provided that the entrant has an e-passport.

Third, Passports with electronic chips have high information security, because stored in the chip, it is difficult to copy information.

Therefore, electronic passports are more secure than regular paper passports, protecting passport holders against the risk of personal information theft; avoid counterfeiting because countries around the world, including Vietnam, are facing an increase in the use of fake passports, visas and immigration documents for illegal activities, such as smuggling, illegal migration, etc terrorist...; There is absolutely no tracking positioning.

Fourth, the issuance of e-passports not only facilitates people in immigration activities but also suits the e-Government to create a breakthrough in socio-economic development; enhance the position of Vietnamese passports, promote Vietnam's integration process in the region and the world.

Form of passport with electronic chip:

Passports with electronic chips are basically the same as passports without electronic chips with charcoal blue covers, the pages of the passport are beautiful scenery of the country and cultural heritage of Vietnam.

All contents and images printed in the passport are made by modern technology to meet security requirements, prevent the risk of counterfeiting and meet ICAO standards.

To distinguish it from a passport without an electronic chip, on the first cover of the passport there is an electronic chip symbol.

The electronic chip is located on the back cover of the passport book to store the passport holder's identity and biometric information (including face photos, fingerprints, etc.) and the digital signature of the passport issuing authority.

Ordinary passports without electronic chips and ordinary passports with electronic chips are used in tandem.

When submitting a passport application, Vietnamese citizens from 14 years old and above have the right to choose whether to issue a passport without an electronic chip or a passport with an electronic chip (in the passport application form, there is already a passport form for citizens to fill in).

Vietnamese citizens who have been issued ordinary passports without electronic chips will be allowed to continue to use them until the expiry of their passports, not required to change to passports with electronic chips.

Source: xaydungchinhsanh.chinhphu.vn