1. Overview
The Vietnamese Government has clearly expressed its position “marriage and family relations involving foreign elements shall be respected and protected in accordance with Vietnamese law and treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a contracting party”, according to Article 121, Law on Marriage and Family 2014.
At that time, if marriage with a foreigner is performed in Vietnam/or a foreigner permanently residing in Vietnam, the foreigner will have to comply with the provisions of Vietnamese law on marriage conditions and procedures for applying for a marriage registration certificate, along with meeting the marriage conditions of their country.
2. Who can apply
Foreigners and Vietnamese who want to register for marriage in Vietnam need to meet the conditions of Article 8, Law on Marriage and Family 2014.
- The man is full 20 years or older, the woman is full 18 years or older;
- The marriage is voluntarily decided by the man and woman;
- The man and woman do not lose the civil act capacity;
- The marriage does not fall into one of the cases prescribed at Points a, b, c and d, Clause 2, Article 5 of this Law including:
*Note: The State shall not recognize marriage between persons of the same sex.
3. Required documents
To register a marriage involving a foreign element, the applicant needs to fully prepare the following documents to avoid errors that cause loss of time and money.
- Documents to submit:
*Note: The above documents are valid for no more than 06 months from the date of issue and must be consular legalized if issued by a competent authority abroad, unless exempted.
- Documents to present:
4. How it works
Currently, applicants can apply in person or online depending on their needs.
For direct method,
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Step 1: Prepare documents in accordance with Vietnamese Law. Step 2: Submit the application at the One-Stop Department/Public Administration Center of the District People's Committee. The person receiving the application will check and compare preliminary information and guide the applicant on the next steps:
Step 3: Get results The applicant checks status and actively coordinates with competent authorities when required during the application process. After completing the procedure, the competent authority issues a Marriage Registration Certificate to the registrant. To receive this paper, it is required that both male and female parties present identification documents for comparison and sign to keep the paper. The registrant can extend the time to receive the results but must not exceed 60 days. If after the extension time, they do not come to receive the results, the Marriage Registration Certificate will be canceled and no longer have legal effect. |
For online method,
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Step 1: The applicant accesses the Public Service Portal at the National or Provincial/City level. Register or Login Account issued by Public Service Company/Electronic Identity Account/Account issued by Vietnam Post. Step 2: Submit online application The applicant carefully fills out the information on the electronic civil status form on the Public Service Portal and attaches scans or electronic copies of papers and documents as prescribed. Step 3: Pay service fee After submitting complete documents, the applicant pays fees online or by other means according to the law. Step 4: Confirm online Marriage Registration Certificate information. The applicant receives the Marriage Registration Certificate form via email or other digital platforms to check the accuracy and completeness of the information. If the applicant confirms that the information is accurate and complete or there is no response after the requested deadline, the form is final and the information is saved on the Government’s platform. Step 5: Get results in person After completing the procedure, the competent authority issues a Marriage Registration Certificate to the registrant. To receive this paper, it is required that both male and female parties present identification documents for comparison and sign to keep the paper. The registrant can extend the time to receive the results but must not exceed 60 days. If after the extension time, they do not come to receive the results, the Marriage Registration Certificate will be canceled and no longer have legal effect. |
5. Processing time & Fees
The processing time is within 15 working days upon receipt of complete documents and fees, for both direct and online methods.
Currently, the fee for public services for registering marriage with foreign elements is decided by the People's Council of provinces and centrally run cities.
In addition, the State also implements a fee exemption policy for people from families who have contributed to the revolution; people from poor households; and people with disabilities.
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