Conditions for restoring Vietnamese citizenship
VGP – Overseas Vietnamese can restore Vietnamese nationality if he/she has made special meritorious contributions to and invested in the country.
Question: (An overseas Vietnamese) I was granted citizenship of the Republic of Korea in 2009 and renounced Vietnamese nationality. Can I restore Vietnamese citizenship and hold Korean nationality at the same time? What are the procedures?
Answer: (The Ministry of Justice) Decree 78/2009/ND-CP, dated September 22, 2009, states that conditions for restoration of Vietnamese nationality are prescribed in Articles 23, 24 and 25 of the Law on Vietnamese Nationality. These are:
• Persons who have made special meritorious contributions to Vietnam's national construction and defense and persons whose restoration of Vietnamese nationality is helpful to the State of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.
• Persons who make investment in Vietnam must have investment projects with investment certificates granted by competent Vietnamese agencies.
Accordingly, you have to present reasons and evidence of the special case mentioned above when seeking permission from the State President for getting Vietnamese citizenship back without renouncing Korean nationality.
Article 10 of the Decree stipulates some papers needed for the application for restoration of Vietnamese nationality, including:
• Paper evidencing that the applicant is a former Vietnamese national is either of the following papers: copy of the birth certificate: copy of the decision permitting renunciation of Vietnamese nationality or the certificate of loss of Vietnamese nationality; or another paper stating his/her previous Vietnamese nationality or valid for evidencing his/her previous Vietnamese nationality;
• Paper evidencing the eligibility for restoration of Vietnamese nationality is any of papers prescribed at Points a, b, c and d. Clause 2, Article 7 of this Decree or paper evidencing that the applicant is carrying out procedures for repatriation or a copy of the certificate of investment in Viet Nam.
A dossier of application for restoration of Vietnamese nationality shall be made in three sets to be kept at the Office of the President, the Ministry of Justice and the dossier-receiving agency./.
