Naturalization in Vietnam
01. Conditions for application 
Conditions on naturalization in Vietnam:
1. The applicant's ability to know Vietnamese sufficiently to integrate into the Vietnamese community will be evaluated based on his/her skills of communication in Vietnamese with Vietnamese citizens, taking account of their living and working environment.
2. Applicants for naturalization in Vietnam must be those who permanently reside in Vietnam and possess permanent residence cards granted by competent Vietnamese agencies. An applicant's period of temporary residence in Vietnam will be counted from the day he/she is granted a permanent residence card.
3. The applicant's ability to make a living in Vietnam must be proved by his/her assets and lawful income sources or guaranteed by an organization or individual in Vietnam.
Cases eligible for exemption from some conditions on naturalization in Vietnam
1. Persons having made special meritorious contributions to Vietnam's national construction and defense are those who have been awarded orders, medals or other honorable titles by the State of Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam or the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or have their special meritorious contribution certified by competent Vietnamese agencies.
2. Persons whose naturalization in Vietnam is helpful to the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam must be those who have talents in scientific, technological, cultural, social, art and sport domains and are certified by their employing agencies or organizations and ministerial-level state management agencies or provincial-level People's Committees that their naturalization in Vietnam will contribute to the development of these domains.
02. Applicable laws 
1. Law on Vietnamese nationality 2008
2. Decree No. 78/2009/NĐ-CP detailing and implementing some articles of Law on Vietnamese nationality
3. Circular No. 08/2010/TT-BTP guiding specimen papers on nationality
03. Procedure
Step 1: Prepare the following documents
- An application for Vietnamese nationality
- A copy of the birth certificate, passport or other substitute papers;
A curriculum vitae - A judicial record issued by a competent Vietnamese authority for the period the applicant resides in Vietnam and a judicial record issued by a competent foreign authority for the period the applicant resides in the foreign country. Judicial records must be issued within 90 days before the date of filing the dossier;
- Papers proving his/her Vietnamese language skills: copy of a Vietnamese postgraduate, university, college, professional secondary, upper secondary or lower secondary diplomas; copy of a diploma or certificate of Vietnamese language skills granted by a Vietnamese language training establishment.
Papers proving his/her place and period of residence in Vietnam - Papers proving his/her ability to make livelihood in Vietnam: paper evidencing property ownership rights; written certification of the wage or income level, issued by the employing agency or organization of the applicant; written certification of taxable incomes, issued by a tax office; paper evidencing the guarantee by an organization or individual in Vietnam; or written certification of the applicant’s ability to make his/her living in Vietnam, made by the People’s Committee of the commune, ward or township (below referred to as commune-level People’s Committee) where the applicant resides.
Step 2: Submit the file
- A person applying for Vietnamese nationality shall file a dossier to the provincial-level Justice Service of the locality where he/she resides. In case the dossier is incomplete or invalid, the provincial-level Justice Service shall immediately notify the applicant thereof for supplementation arid completion of the dossier
- Within 5 working days after the receipt of a complete and valid dossier, the provincial-level Justice Service shall send to the provincial-level Public Security Department a request for verification of the applicant’s identity.
- Within 30 days after the receipt of a request from the provincial-level Justice Service, the provincial-level Public Security Department shall conduct verification and send verification results to the provincial-level Justice Service. During this period, the provincial-level Justice Service shall examine papers in the dossier of application for Vietnamese nationality.
- Within 10 working days after the receipt of verification results, the provincial-level Justice Service shall complete the dossier for submission to the provincial-level People’s Committee president.
- Within 10 working days after the receipt of a request from the provincial-level Justice Service, the provincial-level People’s Committee president shall consider, make conclusion and send his/her proposal to the Ministry of Justice.
- Within 20 working days after the receipt of the proposal from the provincial-level People’s Committee president, the Ministry of Justice shall re-examine the dossier, if finding that all conditions for naturalization in Vietnam are met, the Ministry shall send a written notification to the applicant for carrying out procedures to renounce his/her foreign nationality, except the case in which the applicant wishes to retain his/her foreign nationality or is a stateless person. Within 10 working days after the receipt of a written permission for the applicant to renounce his/her foreign nationality, the Minister of Justice shall report the case to the Prime Minister for submission to the President for consideration and decision.
In case the applicant wishes to retain his/her foreign nationality or is a stateless person, within 20 days after the receipt of the proposal from the provincial-level People’s Committee president, the Ministry of Justice shall re-examine the dossier, if finding that the applicant is eligible for naturalization in Vietnam, the Ministry shall report the case to the Prime Minister for submission to the President for consideration and decision. - The President shall consider and make decision within 30 working days after the receipt of the Prime Minister’s proposal.
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