Hanoi (VNA) – Finland on August 11 became the third country to reject new Vietnamese passports, following similar moves by Germany and the Czech Republic.

The new Vietnamese passports with a navy blue cover, issued from the beginning of July 1, 2022, do not contain information on the place of birth of the passport holder, “which is a requirement for personal identification and also for processing Finnish visa/residence permit applications,” the Finnish Embassy in Hanoi said in a statement.

Therefore, Finland has decided to temporarily suspend the recognition of new Vietnamese passports.

“The Embassy of Finland will not receive visa/residence permit applications from holders of the new passport until further notice from the relevant Finnish authorities. The Embassy will provide information in case of any changes,” the announcement continued. .

Finland will actively work with EU member states, Schengen and Vietnam to find solutions to this problem, the embassy noted.

Earlier in July, Germany and the Czech Republic also contested the omission of place of birth on new passports, saying it would be difficult for immigration authorities to properly verify the identity of passport holders.

The United Kingdom and France, however, have expressly stated that they will continue to accept new Vietnamese passports.

Spain, after an initial refusal, also accepted the new passports, but required visa applicants to present their valid Vietnamese identity card (which contains information on place of birth). The embassy has warned that this visa will not allow entry into Schengen countries which do not accept passports, however.

The Ministry of Public Security, while insisting that new passports meet the technical standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), relented, saying it would add the field for place of birth in the annex of the passport for those who request it.

Explaining why the new passport does not contain birthplace information, Public Security Minister To Lam said ICAO has not designated other information like birthplace as mandatory. According to the Law on Exit and Entry of Vietnamese Citizens, the information in passports also does not include the place of birth.

Eventually, the ministry could review the design of the passport and add the place of birth to the main page./.