I. General Provisions:
The Criminal Record Certificate is a document issued by the authority managing the criminal record database, serving as proof of whether an individual has a criminal record and whether they are prohibited from holding certain positions, establishing, or managing enterprises or cooperatives in cases where such enterprises or cooperatives have been declared bankrupt by a court (Clause 4, Article 2 of the Law on Criminal Records). There are two types of Criminal Record Certificates (Article 41 of the Law on Criminal Records):
– Criminal Record Certificate No. 1 is issued upon request of Vietnamese citizens, foreigners who have resided or are currently residing in Vietnam, and state agencies, political organizations, or socio-political organizations for purposes of personnel management, business registration activities, and the establishment and management of enterprises or cooperatives.
– Criminal Record Certificate No. 2 is issued to judicial authorities and to individuals who wish to know the full details of their own criminal record.
The Embassy of Vietnam in the United Kingdom does not issue Criminal Record Certificates.
From 1 March 2025, the Ministry of Public Security (Department of Professional Profile) and the Provincial Police Department will be responsible for receiving applications for Criminal Record Certificates and for updating and processing criminal record information.
II. Application documents to be submitted at the Embassy:
– Two (02) copies of Application Forms for Criminal Record Certificate (please do not sign in advance). (download in Vietnamese or English )
– Two (02) copies of the passport(s) (including the page with the photo and all pages containing visas/entry-exit stamps for Viet Nam), and two (02) copies of the residence permit (if applicable).
– Two (02) Letters of Authorization (please do not sign in advance; you may authorize an individual or organization in Viet Nam to submit the application on your behalf). ( download template) + One (01) copy of the ID document (Passport/Citizen ID) of the authorized person.
III. Notes:
– You must appear in person at the Embassy to sign the above documents in the presence of the consular officer.
– After the Embassy returns the certified documents, you must send the complete application for the Criminal Record Certificate to the Ministry of Public Security (Department of Professional Profile) or the Provincial Police Department where you previously resided in Viet Nam for processing in accordance with their authority. There will be a fee for the Departments to issue the record certificate.
For further enquiries, please Email: consular@vietnamembassy.org.uk