Saturday, December 13, 2025, 11:08 GMT+7

Children born to foreign parents: How to register their birth in Vietnam?

A reader from Da Nang City, Hoang Thi Minh Sinh, who recently married a foreign national and gave birth, wrote to ask Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper what documents are required when registering her child’s birth.

Pham Van Chung, a legal expert at the Quang Ngai Department of Justice, responded.

Under Clause 1, Article 16 of the 2014 Law on Civil Status regarding birth registration procedures, the applicant must submit the prescribed declaration form and the certificate of birth to the civil status authority.

Children born to foreign parents: How to register their birth in Vietnam? - Ảnh 1. — Legal expert Pham Van Chung from Quang Ngai Province’s Department of Justice

If no certificate of birth is available, a witness statement confirming the birth must be submitted.

If there are no witnesses, the applicant must provide a written affidavit confirming the birth.

If the father, mother, or both parents are foreign nationals, a written agreement signed by parents on the child’s nationality must be submitted.

If the parents choose a foreign nationality for the child, the written agreement must be certified by the competent authority of the country of which the parent is a citizen.

Therefore, for children with one or both parents being foreign nationals, in addition to the declaration form and the certificate of birth required by law, the applicant must also submit the written agreement between the parents on the child’s nationality.

If the parents choose a foreign nationality for the child, this agreement must be certified by the competent foreign authority.