Vietnam launches level-2 digital ID accounts for foreigners starting July 1

According to the ministry's Immigration Department, these digital ID accounts will help foreigners carry out administrative procedures online more easily, reducing time, paperwork, and direct contact.

The issuance also ensures the authenticity of information and protects the legal rights of foreigners living and working in Vietnam.

The level-2 digital ID accounts allow foreigners to access various digital services, including identity verification for banking transactions, housing registration, public services, and storage of electronic residence cards and legal documents through the VNeID application.

For authorities, creating a unified 'digital profile' for each foreign individual enhances the efficiency of identity verification and residency management, while helping prevent and address potential violations.

This policy aims not only to improve state management but also to offer a convenient, safe, and friendly administrative experience to foreigners in Vietnam.

The process is managed by the Immigration Department and the Department of Administrative Management of Social Order, both under the Ministry of Public Security.

The data required for issuing a digital ID account includes personal details, passport or international travel documents, residence cards, portrait photos, and biometric data.

Application procedure

Step 1: Foreigners visit the Immigration Department to apply for a level-2 digital ID account.

Step 2: Applicants present their passport or international travel document and complete the digital ID registration form (Form TK01), providing a registered mobile number, email address (if any), and any additional information they wish to integrate into the national ID app.

Step 3: Officials input applicants’ information into the ID system, capture facial images and fingerprints, and verify the data against the national immigration database.

Step 4: The immigration authority sends a request to the digital ID and authentication management agency.

Step 5: Applicants receive registration results via the VNeID app, their registered mobile number, or email address.

Applications can be submitted during working hours from Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays as prescribed by law.

Foreigners must visit the Immigration Department or the provincial-level immigration offices of the Ministry of Public Security in person to complete the procedure. 

The digital ID accounts are issued by the Department of Administrative Management of Social Order.

Processing time

- No more than three working days if facial images and fingerprints are already in the national immigration database.

- No more than seven working days if the data is not yet in the database.

Colonel Nguyen Ba Tuan, deputy director of the Immigration Department, stated that the agency began piloting the program before July 2025, receiving 333 applications and successfully running the level-2 digital ID system for foreigners in Vietnam.

He also announced a 50-day nationwide campaign from July 1 to August 19 to promote the issuance of digital ID accounts to foreigners.

The campaign includes information drives to help foreigners understand how digital IDs can make it easier to access public services, complete online procedures, and live, work, or study securely and conveniently in Vietnam during their stay.

Visiting the Immigration Department on Tuesday to apply for a digital ID account, Park HyungChe from South Korea expressed his satisfaction with the efficient and well-guided process.

Chen Hsiao Wu from Taiwan shared that receiving a level-2 digital ID account made him feel “almost like a Vietnamese person,” and he looks forward to using it for public services, residency, and civil transactions such as banking and housing.

The Immigration Department considers the issuance of digital ID accounts to foreigners as a necessary step in line with modern governance and national digital transformation.

Despite challenges, with strong government leadership and cooperation from agencies and localities, this policy is expected to enhance state management, safeguard foreigners’ legal rights, and promote a transparent, safe, and friendly image of a digital Vietnam.

This initiative represents a major step in administrative reform and digital transformation, helping to facilitate the lives of foreigners living, working, and traveling in Vietnam, and supports the government’s and Ministry of Public Security’s national digital agenda.