Vietnam: Process for being reinstated onto a household registration

In 18 February 2009 correspondence, an official of the Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam stated that the authorities responsible for household registration (ho khau) reinstatement are the commune/provincial police agencies. According to the Official, the process for being reinstated onto a household registration requires the following documentation:

1) [Identification] card or other personal papers;

2) Note of change in household members;

3) Member declaration form (for [applicant] above 14 years [of age]);

4) Certificate of household move;

5) Documents proving [the house is] legal[ly] inhabited. (Canada 18 Feb. 2009)

The Official stated that additional documents are required in some circumstances, as follows:

[A] [j]uvenile who does not register a permanent residence with father [and/or] mother, ... but does register a permanent residence with others must have an agreement in writing by father [and/or] mother ...

Single people who are looked after by specific agencies or organizations, ... should have the written recommendations by said agencies or organizations. [When] they are being taken care of by an individual, his/her written recommendation should be certified by the People's Committee at [the] commune level. The recommendation should specify the basic information of each person as follows: full name, date of birth, gender, native land, ethnicity, religion, ID [number], [and] previous permanent residence before moving to the current address/residence.

Children registered as a permanent residen[t] must have a birth certificate (original or a copy notarized or certified).

People living in religious establishments registered as a permanent residen[t] must have proof of identity demonstrating that they are a religious worker or involved in professional religious activities.

Vietnamese expatriates who are still of Vietnamese nationality and who return to live in Vietnam are required to produce one of the following documents:

• Vietnamese passport or travel document which has a stamp verifying entry ... at the border gate;

• Proof of [Vietnamese nationality] granted by the Vietnam representative agencies overseas, accompanied by proof of the permission [to return] to Vietnam issued by the related authority;

• Certificate of Vietnamese nationality granted by the People's Committee of provinces and cities directly under central authority, accompanied by proof of the permission [to return to] Vietnam for permanent residence issued by the related authority. (ibid.)

The Official also indicated that the local public security authorities in the residents' new location must process their household registration "within less than 10 working days for cities [and] towns and less than 15 days for other areas from the dates of dossier submission" (ibid.). An additional 10 working days may be allotted for processing household registration should "difficulties" arise (ibid.).

The Official stated that household registration procedures and paperwork may vary slightly from province to province (ibid.). The information provided by the Official is based on government Decree/Circular, government websites and local knowledge (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Reference

Canada. 18 February 2009. Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Correspondence from an official.

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral Sources: The embassies of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Ottawa and in Washington, DC did not provide information within the time constraints of this Response.

Internet sites, including: Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Europa World, European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net), Factiva, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Intellasia, International Migration Review, South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC), Vietnam Law and Legal Reform, Vietnam – Ministry of Home Affairs, VietNamNet, Viet Nam News [Hanoi], Viet Nam News Agency, United Kingdom (UK) Border Agency, United States (US) Department of State, Xinhua News Agency.