Cars and travellers outside Helsinki Airport's Terminal 2. — AFP/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Embassy of Finland in Hà Nội has announced that the new Vietnamese passport is now recognised by the country as a travel document, with the added information of the holder’s place of birth in the observations section of the passport signed and sealed by the competent authorities.

Holders of the new passport may submit visa and residence permit applications under the aforementioned conditions, according to the embassy.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Finland said the decision by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs was issued on September 2, which coincides with Việt Nam's National Day.

Finland's recognition means that only the Czech Republic has temporarily rejected the new-style passports of Việt Nam, which were issued to the general public in July this year with the new navy blue covers.

The lack of the specific place of birth (province/city) on these passports faced complaints from some European countries, who say this omission makes it impossible for immigration authorities to properly verify the identity of the passport holder, resulting in the announcements of rejections in late July-early August.

Germany and Spain, who previously suspended recognition of the new passports, have also stated their acceptance of the documents as long as there is added information regarding birthplace as an appendix, as this is a required field of information when applying for a Schengen visa.

The US says it is reviewing the compliance of the new passports with domestic regulations but urging visa applicants to supply their place of birth anyway to avoid troubles, while France and the United Kingdom expressed acceptance of the new passports.

The Ministry of Public Security said the supplementing of the place of birth to the new passports will be done for free at the request of citizens, and in long term, it is working with relevant authorities, including the National Assembly, the Government, Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on adjusting the new passports to accommodate this field of information.

In the meantime, the rollout of the new passports will continue as usual. — VNS