DoS Notice: Children Adopted From Vietnam Before July 1, 2009 Must Register with the Government of Vietnam to Retain Vietnamese Citizenship.

The 2008 citizenship law of Vietnam requires that children adopted from Vietnam before July 1, 2009 must register with overseas Vietnamese diplomatic missions prior to July 1, 2014 to retain their Vietnamese citizenship (Art. 13.2 citizenship law of Vietnam).  The law does not require children adopted from Vietnam after July 1, 2009 to register because they automatically retain their Vietnamese citizenship (Art. 37.1 citizenship law of Vietnam).

After July 1, 2014, those who do not register for retention will lose their Vietnamese citizenship.  In order to reclaim their Vietnamese nationality, they would have to apply for restoration of Vietnamese citizenship, proving that they meet the conditions of Article 23 of the citizenship law of Vietnam and following a rigorous process that requires the approval of the President of Vietnam.

For instructions on how to apply to retain Vietnamese citizenship, please visit the website of the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=vietnam_8

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