You stayed/lived in Vietnam (already left) and need a Vietnam police check/criminal record/police clearance from here?
You wonder about where and how you can apply for it? You don’t want to fly back to Vietnam just to apply for this document?
You don’t know exactly about the requirements? You don’t know where to get the form and you don’t understand Vietnamese to fill up it?
Below are some information:
1) Which Vietnam police check to apply:
By Vietnam law, there are 2 kinds of Criminal Record in Vietnam: no 1 and no 2. Please check our post here for more information!
2) Where and How to apply:
You need to apply at/via The National Center for Criminal Record.
There are 2 ways:
+ Via postal service:
Applicable for both no 1 and no 2.
Note that though you can make payment by bank transfer, it would take them very long to verify (at least a month). They’re having hundreds of applications from abroad which they are still unable to verify (the payment). Even if someone in Vietnam help to do bank transfer in Vietnam, it’s the same, paying in cash will make it faster. So after you send your documents to them via postal service, you should have someone call them to ask if the application is accepted. And if yes, that person can come and make payment in cash for you.
+ Authorize someone in Hanoi to come to The National Center for Criminal Record to help you to apply in person.
Address: 6th floor, Building A, No.9 Tran Vi Street, Mai Dich Ward, Cau Giay District, Hanoi. This is inside campus of Vietnam’s Judicial Academy.
Only applicable for no 1.
3) Application for Vietnam police check no 1:
* Note:
+ You need to certify all your documents at Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate. If your country doesn’t have Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate, go to a neighboring country has. They don’t accept certification from any elsewhere.
+ All forms need to be filled in Vietnamese form.
* If apply directly by yourself (postal service + online):
+ An application form for criminal record certificates (Form No. 03/2013/TT-LLTP)
(Check our post here for application form and how to fill up)
+ A certified copy of applicant’s valid passport or ID card
+ A certified copy of your temporary residence card.
In case there is no temporary residence card, you can submit: certified copy of passport with entries and exits relevant to Vietnam and Vietnam visas.
+ Registration for receiving criminal record certificates through postal service (Form No. 01/2014/LLTP).
* If authorize someone to apply for you:
– An application form for criminal record certificates – (Form No.04/2013/TT-LLTP) (This is filled and signed by the person who apply for you, that person will declare for you. Of course you need to provide him/her your information).
– A certified copy of applicant’s valid passport and ID card and ID card or passport of the authorized person.
+ A certified copy of your temporary residence card.
In case there is no temporary residence card, you can submit: certified copy of passport with entries and exits relevant to Vietnam and Vietnam visas.
– A certified authorization letter on implementing all procedures for criminal record certificates.
4) Application for Vietnam police check no 2:
Same with application for Criminal Record no 1, with only 2 differences:
+ You can’t authorize someone else to apply for you, except if you use a service like ours.
+ You need to certify your signature on application form at Embassy as well.
5) Time and fee:
Officially it takes 3 weeks and 200,000 VND processing fee to receive the Criminal Record, though sometime the date on the Criminal Record is just 1 week from the day you apply. After they receive your application and payment, they should issue you/the authorized person a letter stating the date you should expect to receive the Criminal Record. (see photo for reference).
Note: The Criminal Record you would receive is in Vietnamese, you would need to have it translated to English and certified.
6) Postal fee to send your Vietnam police check:
6.1. If you apply by yourself (postal service):
The mandatory postal fee is listed in the 4th attachment in this link: http://ttlltp.moj.gov.vn/qt/thongbao/Pages/thong-bao.aspx?ItemID=43
which is “TB 09_TTLLTPQG_GIA CUOC.pdf”, you also can check the postal fee listed here.
6.2. If you authorize someone to apply for you
He/she can either send for you by DHL or Vietnam Post:
+ By DHL: around 1,464,000 VND for Canada and Ireland; 1,760,000 VND for South Africa. Receive in 2-3 business days. You can check the price on their website.
+ By Vietnam Post: around 830,000 VND for Canada and Ireland; 383,000 VND for the Philippines. Receive in 5-6 business days though it can be longer.
Price on their website is not correct (when I called they said they didn’t update their website).
So if you don’t need to send urgent and want to save the cost, you can select to send by Vietnam Post.
7) Other notes:
Note 1:
If you had left Vietnam, but don’t live at your home country, and live abroad, it’s most likely that the Vietnamese embassy at the country you’re living in don’t accept to certify for you directly. You need to come to embassy of your home country to certify first, then come to Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country you’re currently living at to certify, then finally come to Vietnamese embassy to certify. For example, if you are British living in Japan, you need to come to British embassy to certify first, then go to Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan to certify, then finally go to Vietnamese embassy to certify. There is exception that they would certify for passport holder from a 3rd country, but not all the times.
Note 2:
If you and your partner/spouse/friend/brother/sister want to apply for the Police check together and would send the application and receive the result from/at the same address, and you wonder if you can send the application together and receive the result together to save the postal fee, here is the answer:
The National Center for Criminal Record need to treat each application individually, that means you should send the application separately and receive the result separately. They may accept you to send the applications together, but they must send the results to you separately.
Unless you only need the no.1 and you authorize someone to apply for it, then that person can receive for you, and send the results in the same envelope for you, otherwise you can’t receive the results together.
Note 3:
If you have old and new passports, and the old passport contain all Vietnam visas, exit and entry stamps, you need to certify both passports. However, on the application, you will put info of the new passport.
+ If you had lost your passport with all Vietnam visas, exit and entry stamps on it, you would be able to apply for Criminal Record if you come to Hanoi in person, and within 7 days from your day of arrival, you need to come to the Center to apply.
+ Question and answer about online registration:
I’ve asked by many people if they can apply online via: https://lltptructuyen.moj.gov.vn/home, and here are my answers:
=> For foreigners who left Vietnam:
No, it doesn’t work for you.
Why?
Because the National Center for Criminal Records in Vietnam still require actual documents of application anyway. And it need to be sent by mail to them, they don’t accept scan only. So you still need to go through the usual process of certificate your documents at nearest Vietnamese embassy, then send by mail to the Center.
=> For foreigners living in Vietnam:
It works, but it’s not convenient.
Why?
Because Department of Justice also requires actual documents. You can register for a postal service to come to your place and pick up the documents. However, they must be original or certified copies documents (means red-stamped on them). And whatever are sent to them, they would keep them there, they won’t return them to you. So, of course, you don’t want to give them your passport to keep forever.
You can send them the certified copies instead. However, to go and make certified copies, it’s faster if you just go directly to office of Department of Justice to apply for your police check.
We offer a service to help you to process for this, if you would like to inquiry about the service => Send us an email to khuyen@lsfvn.com or a message to https://www.facebook.com/lsfvietnam/
See testimonials about us here.
Photos of criminal record/police check/police clearance and translation:
Watch our video here: