Foreigners married to Vietnamese now able to get citizenship without living in country

Vietnam's National Assembly approved several revisions to its nationality law regarding the conditions for obtaining Vietnamese citizenship, according to Tuoi Tre.

All 416 deputies who were in attendance voted in favour of the revised law on Jun. 24.

Foreigners with Vietnamese spouses need not stay in the country

According to VnExpress International, under the revised law, foreigners or stateless applicants who have a Vietnamese spouse or a biological child are exempt from the requirement of completing five years of residency in the country.

This means that they will not have to stay in the country to be a citizen of Vietnam.

Minister of Justice Nguyen Hai Ninh shared that the government hopes the revised law will bring more skilled labour to Vietnam, stating that "The goal is to encourage integration while supporting national development."

Exempted from several other conditions

According to VnExpress International, foreigners or stateless applicants who have a Vietnamese spouse or a biological child are also exempted from the following conditions:

• Proficient in the Vietnamese language
• Prove financial self-sufficiency

Applicants, however, must continue to:

• Respect local culture and customs
• Comply with Vietnam's laws
• Demonstrate full legal capacity (Waived for children applying with a Vietnamese parent)

The new conditions will also apply to foreigners who have made special contributions or proven benefits to Vietnam.

Those with Vietnamese relatives can retain dual citizenship

Another revision made is that applicants will be allowed to have dual citizenship if they have a Vietnamese relative once they have received presidential approval, according to Vietnam Visa Immigration.

Moreover, the revision also relaxed naming requirements.

Although naturalised citizens must pick a name in Vietnamese or an ethnic Vietnamese language, dual citizens can opt to combine their original name with a Vietnamese name.

Top image from Canva and Wikipedia.