Passport and VEC renewal

    I'm a Canadian living in Vietnam. My passport will expire in early 2026 along with my VEC (Visa Exemption Certificate). I know that I can renew my passport via the Canadian embassy. Does anyone know if there is a process for renewing the passport and the VEC without having to leave the country? Or, what other options I may have without having to return to Canada?        -@Sugarcrisp

You won't have to return to Canada, but if you do get immigration here to give you a new 5 year Visa Exemption Certificate, you will need to leave the country, because you can only activate the new VEC when entering the country.

If you can't get immigration here to issue you a new VEC you can contact the Embassy of Vietnam in Canada and have them send your new one to you here by FedEx, then exit the country and re-enter with the new one.

@OceanBeach92107...Thanks for the reply. How about the transition to my new passport and before I receive the new VEC? Would I need to get a visa during this period?

    @OceanBeach92107...Thanks for the reply. How about the transition to my new passport and before I receive the new VEC? Would I need to get a visa during this period?
   

    -@Sugarcrisp

You mentioned a while back that your wife successfully received her Vietnam passport. Is she now considered to be a resident of Vietnam with a "permanent" address here? If so, don't mess around with the Visa Exemption Certificate any longer. Apply for a Temporary Resident Card with her as your sponsor.

Otherwise, it sounds as if you are setting yourself up for a time when you will be without your passport, waiting for the new one to be issued (I'm not Canadian so I don't really know the process for you but sometimes people have to turn in their old passport and wait for the new one).

If that's the case, I'm "guessing" that you may want to visit an office of the Vietnam Foreign Service and arrange for a notarized copy of your passport to have in your possession along with your VEC during that time.

But then when you get your new passport (as I slightly understand the process) you'll be required to either go to immigration to get your VEC amended with the new passport number or you may actually need to get a brand new VEC.

I think your best source of information for this is going to be either the embassy or consulate of Vietnam back in Canada.

It's a good thing that you are planning ahead for 2016.

Hopefully somebody more knowledgeable than me can correct any mistakes I've made and give you the best possible information, especially pertaining to a Canadian citizen.

Good luck!

It's a good thing that you are planning ahead for 2016.
    -@OceanBeach92107

2026...

@OceanBeach92107...thanks again. You are correct about my wife getting her Vietnamese passport, but as of yet she has not been able to establish her own residency here. That would be the ideal situation. Just means she no longer needs a VEC for herself. I've recently contacted the Vietnam Embassy in Canada. They have never been very good at responding via email, but I will give it some time to see if they do and if they are helpful. You keep bringing up new questions I hadn't thought of (Will Canada return my current passport since I'm out of the country). I will be able to check on this in the fall as my wife needs to renew her Canadian passport.

...Will Canada return my current passport since I'm out of the country. I will be able to check on this in the fall as my wife needs to renew her Canadian passport.        -@Sugarcrisp

Hi there. Yes, you can request your old passport be returned to you.

I posted the experience of another fellow Canadian, here.

I would strongly suggest you apply for your new passport at least 6 months prior to the expiration of your current one, taking advantage of the streamlined application. Check with the Canadian embassy/consulate for further information and confirmation of date details.

   @OceanBeach92107...thanks again. You are correct about my wife getting her Vietnamese passport, but as of yet she has not been able to establish her own residency here. That would be the ideal situation. Just means she no longer needs a VEC for herself.
    -@Sugarcrisp

Maybe double check to make sure she is not listed in someone's "family book".

If she is, that's her permanent address.

Best of luck!

@OceanBeach92107...Unfortunately, she's not. Her family left Vietnam in the 80's. She doesn't have any family still residing here, so she hasn't been able to make any headway on getting her gov id

@Sugarcrisp

I believe you need to renew your Canadian passport first and then renew your VEC. When I went to renew my VEC last time, i was only given a 3+ year VEC because that's how long until my passport expires. The VEC is 5 years max or however long your passport is good for so if your passport has 2 years left, you will receive 2 year VEC.

@qnbui...I agree that the passport needs to be renewed first as the VEC is linked to the passport. I'm looking for the actually method (or legal process) of completing the procedure without leaving Vietnam (or Southeast Asia).

    @qnbui...I agree that the passport needs to be renewed first as the VEC is linked to the passport. I'm looking for the actually method (or legal process) of completing the procedure without leaving Vietnam (or Southeast Asia).        -@Sugarcrisp

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 43#5619715

"A fellow Canadian expat applied for his new PP early December through the Canadian consulate office in HCMC. He qualified for the streamlined application, as his current PP was neither lost, damaged, nor expired. The reason for his requiring a new PP was that he had run out of pages.

The quoted turn-around was 15 work days from the date the application was received. His new PP was delivered to him, via courier, 5 days after the consulate office received his application. Very nice work by the staff there. His old passport was returned to him, with the top right corners cut off. (he was rather delighted that the new PP's "Issued at" line states, "Ho Chi Minh City" )"