Translation and legalisation of Vietnamese documents

Vietnamese public documents are usually legalised for use with German authorities. In Vietnam, the original document must first be pre-authenticated by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs office, and a German translation must be attached before you submit it for legalisation at the German mission responsible for the province where the document was issued 2.

Who needs this

• This procedure is for Vietnamese public documents that are to be used by German authorities 2.
• If a German authority wants to verify a Vietnamese civil-status document, a separate document verification procedure can be started only by the authority, not by a private person 3.

Step by step

1. Check whether your document is one of the document types accepted for legalisation by the German mission in Hanoi or the Consulate General in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt 2.
2. Have the document pre-authenticated by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi or the Office for Foreign Affairs in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt 2.
3. Have the document translated into German and bring the translation with the original document 2.
4. After the pre-authentication, submit the documents for legalisation to the German Embassy in Hanoi or the Consulate General in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt, either yourself or through an authorised person 2.
5. If a German authority asks for a verification of a Vietnamese document, it must send an official request with the required originals and supporting papers; private persons cannot submit this request themselves 3.

Documents

• Original Vietnamese public document or original register extract (for example, birth certificate (Giấy khai sinh), marriage certificate (Giấy chứng nhận kết hôn), death certificate (Giấy chứng tử), certificate of marital status (Giấy xác nhận tình trạng hôn nhân), paternity acknowledgement extract, residence confirmation, divorce judgment, or criminal record certificate in the listed forms) 2.
• Pre-authentication by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs office 2.
• German translation of the document 2.
• For document verification by a German authority: original document or original extract with German translation, fully completed power of attorney (Anwaltsvollmacht) with certified signature of the document holder, copy of the passport, and if needed a copy of the family book (Sổ Hộ Khẩu) or police-issued residence confirmation 3.
• For document verification, the last registered address and actual address in Vietnam must be stated in Vietnamese 3.

Cost and time

• The legalisation fee for Vietnamese documents is 30 euros, payable in cash in Vietnamese dong 2.
• The Vietnamese authorities set the cost of the pre-authentication 2.
• The legalised documents are then sent by post, and postage is paid by the recipient 2.
• The legalisation process takes about one week 2.
• For document verification by a German authority, the costs are 193, 293, 368, or 443 euros if the person lives in Hanoi or Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt, depending on whether one, two, three, or four documents are checked; outside Hanoi or Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt, the costs are 263, 383, 483, or 583 euros 3.
• For document verification, the costs include 3 euros postage expenses in each case 3.
• Verification processing can take several months 1.

Deadlines

• A certificate of marital status is valid for 6 months from the date of issue 2.
• Expired certificates of marital status must be replaced with a valid one 2.

City by city

• Hanoi: The German Embassy in Hanoi legalises documents issued in the listed northern provinces, including Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, and others named by the mission 23.
• Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt: The Consulate General legalises documents issued in the listed southern and central provinces, including TP Ho Chi Minh, Can Tho, Da Nang, Dong Nai, and others named by the mission 23.
• For pre-authentication, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Department is listed at 40 Trần Phú, Ba Đình, Hà Nội, and the Office in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt at 6 Alexandre De Rhodes, District 1 2.
• For document verification, Hanoi and Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt also have their own document groups and fee levels depending on where the document holder lives 3.