Travelling to Vietnam – What if the name on your documents doesn’t match the name on your passport?

So, you’re all ready for your move to Vietnam.

You’re in the process of getting everything sorted and you get around to legalising your documents. Suddenly, you realise something. The name on the documents is different from the name on your passport. Uh oh. Panic sets in. Is this going to be a problem? Will you still be able to legalise your documents? Will you have to hold off travelling to Vietnam?

Don’t worry. It would cause you problems, but lucky for you you’ve found this blog. I’ll talk you through what you need to do to make sure everything goes smoothly and without any costly delays.

What happens if the name on my documents doesn’t match the name on my passport?

First things first: in order for your documents to be accepted in Vietnam, the name on your documents will need to match the name on your passport. That being said, you can legalise any UK-issued documents at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Vietnamese Embassy whether the names match or not. It’s a bit confusing, so let me explain.

The FCDO and the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK are happy to legalise your documents even if the names don’t match the name on your passport. But, when you take those documents to Vietnam and present them, they won’t be accepted. The in-country authorities require the name on your documents to match the name on your passport.

Why do they let you legalise them if they won’t be accepted in-country? I don’t know. That’s just how it works with Vietnamese legalisation. But it can lead to a situation where you’re travelling to Vietnam, happy as Larry, only to be told when you arrive that your documents won’t be accepted. Nightmare.

Obviously you don’t want that, so here’s what you need to do to make sure it doesn’t happen.

What do I need to do before travelling to Vietnam?

You need to get an affidavit.

An affidavit is a written statement, taken as an oath, that the person giving swears to be true. It’s witnessed and signed by a Commissioner for Oaths. That sounds like something from Game of Thrones, but it’s really not as grandiose as you’d think. Nowadays, you just need to make a written statement in front of a solicitor or notary public (for a fee). It’s signed and becomes a legal document.

In this case, you need an affidavit that explains the name variation. Once you have one you can legalise it and present it to the authorities in Vietnam. Once they’re provided with a legalised affidavit explaining the differences in names, they’ll be happy to accept your documents and you’ll be happily on your way to start your new life in Vietnam.

How do I get an affidavit?

The easiest way to sort it is to get in touch with us. We’re legalisation experts. We’ve dealt with the Vietnamese legalisation process countless times and we know exactly what the Vietnamese authorities want to see.

And we can get you an affidavit, too. As part of our service, we offer an option for a name variation cover sheet. Our solicitor, Bashir, can act as the Commissioner of Oaths, signing your statement and ensuring that your documents will be accepted by the Vietnamese authorities.

It’s our job to make legalisation easier for you. We’ve helped countless people in the past – even stepping in last minute to help those who’ve gone through the process of travelling to Vietnam and found their documents rejected in-country. We can take care of everything for you – the legalisation and the name variation cover sheet.

Don’t stress about anything – just get in touch.