Vietnamese Document Translation for UK Asylum Claims

Vietnamese documents we translate for asylum

If a family member takes photos for you in Vietnam, ask them to include every page and both sides of each card.

How Vietnamese documents are issued

Birth and marriage certificates

Vietnamese civil status events, such as births and marriages, are registered with the People's Committee of the commune or ward (xã or phường). The certificate shows the registration book number, the place of registration and the official who signed it. Some families hold an original certificate and one or more certified extracts (bản sao) issued later. We translate each version separately and label it clearly, because an extract and an original can carry different dates.

Household registration

For decades, the household registration book (sổ hộ khẩu) recorded who lived at each address and their relationship to the head of the household. It is often used to show family links and where a person lived. Vietnam has since moved to an electronic residence database, and paper household books stopped being valid after 31 December 2022. Old books are still useful records of the past, and we translate them in full.

Identity cards

Vietnamese identity cards are issued by the police under the Ministry of Public Security. Older cards (chứng minh nhân dân), chip-based citizen identity cards and cards issued under Vietnam's Law on Identification, in force since July 2024, may all appear in one family's papers. We translate the card number, dates, place of origin and place of residence exactly as printed.

Languages used on Vietnamese documents

Vietnamese documents are written in Vietnamese using the Latin-based alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) with many accent marks. The accents change the meaning of words and names, so a translator must read them carefully, especially in handwriting. See our Vietnamese asylum document translation page for more on our translators and how we handle the language.

Some documents from ethnic minority areas may include names or words from other languages. We keep these as written and add a note where needed.

Dates and names on Vietnamese documents

Dates

Official Vietnamese documents use the Gregorian calendar, usually written day, month, year, for example "ngày 05 tháng 03 năm 2019" (5 March 2019). Family or religious papers, such as records of a death anniversary, may use the lunar calendar. We translate lunar dates as written and add the Gregorian equivalent in a translator's note when the date can be worked out exactly.

Names

Vietnamese names are written with the family name first, then any middle name, then the given name, for example Nguyễn Văn An. UK forms often reverse this order, and accent marks are usually dropped, so the same person may appear as "Nguyen Van An" or "An Nguyen". We keep the Vietnamese order on the translation, show the name as it appears on your passport or Home Office papers, and use one spelling throughout. This helps the Home Office match your documents.

Vietnam document translation for asylum: price and delivery

A birth certificate or ID card is usually one page. A household registration book can run to many pages, so we count the filled pages and quote a fixed price.

• Certified translation: from £18 per page (from £15 for an ID card or single certificate)
• Standard delivery: 1 working day for ID cards and certificates, 2–3 working days for longer documents
• Urgent delivery: same day or within 24 hours, from £10 extra per document

Prices shown are starting prices and include VAT. We confirm your exact price in a written quote before any work starts.

For interviews or hearings coming up soon, see our urgent asylum document translation service. All fees are listed on our translation prices page.

What you receive

Your certified PDF includes a signed statement that it is a "true and accurate translation of the original document", the date, and the translator's full name and contact details, as GOV.UK guidance asks. The translator signs it, and we are members of the ITI, CIOL and ATC. Paper copies are available on request.

Sample

Certified translation

Birth certificate (giay khai sinh), Vietnam

Vietnamese → English

Full name

redacted

Date of birth

redacted

Place of birth

redacted commune, redacted province

Sex

[As written on the original]

Father's name

redacted

Mother's name

redacted

Registration number

redacted

• [Red round seal: People's Committee, partly illegible]
• [Signature of the registrar]
• [Translator's note: names keep the original Vietnamese spelling.]

Translator's statement

I confirm that this is a true and accurate translation of the original document.

Date

DD/MM/YYYY

Translator

Full name

Signature

We treat your files as confidential under UK GDPR and delete them after delivery. We do not give legal advice. For advice about your claim, speak to a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA).