OK, so I have not posted about this in a looooong time. Simple short of it is, Anh's passport expired last year. We have emailed the Vietnamese embassy and called them with no response as to what to do. We just cannot get an answer on how exactly do we get her passport renewed.

So is anyone here familiar with the exact procedure?

Also, what is this I am reading about getting our marriage license notarized and translated? WTF? If we go back to Vietnam, why would we have to do carry around out marriage license? I mean, OK, since Anh has kept her family name I can see how we would have to carry proof for hotels because of the law about no foreigners staying with Vietnamese ladies, but why else?

Thanks

P.S. Anh's name is STILL screwed up with the government here. They have it first name, last name, middle name. Made doing our taxes a nightmare. Every time I call Social Security they give me a different answer about how to fix it. Nothing is easy. EVER!

I don't think you need a passport. My dad recently went back to Vn (April 08). He had his green card and Vn Visa. No problems. you should confirm with a travel agency.

U.S. law states you need a valid passport to enter. I worked for an airline two years ago and the rules are iron clad.

But we want to travel next year anyway, so she MUST get that passport taken care of.

Have you tried contacting the San Francisco Consulate yet? It took the guy who responded to my first email there 4 months to answer a Visa question for me, but he said he had been out of Country on a research assignment. I'm wondering now if that assignment may have been on the most efficient way to answer an email while you are traveling. If that is the case he needs to go back and do more research! He answered another question within 15 minutes though. That was 2 weeks ago. Here's the email address:

info@vietnamconsulate-sf.org

This is a little off topic but since when can't foreigners stay with Vietnamese in hotel rooms? You just have to check in together at the same time ... me and Tan always stay together and I have seen lots of white guys with viet girls in there.... hmmmm anyone else know what the actual law is? Just curious!
ILOVETAN

1. You do not need to translate your marriage's license to Vietnamese. (as long as she has a green card, she will be fine at the hotel. I'm very sure) I travel to Vietnam at least 15 trips since 2000.

2. Your wife do not need a Vietnam's Passport. As long as she has a green card, she will be ok at the US Custom & Immigration (Immigration wouldn't ask her Vietnam's passport since she has a green card).

A. If she stay in Vietnam longer than 1 year, she then needs Reentry Permit (it takes a while to get it)
B. The reason she needs a Vietnam's Passport, she doesn't need to apply for Vietnam's Visa.

If she is a US. Citizen, then ignore my info.

About Your wife name. SSN couldn't help you at all. My wife ran into this problem. INS messed her full name (middle name and first name). Yes you can fix this problem.
* I went to the court and changed her name to the way she wanted it. 69 bucks. She's now okay with her full name.

Hope this helps.

You are a woman. A foreign woman. They don't care about Vietnamese men staying with foreign women. But they DO care about Vietnamese women being taken to bed by foreign men. They don't want to end up like Thailand, which suffers from a horrendous amount of prositution.

The law only applies to foreign men with Vietnamese women.


wideawake, I'll try that email address. Thanks!

Got en email response quickly. Ouch, this is expensive. Didn't realize it cost so much. Does this information look legit?

Please submit the following:

Your expired passport
The application (attached with email)
3 pictures 2"x2"
A copy of your valid green card (if you are international student, please submit a copy of I-94 and I-20)
A return Envelope with prepaid postage to send back.
Cashier check or money order payable to Primexce
Send it to: 342 Miramar Ave, San Francisco, CA 94112


Renew Passport
Total

2 months
200

1 months
260

7 days
320

1 days
360

OK, I ran across this website...

http://viet.vietnamembassy.us/lanhsu/

Can any Vietnamese speaker look at this and tell me if it is the page on how to renew a Vietnamese passport?

It was true for the last month, but the new fee has applied since July 1st, 2008. It's more expensive. Jes... I email the guy, and said that i don't have that much money 'cause i'm working part time. Then he charged me as the price before July 1. You should make up some reason and ask him. I think he can even get more discount for you if you have a good reason. Good luk.