Phu Tho Police issue passport guidance for cosmetic surgery patients

The Immigration Management Division of the Phu Tho Provincial Police has issued guidance regarding passport application procedures for citizens who have undergone facial cosmetic surgery. Significant changes to facial features, such as rhinoplasty, chin augmentation, eyelid surgery, or jaw contouring, can create discrepancies between a person's actual appearance and their official identification documents.

These discrepancies may lead to difficulties with biometric recognition systems or identity verification by customs officials at airports, potentially resulting in denied entry or exit. To prevent such issues, authorities recommend a two-step process:

First, citizens must update their identity cards. Under the 2023 Law on Identity, individuals who undergo significant facial changes are required to re-issue their identity cards to update their portrait photos.

Second, once the new identity card is obtained, citizens can apply for a new or renewed passport online via the Ministry of Public Security's public service portal or the VNeID application using a level 2 electronic identification account.