Vietnam Judicial Record Certificate (Phiếu Lý Lịch Tư Pháp) for Ecuador Tourist Visa

Vietnam's official background check document is the Phiếu Lý Lịch Tư Pháp, which translates to Judicial Record Certificate or Judicial Record Card. It is sometimes also called a Vietnamese Police Clearance Certificate or Criminal Record Certificate. It confirms whether a person has any unexpunged criminal convictions and whether they are prohibited from holding certain positions or managing enterprises due to bankruptcy rulings.

Vietnam issues two types of certificates: - Certificate No. 1 (Phiếu số 1) — Records only unexpunged (active) convictions. If a conviction has been legally expunged, it will not appear, and the document will state "no criminal record." - Certificate No. 2 (Phiếu số 2) — Records all convictions, including expunged ones. This is reserved for judicial authorities, courts, or serious legal proceedings.

For Ecuador tourist visa purposes, you need Certificate No. 1. This is the standard document required for immigration and administrative purposes.

Ecuador requires this certificate to be: - Issued by the Ministry of Public Security - Authenticated through Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (and, until September 11, 2026, legalized by the Ecuadorian Embassy in Vietnam) - Translated into Spanish by a certified translator - Issued within 180 days before your visa application submission date

Important note on the 180-day validity window: The clock measures from the certificate's issue date to the date you submit your application — not the date Ecuador approves or denies it. Ecuador's processing time does not count against the 180-day window. The clock pauses while Ecuador actively reviews your file. Plan your document timing relative to your submission date, not your anticipated approval date.

Effective March 1, 2025, the authority to issue Judicial Record Certificates in Vietnam was officially transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Public Security. Any guidance referring to the Department of Justice or the National Center for Judicial Records as the current issuing authority is out of date.

The current issuing authorities under the Ministry of Public Security are:

• For foreigners currently residing in Vietnam: The Division of Records Management at the Provincial Police (Công an tỉnh/thành phố) in the province or city where you are temporarily registered.
• For foreigners who have previously resided in Vietnam but are no longer in the country: The Department of Records Management under the Ministry of Public Security in Hanoi. Applicants may authorize an immediate family member (parent or spouse) residing in Vietnam to apply on their behalf.

Applications are now submitted exclusively online through the National Public Service Portal (dichvucong.gov.vn) or the VNeID application. In-person submissions are no longer accepted as of the end of 2025.

Scenario A — You Are Currently Residing in Vietnam

Step 1 — Create a Level 2 VNeID account You must have a Level 2 verified digital identity account (tài khoản định danh mức 2) on either the VNeID mobile app or the National Public Service Portal (dichvucong.gov.vn). Foreigners registered at a Vietnamese address can obtain this through their local police station.

Step 2 — Log in and navigate to the service Open VNeID or go to dichvucong.gov.vn. Log in with your verified account and search for the service "Issuance of Judicial Record Certificate" (Cấp Phiếu Lý Lịch Tư Pháp).

Step 3 — Complete and submit the application form Fill in your personal details: full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, current registered address in Vietnam, and the purpose of the certificate (visa application). Select Certificate No. 1. Upload a scanned copy of your passport.

Step 4 — Pay the fee online The fee is VND 200,000 per application for the first two copies. Pay online via bank transfer, e-wallet, or credit card through the portal.

Step 5 — Receive your certificate The standard processing time is 10 working days (up to 15 working days if additional verification is required). You will be notified through the app or portal when your certificate is ready. Collect in person at the issuing Provincial Police office or arrange delivery.

Scenario B — You Previously Resided in Vietnam and Are Now Living Abroad

If you have already left Vietnam, you can either:

1. Authorize a representative: Grant a notarized power of attorney to a parent or spouse residing in Vietnam. They apply through the online portal on your behalf and submit it to the Department of Records Management, Ministry of Public Security, Hanoi.

1. Apply through the Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence: Contact the nearest Vietnamese diplomatic mission and inquire about their specific procedures and timelines for issuing Judicial Record Certificates to former residents. Timelines vary significantly by mission.

Required documents for applicants from abroad: - Copy of your passport (notarized translation into Vietnamese may be required) - Notarized power of attorney (if applying through a representative) - Documentation showing prior Vietnamese residency (e.g., expired residence card, visa, or employment records)

Standard processing: 10 working days from the date the authority receives your complete and valid application. Extended processing of up to 15 working days applies if additional verification is required (e.g., records checks across multiple jurisdictions).

Practical planning allowances: - Currently in Vietnam (online portal): 2–3 weeks from application to certificate in hand - Applying through a representative in Vietnam: Add 3–5 days for notarizing the power of attorney, plus the 10–15 working day processing window - Applying through a Vietnamese Embassy abroad: 4–8 weeks depending on the mission; contact the specific embassy for current timelines

Authentication and legalization steps add additional time on top of the certificate issuance time — see the authentication section below for details.

The official government fee for a Judicial Record Certificate from the Ministry of Public Security:

VND 200,000 per application (covers the first two copies) Additional copies beyond the first two: VND 5,000 per copy

Approximately $8–10 USD at current exchange rates.

Pay online through the National Public Service Portal or VNeID app during the application process. Cash payments are not accepted under the new digital-only system.

This is the most critical and nuanced part of the Vietnam background check process for Ecuador visa purposes — pay close attention to the timing.

Vietnam's Hague Convention Status — Transitional Period: Vietnam formally acceded to the Hague Convention of 1961 (the Apostille Convention) on December 31, 2025. However, the Convention does not enter into force for Vietnam until September 11, 2026. Until that date, the full consular legalization chain is still required. Do not assume an Apostille route is available yet.

If you are submitting your visa application BEFORE September 11, 2026 — Consular Legalization Chain Required:

Your Judicial Record Certificate must go through a multi-step authentication chain:

Step 1 — Translation and Notarization in Vietnam (optional but recommended first) Have the certificate translated into Spanish (or English as an intermediate) by a certified translator in Vietnam. Have the translation notarized by a Vietnamese notary office if required. Keep originals and certified copies.

Step 2 — Authentication by Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Submit the original Judicial Record Certificate (and notarized translation if required) to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi or the Department of External Relations (Sở Ngoại vụ) in Ho Chi Minh City. This step authenticates the seal and signature of the issuing Ministry of Public Security official. Processing time: approximately 5–7 working days.

Step 3 — Legalization by the Ecuadorian Embassy in Vietnam After the Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication, take the document to the Embassy of Ecuador in Vietnam (or the nearest Ecuadorian diplomatic mission). The Embassy will legalize the document — confirming that it is a valid Vietnamese public document authenticated by an authorized Vietnamese authority. - Ecuadorian Embassy in Vietnam: 8th Floor, Cornerstone Building, 16 Phan Chu Trinh, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi - Allow 5–10 working days; confirm current timelines and appointment requirements with the Embassy directly before visiting

If you are submitting your visa application ON OR AFTER September 11, 2026 — Apostille Route:

Once the Apostille Convention enters into force for Vietnam, the multi-step consular legalization chain is replaced by a single Apostille certificate, which Ecuador (an Hague member) will accept directly. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs becomes Vietnam's Apostille-issuing authority. The Ecuadorian Embassy legalization step is eliminated.

Do not mix the two systems. A document legalized under the old chain before September 11 and an Apostille-stamped document after September 11 are both valid — but you cannot substitute one procedure for the other.

Important caveat: Ecuador requires legalization by an Ecuadorian diplomatic mission for documents from non-Hague countries. If any step in this chain changes, verify the current requirement with the Ecuadorian Consulate or an authorized immigration attorney before proceeding.

Ecuador requires a background check from every country where you have resided for the last five years — not only your country of citizenship.

This means: - If you are a Vietnamese citizen who has lived only in Vietnam for the past 5 years: One Judicial Record Certificate from Vietnam (authenticated as described above) is sufficient. - If you are a Vietnamese citizen who also lived in another country (e.g., Japan, South Korea, Germany) during the past 5 years: You need a background check from Vietnam and a separate background check from each additional country of residence, each properly apostilled (or legalized) and translated into Spanish. - If you are a citizen of another country who resided in Vietnam during the past 5 years: You need a background check from Vietnam for the period you lived there, plus background checks from any other countries you lived in during that 5-year window, plus the background check from your country of citizenship.

Practical guidance: - "Resided" typically means living in a country for extended periods — not short tourist visits. A stay of 6 months or more in a given year is a reasonable threshold, but follow your immigration attorney's guidance. - Start gathering all required background checks simultaneously — waiting to finish one before starting another adds weeks unnecessarily. - Each country's document must meet Ecuador's requirements independently: proper authentication/apostille for that country, plus Spanish translation.

Ecuador requires all foreign-language documents to be translated into Spanish by a certified translator. Your authenticated Judicial Record Certificate must be accompanied by a certified Spanish translation.

Requirements for the translation: - Performed by a certified or sworn translator (traduttore giurato / perito traductor) - Not a machine translation — Google Translate and DeepL outputs are not accepted - The translator's certification and signature must accompany the translation - The translation must cover the full document including any seals, stamps, or authentication annotations

[EcuadorTranslations.com](https://ecuadortranslations.com) provides certified Spanish translation services specifically for Ecuador immigration documents. Translators are familiar with Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs requirements for background check documents.

Recommended approach: Have your Judicial Record Certificate translated after each authentication step is complete — do not submit a translation of an un-authenticated document, as the final authenticated document may include additional seals and annotations that also require translation.

When submitting your Vietnamese Judicial Record Certificate as part of an Ecuador tourist visa application, Ecuador requires:

1. Certificate No. 1 — the standard judicial record, not the court-restricted No. 2
2. Properly authenticated — consular legalization chain (Vietnam MFA + Ecuadorian Embassy) before September 11, 2026; Apostille after that date
3. Translated into Spanish by a certified translator
4. Issued within 180 days of your visa application submission date

On the 180-day clock: The validity period is measured from the certificate's issue date to your application submission date. It is not measured to Ecuador's approval date. Ecuador's review and processing time pauses the clock — your document does not expire while Ecuador is actively processing your application. However, time spent before you submit (gathering other documents, completing your EcuaGo application) does count. Do not get the certificate so far in advance that it will be over 180 days old by the time you are ready to file.