Getting Married in Vietnam as a U.S. Citizen: The 2026 Guide

1. Why you no longer need to obtain a "Regular Dossier" in the U.S.

If you'd rather get straight to the practical part, skip ahead to section 2.

What is  "bộ công hàm độc thân"?

Because the United States has no agency that issues a certificate of marital status the way Vietnam does, you have to prove you're free to marry with a sworn affidavit of single status. For that affidavit to be accepted by a commune-level People's Committee in Vietnam, it used to have to pass through three offices:

1. A U.S. notary public notarizes your signature;
2. The state Secretary of State authenticates the notary's signature and authority;
3. The Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in the U.S. performs consular legalization, and that step is what produced the "công hàm."

The whole set of documents is commonly called the "bộ công hàm độc thân." In English, the Vietnamese Embassy and Consulates in the U.S. refer to it on their own pages as a "Regular Dossier" — the package they authenticate before you take it to Vietnam. 

What changed on 11 September 2026?

Vietnam acceded to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (the Apostille Convention), which entered into force for Vietnam on 11 September 2026, and the government issued Decree 293/2026/NĐ-CP to implement it.

The new rule sits in Article 25(2) of that decree (translated from the Vietnamese text):

"Public documents of a Contracting Party to the Convention that has an applicable relationship with Vietnam, which have been issued an apostille by that Party's competent authority… are exempt from consular legalization and may be used in Vietnam without any further certification procedure."

In other words: a U.S. document bearing an apostille no longer needs the Vietnamese mission's signature. And that is exactly what happened; Vietnamese diplomatic missions in the U.S. stopped accepting consular legalization requests for U.S.-issued public documents as of 11 September 2026, replaced by the state's apostille.

2. Documents you need to prepare in the U.S. — and the exact steps

2.1 The checklist

2.2 Step by step

Step 1 — Prepare the affidavit

Download the bilingual affidavit form from the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, fill it in, and sign it before a notary public in your state. Sign the name exactly as it appears on your passport. Some states also require the County Clerk or court to certify the notary's signature and authority before you can move on to the next step — New York and Maryland, for example, do. In my experience, California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania let you apply for the apostille directly without that county or court certification.

Step 2 — Get the apostille

• Documents issued by a state, or notarized in that state → the Secretary of State of that state.
• Documents issued by a federal agency → the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications.

Fees and processing times vary by state, and by how you submit (in person, by mail, or online), so check the Secretary of State's page for your state directly.

Step 3 — Handle the supporting documents

• Certificate of No Marriage Record: request it from the county clerk or state vital records office. The search usually covers the period from age 18 to the present. The U.S. Embassy notes that this requirement "varies from locality to locality and may not be required" — so ask the commune first and save yourself the effort.
• If you were married before: obtain a certified copy of the divorce decree or the death certificate, then have it apostilled.

Step 4 — Translate and certify the translation

Translate every English document into Vietnamese and have the translation notarized or certified under Vietnamese law. Alternatively, you can ask the Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in the U.S. whether they still provide a translation service — but check with them directly, since their service list changed in September 2026.

Your affidavit of single status is valid for six months from the date it is sworn (and under Article 30 of Decree 123/2015/NĐ-CP, documents with no stated expiry are also valid for six months). Don't start too early, or it will expire before you file.

2.3 The easier route (if your commune allows it)

You can still swear the affidavit of single status at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi or the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. The fee is $50 per seal, and you must book an appointment in advance. Choose this route and no apostille is needed for the affidavit.

3. Registering the marriage in Vietnam: where to file and what to bring

3.1 Where to file

After Vietnam's 2025 administrative reorganization, authority for marriages involving a foreign element sits with the commune-level People's Committee where the Vietnamese partner resides. You can file in person at the one-stop desk, by post, or online.

One non-negotiable point: both of you must be present when the marriage is registered. You cannot do it by power of attorney. Whichever document route you choose, you still have to fly to Vietnam.

3.2 Documents from each side

Your Vietnamese partner

• Marriage registration form (you may use a single form for both parties);
• Valid citizen ID card or passport;
• Certificate of Marital Status issued by the commune where your partner is registered as resident (if never married);
• Mental health certificate (if the locality requires it);
• If previously married: a legally effective divorce judgment or decision.

You

• Affidavit of single status (apostilled, or sworn at the U.S. mission in Vietnam);
• U.S. passport (notarized copy);
• Marriage registration form and biographical sheet;
• Mental health certificate issued within six months;
• If previously married: authenticated divorce decree or death certificate;
• 3x4 photos, per local requirements.

A few final notes

• A green card holder is not a U.S. citizen and follows a different path: your proof of marital status will usually be a Certificate of Marital Status issued by Vietnam's diplomatic mission in the U.S., or by the commune where you were registered before leaving Vietnam. Confirm with the commune first.
• Every commune is slightly different — particularly on the no-marriage-record letter. The safest approach is to call the civil status office before you spend money on U.S. paperwork.
• An apostille certifies the signature, the signer's title and authority, and the seal on the document — it does not certify that the contents are true, and it does not replace translation.

This article is informational, based on regulations in force as of 16 October 2026, and is not legal advice for any specific case. You should confirm with the commune-level People's Committee where you register, as requirements vary between localities.

An alternative: the K-1 fiancé(e) visa

Registering a marriage in Vietnam isn't the only path. If you'd rather marry in the United States, the K-1 fiancé(e) visa lets your partner enter the U.S. to marry you within 90 days of arrival. The trade-off is the other way around: less paperwork in Vietnam, but a full petition and consular interview before your partner can travel.

Start here:

Sponsor Your Vietnamese Fiancée with a K-1 Visa in 2026 — the K-1 route in detail.