Ly Lich Tu Phap So 2 for Canada: Criminal Record Check from Vietnam

You received your Invitation to Apply. Now you have 60 days to submit a complete permanent residence application — and one of the first documents on the IRCC checklist is a police certificate from Vietnam. For Vietnamese nationals, that means the Phiếu Lý Lịch Tư Pháp Số 2. Not No. 1. The difference matters more than most applicants realise.

Why IRCC Requires Ly Lich Tu Phap So 2, Not So 1

Vietnam issues two types of judicial record certificates. Certificate No. 1 (Số 1) can be requested on your behalf by an employer or a third party — it contains only a limited view of your record. Certificate No. 2 (Số 2) is different: it must be applied for personally by the subject, and it discloses a complete judicial history, including any decisions that may have been expunged from Certificate No. 1.

IRCC requires No. 2 precisely because of this full-disclosure requirement. Submitting No. 1 in its place will result in an incomplete application and potential refusal. If you have hired any immigration agent in Vietnam who has not specifically mentioned this distinction, verify it with them before proceeding.

Step-by-Step: Getting Your Phieu Ly Lich Tu Phap So 2

The process has been partly digitised through Vietnam's National Public Service Portal (Cổng dịch vụ công quốc gia), though collecting the physical document still requires either an in-person pickup or a courier arrangement.

What you need before starting:

• Your passport (current and any expired passports used during adult life)
• Your CCCD (Căn cước công dân) — the biometric national ID card
• Your household registration record (sổ hộ khẩu) or a current residency confirmation
• VNeID Level 2 account for online submission (requires a biometric CCCD and activated app)

Submission options:

1. Online via Cổng dịch vụ công: Upload scanned copies of all documents through your VNeID-verified account. You will receive a registration number and a payment link for the fee of 200,000 VND.
2. In-person at Sở Tư Pháp: Go directly to the Department of Justice office in the province where you are registered. Bring originals plus copies of all documents listed above.

Timeline: Standard processing is 10 working days from the date the application is confirmed complete. If IRCC needs a full record check that includes overseas residency history, processing can extend to 15 working days.

Collection: The completed certificate cannot be collected by anyone other than you unless you have submitted a notarised power of attorney (ủy quyền có công chứng). For applicants outside Vietnam at the time of application, arranging a trusted family member with a proper ủy quyền is the standard workaround.

The Overseas Residency Problem

This is where many Vietnamese Express Entry applicants run into serious delays. IRCC requires police certificates from every country where you have lived for six months or more since turning 18 — not just Vietnam.

If you spent time working in Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan — common for Vietnamese technical and manufacturing workers — you need police clearances from those countries too:

• Japan: Certificate of Criminal Record (犯罪経歴証明書) from the National Police Agency via the local police station, or through the Japanese embassy if you are no longer in Japan
• South Korea: Criminal Record Certificate from the National Police Agency, available in person or through KOFIC-authorised channels
• Taiwan: Police Criminal Record Certificate from the National Police Agency — note that Taiwan has no embassy in Vietnam; applications go through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office

Processing times for these foreign certificates can range from two to six weeks. If you are still within your 60-day ITA window, this is the document that most commonly forces applicants to request an extension from IRCC — and IRCC does not always grant them. Start the overseas police certificate process the moment you anticipate receiving an ITA, not after.

How to Translate and Submit Your Ly Lich Tu Phap

The Phiếu Lý Lịch Tư Pháp Số 2 is issued entirely in Vietnamese. IRCC requires a certified English or French translation prepared by a qualified translator — not a bilingual friend, not Google Translate, not a summary. The translation must be word-for-word.

In Vietnam, certified translations for immigration purposes are typically obtained from translation companies authorised by the Department of Justice (Sở Tư Pháp). Costs range from 300,000 to 700,000 VND depending on the provider and urgency. Keep the translated document paired with the original — you will upload both to your eAPR submission.

If your certificate contains an entry (even a minor one), do not attempt to omit or minimise it. IRCC has procedures for handling records, and misrepresentation is treated far more seriously than the underlying offence. A Letter of Explanation (LOE) alongside the document is the right approach.

Timing Strategy: Do Not Wait for Your ITA

The single most effective thing you can do right now — even before you receive an Invitation to Apply — is start the Phiếu Lý Lịch Tư Pháp Số 2 process and identify which other countries require clearances. The 200,000 VND fee and 10 working days of Vietnamese processing are manageable. The five to six weeks it may take to obtain a Japanese or Korean police certificate is not manageable inside a 60-day window if you have not started early.

Most Vietnamese applicants treat police certificates as an afterthought. The ones who move through the 60-day window without requesting an extension are the ones who treated it as a first priority.

For the full document checklist covering every step from profile creation to landing, including WES evaluation, BHXH employment proof, and settlement fund requirements specific to Vietnamese banks, see the Vietnam to Canada Express Entry Guide.

See more Canada guides →