When foreigners want to enter Vietnam for the purpose of tourism, investment, business, work, work, visit relatives, including tourists, investors, employees, managers, etc. All must apply for a Vietnam visa. What types of Vietnam visas are there, how long does it take and what are the conditions, documents and procedures to get a Vietnam visa? Let’s find out with Lawyer X about visa procedures through the article “Guide to Vietnam visa procedures for foreigners” below! And if you have a need to use the visa application service, please contact our Lawyer X.
New regulations on visas for foreigners
About visa symbols:
The Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence stipulates in detail the symbols of each type of visa corresponding to each visa holder. Visas are of the following types:
“first. NG1 – Issued to members of the delegation invited by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the President, the President of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister.
NG2 – Issued to members of the guest delegation of the Standing Committee of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Vice President of the State, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Fatherland Front Vietnam, Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court, Chief Procurator of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, State Auditor General; members of guest delegations of the same level of ministers and equivalents, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the City Party Committee, President of the People’s Council, President of the People’s Committee of the province or city directly under the Central Government.
NG3 – Issued to members of diplomatic missions, consular offices, representative offices of international organizations of the United Nations, representative offices of intergovernmental organizations and their spouses and children under 18 years of age, maids accompanied by term.
NG4 – Issued to people entering to work with diplomatic missions, consular offices, representative agencies of international organizations of the United Nations, representative agencies of intergovernmental organizations; visitors to members of diplomatic missions, consular offices, representative offices of international organizations of the United Nations, representative offices of intergovernmental organizations.
LV1 – Issued to people entering to work with departments, agencies and units directly under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam; National Assembly, Government, Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front, Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuracy, State Audit, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, Governmental agencies ; Provincial Party Committees, City Party Committees, People’s Councils, People’s Committees of provinces and centrally run cities.
LV2 – Issued to people entering to work with socio-political organizations, social organizations, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
DT – Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and foreign lawyers practicing in Vietnam.
DN – Issued to people entering and working with enterprises in Vietnam.
NN1 – Issued to people who are heads of representative offices and projects of international organizations and foreign non-governmental organizations in Vietnam.
NN2 – Issued to heads of representative offices, branches of foreign traders, representative offices of foreign economic, cultural and other professional organizations in Vietnam.
NN3 – Issued to people entering and working with foreign non-governmental organizations, representative offices, branches of foreign traders, representative offices of economic, cultural and other foreign professional organizations in Viet Nam.
DH – Issued to people entering to practice and study.
HN – Issued to people attending conferences and seminars.
PV1 – Issued to reporters and newspapers residing in Vietnam.
PV2 – Issued to reporters and presses for short-term activities in Vietnam.
LD – Issued to people entering the workforce.
DL – Issued to people entering tourism.
TT – Issued to foreigners who are spouses, children under 18 years of age of foreigners who are granted visas with symbols LV1, LV2, DT, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LD or foreigners who are parents, spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens.
VR – Issued to people visiting relatives or for other purposes.
SQ – Issued to the cases specified in Clause 3, Article 17 of this Law”.
About visa duration:
The new law stipulates the duration of visas depending on the type of visa symbol, up to 5 years, much longer than the duration of visas under current regulations (up to 12 months), specifically:
The SQ-sign visa is valid for no more than 30 days.
HN, DL visas are valid for no more than 3 months.
VR visas are valid for no more than 6 months.
Visas with symbols NG1, NG2, NG3, NG4, LV1, LV2, DN, NN1, NN2, NN3, DH, PV1, PV2 and TT are valid for no more than 12 months.
The LD visa is valid for no more than 2 years.
The DT visa is valid for no more than 5 years.
Visa expired, be considered for a new visa.
Visa validity is shorter than passport or international travel document by at least 30 days.
In addition, the Law also stipulates the conditions for visa issuance:
“first. Have a passport or valid international travel document.
There are agencies, organizations and individuals in Vietnam to invite or guarantee, except for the case specified in Clause 3, Article 17 of this Law.
Not falling into the cases that are not allowed to enter the country specified in Article 21 of this Law.
The following cases when applying for a visa must have documents proving the purpose of entry:
Foreigners who invest in must have papers proving their investment in Vietnam according to the provisions of the Law on Investment;
Foreigners who practice law in Vietnam must have a license to practice law in accordance with the Law on Lawyers;
Foreigners entering work must have a work permit in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Code;
Foreigners entering to study must have a written acceptance from the Vietnamese school or educational institution.
Visa application procedures for foreigners
Visa application documents for foreigners
Application form for a visa (visa) to Vietnam (according to form NA1);
Passport (valid for at least 6 months) or international travel documents;
Papers of agencies or individuals inviting or guaranteeing foreigners in Vietnam:
For agencies and organizations: Official letter requesting approval and inspection of foreign personnel on entry (under form NA2);
For individuals (guarantor for relatives): A petition for relatives who are foreigners to enter (under NA3 form).
Documents proving the purpose of entry of foreigners in accordance with regulations (documents proving investment, work permits, etc.).
Visa application procedures for foreigners
Step 1: Apply for a visa to enter Vietnam.
To apply for a visa to enter Vietnam, a foreigner needs to be guaranteed by an individual, organization or business in Vietnam by providing documents such as: Full name, date of birth, foreigner’s passport/scan color of passport face, date of entry, place of visa receipt and legal documents of the guarantor company. After that, the company sends the dossier to the Vietnam Immigration Department. If the application is approved, the guarantor will send an approved letter via email to the foreigner.
Step 2: Do visa stamping procedures at Vietnam international border gate
Upon receiving the entry official, the foreign citizen prepares documents including: Original passport, entry letter (printed), 02 photos of the card size 4x6cm and fills in the declaration to apply for a Vietnam visa. (Form NA1) at international airports. Next, you pay the fee and paste the entry visa to enter Vietnam.
How to extend visa for foreigners?
Foreigners who want to enter Vietnam need a visa, whether for the purpose of visiting relatives, investment, work or sightseeing. When your visa expires, you will have to leave the country, but if you still want to stay in Vietnam, you will have to apply for visa extension.
Extending visa for foreigners means extending the visa period that you are using. This allows foreigners to stay in Vietnam for a certain period of time without having to exit and re-enter Vietnam.
After the visa is extended, foreign guests will be stamped by the competent authority with an extension stamp in their passports indicating the new length of stay. At the same time, the extended visa is only valid for one entry, if a foreigner leaves Vietnam after the extension period, it will be considered an expired visa.
If the visa is overstayed, but the foreigner does not renew the visa, he or she may be subject to administrative sanctions, more serious being deported for a limited time or not being allowed to enter the Vietnamese territory.
Visa extension procedures for foreigners
Dossier to extend tourist visa for foreigners in Vietnam
Original passport of the applicant for visa extension;
Application form for Vietnam visa extension (Form NA5);
Note: Extension of tourist visa during covid pandemic period may be affected.
Dossier for business and commercial visa extension
The original passport of the foreigner is still valid as prescribed;
Legal profile of the guarantor;
Application form for Vietnam visa extension (Form NA5);
Temporary residence certificate issued by local police (for employees);
Letter of introduction of employees to go through procedures (for business owners);
Dossier to apply for Vietnam work visa extension
The original passport of the foreigner is still valid;
Legal documents of the guarantor company for foreigners such as: business license, investment certificate or certificate of establishment of a representative office;
An application form for visa and temporary residence extension, made according to form NA5;
Work permit or work permit exemption;
Certificate of temporary residence of the local police where the foreigner temporarily resides in Vietnam;
Employee referral letter to apply.
Dossier to extend Vietnam investment visa
Certified copy of Business License/Investment License;
Registration form of seal and signature of the legal representative of the enterprise operating in Vietnam (According to form NA16);
Application form for visa, visa, visa extension, extension of temporary residence for foreigners in Vietnam (Form NA5);
Original passport still valid as prescribed;
Certificate of temporary residence issued by the local police where the foreigner is temporarily residing in Vietnam.
Dossier to apply for Vietnam visa extension:
The passport of the foreigner is still valid;
The application form for visa extension, temporary residence extension according to form NA5 (certified by the local police);
Certificate of temporary residence of the local police where the foreigner temporarily resides;
In case a foreigner is a spouse or child under 18 years of age of a foreigner working in Vietnam, additionally provide:
Legal documents of the guarantor company where the foreigners work in Vietnam: Business license, investment certificate or certificate of establishment of a representative office;
Passport, valid temporary residence card/visa and work permit of the main employee in Vietnam;
Documents proving the relationship between foreigners and Vietnamese citizens: Marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.
In case a foreigner is a spouse or child of a Vietnamese citizen for the purpose of visiting relatives, additionally provide:
Identity papers of relatives who are Vietnamese citizens;
Documents proving the relationship between foreigners and Vietnamese citizens: Marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.
Visa extension procedures for foreigners
Step 1: Prepare documents to apply for visa extension
After considering, if the foreigner meets the conditions to apply for a Vietnam visa extension, the applicant or the guarantee company will prepare documents to apply for a visa extension. Depending on the purpose of entry under the visa for investment, labor, business, visit relatives or tourism, prepare corresponding and valid documents.
Step 2: Submit your application
To apply for a visa extension for foreigners, you can go to one of the following addresses to apply:
Immigration Department in Hanoi: 44 – 46 Tran Phu Street, Ba Dinh District.
Immigration Department in Saigon: 333-335-337 Nguyen Trai Street, Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward, District 1.
Immigration Department in Da Nang: 7 Tran Quy Cap.
Immigration management office of the police in the province or city where the foreigner is staying.
If the application is complete, the manager will receive the application and make an appointment to receive the results. In case of incomplete or invalid documents, the manager will provide detailed instructions for you to complete the application.
Step 3: Get the result
If the application is approved, after 5-7 working days, the foreigner or the representative of the guarantee company will go to the Immigration Department to receive the result of applying for a visa extension.
Where to extend visa for foreigners?
Immigration Department in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Immigration Department extends visas for those who enter Vietnam in the form of visa exemption for citizens of countries in accordance with Vietnam visa exemption regulations, who are of Vietnamese origin, are married or have a husband who is Vietnamese. Vietnamese people, whose parents are Vietnamese and have been granted a visa exemption certificate when it expires, can actually apply for an extension at the Immigration Department.
In addition, the Immigration Department can extend visas for foreigners in cases such as foreign workers, investors…
Immigration management office of provincial and city police.
The Immigration Department of the police of the provinces and cities shall extend visas according to their territorial jurisdiction, extend visas for foreigners who are temporarily residing or working in their province or city, who cases that are not under the authority of the superior Immigration Department.
Depending on the specific case, the visa extension for foreigners will be carried out procedures at different management agencies.
Online visa extension for foreigners
Electronic visa extension procedures
First of all, the conditions to extend Evisa for foreigners are:
The electronic visa is being used for working purposes.
Right company guarantee.
Foreigners renewing Evisa Vietnam prepare the following documents:
Original passport
Evisa has been issued, photo
Temporary residence declaration, photocopy
Form NA5 for visa extension.
Visa-free for foreigners
Currently, the Vietnamese government is applying a unilateral visa exemption policy (for foreigners with nationalities from 13 countries: Japan, Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Belarus. , UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy) and bilateral visa exemption (for foreigners with nationality of ASEAN countries).
To be exempted from Vietnam visa, passport must be valid for at least 6 months and must have confirmed return air ticket. In 13 countries where Vietnam has a unilateral visa exemption policy, foreigners can stay in Vietnam for a maximum of 15 days, two entries must be at least 30 days apart. On the other hand, foreigners with ASEAN nationality can stay up to 30 days (except for Brunei within 14 days).
Vietnam visa extension service for foreigners in Ho Chi Minh City
Lawyer X specializes in supporting visa extension services for foreigners in Vietnam.
Handle a variety of cases: expired visa, change visa type, support for visa extension for difficult nationalities…
Fast processing time: 5-7 working days on average, 1-3 days for urgent processing.
Consultants who are fluent in foreign languages can provide direct advice to foreigners.
We have issued a valid business service invoice for a reasonable cost.
Related article:
The process of applying for a work permit for foreign teachers in Vietnam
What are the Conditions for establishing foreign language centers with foreign elements?
Can foreigners set up an English center in Vietnam?
Services of Lawyer X
Prestigious professional services: Firstly, the team of consultants and consultants for many years in the field of civil status, and customer support.
On-time: Certainly, with the motto “Get your lawyer right at your fingertips”, we ensure the service always performs on time. The rights and interests of customers always come first.
Cost: Besides, Lawyer X’s service costs are highly competitive; depending on the nature of the particular case. So, we want our guests to have the best possible service experience. Therefore, costs which guaranteed to be the most suitable and economical for customers.
Confidentiality of client information: Finally, all brand personal information of client Lawyer X will be 100% confidential.
Please contact us immediately with questions about the “Guidance to visa procedures for foreigners in Vietnam”
Contact LSX Lawfirm
Finally, we hope this article is useful for you to answer the question: “Guidance to visa procedures for foreigners in Vietnam”. If you need any further information, please contact LSX Law firm: at +84846175333 or Email: [email protected]
Frequently asked questions
Pursuant to Clause 17, Article 8 of the Law on entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam 2014 stipulates on visa symbols, in which:
DT – Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and foreign lawyers practicing in Vietnam.
LD – Issued to people entering the workforce.
DL – Issued to people entering tourism.
According to the information you provided, in this case, this foreigner staying in Vietnam to work cannot use a visa with the symbol DL to enter, but usually must have a visa with the symbol DT or LD.
In Vietnam, according to the provisions of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam 2014, a visa is a document issued by a competent authority of Vietnam, allowing foreigners to outside of Vietnam.
In case you want to apply for a visa to travel to Europe from Vietnam, you need to contact the diplomatic mission of the country you need to visit (embassy or consulate) based in Vietnam for procedures. Apply for a tourist visa according to the regulations of that country.
However, if you are currently in Australia and want to apply for a visa in Australia, you need to contact the diplomatic mission of the destination country (embassy or consulate) based in Australia for instructions on the procedure. in accordance with the regulations of that country.
Conclusion: So the above is Guidance to visa procedures for foreigners in Vietnam. Hopefully with this article can help you in life, please always follow and read our good articles on the website: lsxlawfirm.com
