Apply for Vietnam visa (Code: VS100)

1. Regulatory documents:

• Law No. 47/2014/QH13 on 16 June 2014 on entry, exit, transit, and residence status of foreigners in Viet Nam

2. General provisions

• Foreigners who enter and exit Vietnam must have their passport or passport substitutes (hereinafter referred to as passports) and visas issued by competent authorities of Viet Nam, except in case of visa exemption. The passport substitutes must be introduced to and accepted by Vietnamese competent authorities through diplomatic channel.
• Vietnamese nationals who reside overseas holding travel documents issued by foreign competent authorities as valid documents to enter into, exit from the host country, the sample of which has been introduced officially to and accepted by Vietnamese competent authorities through diplomatic channels, are allowed to enter Viet Nam with these documents.

3. Types of visa, it categories and traits:

a. Types of visas:

• Visa sticker: is a visa labeled directly into a passport;
• Loose-leaf visa: is a visa issued separately from a passport.

b. The validity:

• Single entry visa: is a visa having validity to enter into and exit from Vietnam for one time.
• Multiple entry visa: is a visa having validity to enter into and exit from Vietnam for more than one time.

c. Visa categories:

• NG1 – issued to members of delegations invited by the General Secretary of the Communist Party, the President, the Chairman of the National Assembly, and the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.
• NG2 – issued to members of delegations invited by the Standing Secretariat of the Viet Nam’s Communist Party, the Vice President, the Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly, the Deputy Prime Minister, the President of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, the Chief Justice of the People’s Supreme Court, the Chief Procurator of the People’s Supreme Procuracy, the President of State Auditor; members of delegations invited by Ministers and equivalents, the provincial and municipal Party Committee Secretary, the People’s Council Chairman and People’s Committee Chairman of cities and provinces under the central administration.
• NG3 – issued to members of diplomatic and consular missions, representative offices of international organizations under the United Nations and inter-governmental organizations; and their spouses, children under 18 years of age, and their private servants during their term of office.
• NG4- issued to working partners of diplomatic and consular missions, representative offices of international organizations under the United Nations and inter-governmental organizations, visitors of members of the diplomatic and consular missions, representative offices of international organizations under the United Nations and inter-governmental organizations.
• LV1 – issued to working partners of committees, agencies under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam; the National Assembly, the Government, the Central Committee of Vietnamese Fatherland Front, the People’s Supreme Court, the People’s Supreme Procuracy, State Audit Agency, Ministries, ministerial and governmental agencies, the provincial and municipal Party Committee, the People’s Councils, the People’s Committees of cities and provinces under the central administration.
• LV2 – issued to working partners of socio-political organizations, social organizations, Viet Nam’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
• ĐT – issued to foreign investors and foreign lawyers operating in Viet Nam.
• DN – issued to working partners of Viet Nam businesses.
• NN1 – issued to the chief representative of representative offices/ projects of international organizations and foreign NGOs in Viet Nam.
• NN2 – issued to the heads of representative offices, branches of foreign businesses; representative offices of foreign economic, cultural, and other professional institutions in Viet Nam.
• NN3 – issued to working partners of foreign NGOs, representative offices, branches of foreign businesses, representative offices of foreign economic, cultural, and other professional institution in Viet Nam.
• DH – issued to interns, students.
• HN – issued to conference/seminar attendants.
• PV1 – issued to resident foreign correspondents and reporters in Viet Nam.
• PV2 – issued to foreign correspondents/reporters with short-term visa to Viet Nam.
• LĐ – issued to workers/laborers.
• DL – issued to tourists.
• TT – issued to foreigner who is spouse, children under 18 years of age of the foreigner who has been granted LV1/LV2/ĐT/NN1/NN2/DH/PV1/LĐ visa, or to a foreigner who is parent, spouse, children of a Vietnamese citizen.
• VR – issued to applicant who visit relatives or enter Viet Nam for other purposes.
• SQ – The head of Viet Nam’s mission abroad is eligible to issue up-to-30-day visa for foreigners who enter Vietnam for the purpose of market survey, tourism, visiting relatives, or medical treatment in following cases:

a) A person who has working relations with the Viet Nam’s visa granting agency abroad and his/her spouse and children; or a person who applies for Viet Nam visa with a request (in written form) of a competent agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the host country;

b) A person who holds a guarantee diplomatic note issued by the diplomatic missions or consular agencies based in the host country.

d. Visa validity duration:

• SQ visa is valid for up to 30 days
• HN, DL visa  is valid for up to  3 months
• VR visa is valid for up to 6 months
• NG1, NG2, NG3, NG4, LV1, LV2, DN, NN1, NN2, NN3, DH, PV1, PV2 and TT visa is valid for up to 12 months
• LĐ visa is valid for up to 2 years
• ĐT visa is valid for up to 5 years
• Expired visas can be subject to visa renewal
• Visa validity shall be at least 30 days shorter than passport or international travel document validity.

4. A visa application submitted to the Vietnamese Mission abroad shall include the following documents:

• 01 Application form (in provided format) with an attached photo;
• Passport or passport substitute;
• Visa approval document issued by the Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security) or the Consular Department, the Department of External Relations of the Ho Chi Minh city (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). NG3, NG4 visa applicants can submit a Diplomatic note of Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the diplomatic mission/consular agency in the host country instead of the above mentioned visa approval document.

Note:

+ Foreigners should: (i) contact and request the agency, organization, individual who is the inviter or sponsor in Vietnam to handle procedures for visa approval document issued by the Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security) or the Consular Department, the Department of External Relations of the Ho Chi Minh city (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) or (ii) contact Vietnamese missions abroad for more detail instructions.

+ SQ visa applicants should contact Vietnamese missions abroad for detail instructions.

+ Passport validity must be at least 01 month longer than the applied visa validity. However, many airlines require passport validity of at least 06 months for eligibility.

+ An overseas Vietnamese without passport wishing to enter Viet Nam for the purpose of visiting relatives and holding documents valid for entry/exit into/from his/her country of residence which is issued by the competent authority of his/her country of residence and officially informed to Viet Nam through the diplomatic channel should submit the visa application form and the above mentioned valid entry/exit document.

+ Stateless persons who wishes to enter Viet Nam for the purpose of visiting relatives or tourism should submit the visa application form and valid international travel documents issued by his/her country of residence.

5. Processing duration:

• NG1 and NG2 visas are issued within 01 working day from the day the Viet Nam’s mission abroad receives valid and complete visa applications and visa approval granted by the Consular Department or the Department of External Affairs of Ho Chi Minh city.
• Other types of visas are issued within 03 working days form the day the Viet Nam’s mission abroad receives valid and complete visa applications, and visa approval granted by the Immigration Department, Consular Department or the Department of External Affairs of Ho Chi Minh city.

6. Applicants eligible for loose-leaf visa:

• Holder of a valid passport running out of blank page for a visa sticker.
• Holder of a passport issued by a country that has not yet to establish diplomatic/consular relations with Viet Nam.
• Holder of a valid international travel document.
• For diplomatic, national defense, and security purposes.

7. Visa on arrival:

a. The following foreigners are eligible for visa on arrival:

• Departing from a country where there is no competent Vietnamese visa-granting authority:
• Travelling through many countries before entering Viet Nam;
• Visiting Viet Nam on tours organized by an international travel agency operated in Viet Nam;
• Foreign crewmembers on board vessels anchored in Vietnam’s seaport wishing to exit through other border checkpoint;
• Visiting Viet Nam to attending a relative’s funeral or visit a seriously ill family member;
• Entering Viet Nam to engage in emergency response, search/rescue activities, disaster or epidemic control or for other special purposes at the request of the competent authority in Viet Nam.

b. Before entering Viet Nam, applicants for visa on arrival must apply for a visa approval for picking up visa at the border checkpoint issued by the Immigration Department, the Consular Department or the Department of External Affairs of Ho Chi Minh city.

c. Foreigners eligible for visa on arrival shall submit their passports or international travel documents and fill in the visa application form with an attached photo at the Viet Nam’s border control authority. Over-14-year-old children sharing passport with others must fill in a separate visa application form.

d. The visa on arrival shall be granted after the Viet Nam’s border control authority completes checking applicant’s information and the visa approval.