Vietnam Visa, Entry, And Exit Policy And Regulation For Foreigners

If you are planning to come to Vietnam for work, family visits, or simply a short getaway, knowing the Vietnam immigration policy for foreigners is of the utmost importance. Countless expats have got themselves into unnecessary daunting situations due to not being well aware of the visa, entry, and exit regulations of Vietnam.

Let us cast light on the up-to-date Vietnam visa, entry, transit, and exit policy and regulation for foreigners, and the latest Covid-19 restriction updates.

Vietnam visa policy and regulation for foreigners

International visitors, except for those from countries with visa exclusion agreements with Vietnam, are required to apply for a valid Vietnam visa to enter the country legally. Below are the visa application conditions, visa types, and ways to get a Vietnam visa.

Conditions to obtain a Vietnam visa

These are the required conditions to be eligible for a Vietnam visa:

1. Have a passport or valid international travel documents.
2. Invited or guaranteed by agencies, organizations, and individuals in Vietnam (for certain cases only).
3. Not falling into cases prohibited from entering Vietnam.
4. In the following cases, when applying for a visa, documents proving the purpose of entry are required:

• Foreign investors must have certified documents proving their investment in Vietnam.
• Foreigners working in law must have a valid license to practice law in Vietnam.
• Foreigners who come to work in Vietnam must acquire a work permit.
• Foreigners entering to study must have a written receipt from the Vietnamese school or international educational institution operating in Vietnam.

Ways to apply for a Vietnam visa

Currently, you can choose one of these 3 ways to acquire a visa to Vietnam:

• Apply for a visa at Vietnam’s embassy/consulate abroad.
• Apply for an electronic visa (e-visa).
• Apply for a Vietnam visa on arrival.

Highly recommend that you apply for a Vietnam visa on arrival. It is the most convenient way to get a visa to Vietnam allowing you to receive your visa upon arrival at any international airport in Vietnam.

Visa2Asia is proud to offer exceptional visa on arrival services for all foreigners. All you need to do is fill in the online visa application form, provide the required documents and rest assured. We will handle the application process on your behalf and save you from all of the hassles.

Types of Vietnam visa

These are all the types of visa issued by the Vietnam Immigration Department:

1. NG1 and NG2  – Issued to members, guests of the Party, and State.
2. NG3 and NG4 – Issued to diplomatic staffs and their family members and accompanying maids.
3. LV1 – Issued to foreigners entering to work with departments, agencies, and units directly under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
4. LV2 – Issued to foreigners entering to work with socio-political organizations, social organizations, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
5. DT – Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and foreign lawyers practicing in Vietnam.
6. DN – Issued to foreigners entering and working with enterprises in Vietnam.
7. NN1 – Issued to heads of representative offices, international organizations, foreign non-governmental organizations in Vietnam.
8. NN2 – Issued to heads of representative offices, branches of foreign traders, representative offices of foreign economic, cultural, and other professional organizations in Vietnam.
9. NN3 – Issued to foreigners entering and working with foreign non-governmental organizations, representative offices, branches of foreign traders, representative offices of economic, cultural organizations, and other professional organizations of foreign traders. foreigners in Vietnam.
10. DH – Issued to foreigners who enter to internship or study.
11. HN – Issued to foreigners attending conferences and seminars.
12. PV1 – Issued to reporters and newspapers residing in Vietnam.
13. PV2 – Issued to reporters and presses for short-term operation in Vietnam.
14. LD – Issued to foreigners entering the workforce.
15. DL – Issued to foreigners entering tourism.
16. 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 father, mother, wife, husband, and children of Vietnamese citizens.
17. VR – Issued to foreigners entering Vietnam to visit relatives or for other purposes.
18. SQ – Issued to the following cases:

• Persons who have a working relationship with the competent Vietnamese visa-issuing agency abroad and their spouses, children, or persons with a written request from the competent agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the host country.
• Persons who have guarantee notes of diplomatic missions, consular offices of countries located in host countries.

Vietnam visa exemption policy

At present, not all foreigners entering Vietnam are required to apply for a visa. Vietnam has visa exemption policies for some of the following groups of subjects.

Up to now, foreign citizens holding ordinary passports of 24 countries are exempted from applying for a visa to enter Vietnam in certain circumstances. The maximum visa-free period is 90 days, and the lowest is 14 days.

Vietnam entry, transit and, exit regulation for foreigners

Entry conditions

Foreigners may enter the country when they fully meet the following conditions:

1. Passport or valid international travel document and visa. For foreigners who enter Vietnam under unilateral visa exemption, their passports must be valid for at least 6 months and must be at least 30 days from the time of their previous exit from Vietnam.
2. Not falling into the cases of not allowing entry as prescribed in Article 21 of this Law.

Cases that prohibited from entering Vietnam

You will be forbidden to visit Vietnam if you fall into the following cases:

1. Having no legit travel document.
2. Children under 14 years old are not accompanied by a parent, guardian, or authorized person.
3. Forging papers, making false declarations to be granted valid papers on entry, exit, and residence.
4. Persons suffering from mental illnesses or infectious diseases that pose a danger to public health.
5. Being expelled from Vietnam for less than 3 years from the effective date of the decision on expulsion.
6. Being forced to exit Vietnam within 6 months from the effective date of the decision on forced exit.
7. For pandemic prevention and control reasons.
8. Due to natural disasters.
9. For reasons of national defense, security, social order, and safety.

Vietnam transit policy and regulation for foreigners

Transit conditions

Foreigners are allowed to transit when fully meeting the following conditions:

1. Have a valid passport or international travel documents.
2. Have transportation tickets suitable for the journey to the third country.
3. Have a visa of a third country, except for cases of visa exclusion.

Airway transit

Foreigners transiting by air are not required for visas and must stay in the transit international airport while waiting for their flight.

During the transit period, foreigners wishing to enter Vietnam to visit or travel under a program organized by an international travel agency in Vietnam may be considered for a visa in accordance with the transit time. 

Vietnam exit policy and regulation for foreigners

Exit conditions

Foreigners may exit the country when fully meeting the following conditions:

1. Passport or international travel documents.
2. Valid temporary residence certificate or temporary residence card or permanent residence card.
3. Not falling into the case of being suspended from exit specified in Article 28 of this Law.

Cases that are allowed to exit Vietnam

According to Article 28 of the Vietnam entry, transit, and exit law for foreigners, below are the cases of temporary exit suspension for foreigners:

1. Being the accused, defendants, or persons with related obligations in criminal cases or being defendants, defendants, or persons with related obligations in civil, commercial business, or labor cases. administration, marriage, and family.
2. Being obligated to execute court judgments or decisions or decisions of the Competition Handling Council.
3. The tax payment obligation has not yet been fulfilled.
4. Being obliged to execute the decision on sanctioning of administrative violations.
5. For reasons of national defense and security.

The duration of the suspension of exit shall not exceed 3 years and may be extended.

Covid-19 updates in Vietnam

In response to the development of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Government of Vietnam has introduced several restrictive policies on visa, entry, and exit. 

From March 22th, 2020, the Government of Vietnam has temporarily suspended the entry of foreigners into Vietnam, including those with visa exemption certificates.

There are only a few exceptions from entry restrictions such as diplomats, civil servants, experts, high-level workers, investors, employees of key projects as decided by the Government of Vietnam. Family reunification is not an exception.

The Vietnamese government is currently applying automatic stay extension to foreigners entering Vietnam on visa waivers, electronic visas, or tourist visas before and from March 1st, 2020 until the end of June 30, 2021.

Furthermore, the Department of Health officially announced the increase of quarantine duration from 14 to 21 days on May 5th for all visitors due to the escalating Covid-19 situation. The Vietnam government may extend the quarantine period or request travel restrictions after the quarantine period if necessary to diminish the risk of disease spread.

Additionally, the Vietnamese government is purchasing more vaccines and will grant foreigners living, studying, and working in Vietnam opportunities for vaccination so they can live safely, and receive medical care as well as intensive treatment when necessary.

Note: these rules and policies can be altered at any time.

Conclusion

That’s a glance at Vietnam visa, entry, and exit policy and regulation for foreigners 2021. Keeping them in mind will go a long way in ensuring a smooth and worry-free trip to Vietnam. For further information or visa support, contact us now!