If you wish to extend or renew your visa in Vietnam, you must consider your current visa type, nationality, time of the year, purpose, and reason for the extension or renewal. This will enable you to stay longer in Vietnam without having to leave the country.
If you extend your Vietnam visa before it expires, you can extend your stay in Vietnam for a longer period without having to leave the country. However, if you were to renew your Vietnam visa, you would have to first exit the country before applying for a new Vietnam visa if you wish to return to Vietnam. Hence, a visa extension is a more convenient and cost-effective option.
You must meet some requirements of the Vietnam Immigration Department to apply for a visa extension. There must be a correlation between your current visa type and the stay-extending requirement.
- If you are extending your visa for one month, your current visa must be one month, three month, single, or 3-month multiple-entry visa.
- A three-month extension of the current visa must be a three-month visa with a single entry or a three-month visa with multiple entries.
- To extend the visa for 15 days, the current visa must be a 15-day free visa exemption or a 1-month single visa.
Required documents for business/ working Visas
Those who work, do business, and have a sponsor company in Vietnam, along with a valid visa and passport marked with the visa type of DN / LD / NN1 / NN2 / TT, should compile and have the following documents:
- The legal entity file of the company (notarized certified copies of business registration or investment registration certificates or establishing a representative office)
- Certificate of seal registration and tax code registration (if applicable);
- Their original passport;
- A valid Vietnam visa;
- Vietnam work permit (if any);
- Visa extension form that has been signed and sealed by the company's legal representative
- Original certificate of temporary residence in Vietnam (proof of residence);
- If a relative accompanies the foreigner, they must provide written proof of their relationship, and the documents must be written on legal paper, translated, and notarized within the provisions of Vietnamese law.
- In the case of a spouse, the foreigners must comply and provide a marriage certificate
- In the case of children, government-issued birth certificates must be furnished.
- The processing time for a visa extension often takes between 5-7 working days.
Documents required for a tourist, visitor visa extension
The following documents should be prepared by foreigners who come to Vietnam for tourism or relative visit with a valid visa and passport stamped with a DL, VR, or visa exemption stamp:
- Their original passport;
- A valid Vietnam visa marked with a DL, VR, or visa exemption stamp
- The name of the port of entry;
- Temporary or current address in Vietnam;
- Original certificate of temporary residence in Vietnam (if any);
- You need to extend your Vietnam visa a few days before it expires; it would be best if you did so at least one week before it expires (for a 3-month visa, it would be better if you applied two weeks in advance). Since it takes you seven days to submit your passport and requirements to the Vietnam Immigration Department Office, applying early may help in some ways.
If your passport is lost or stolen, you must follow the following steps:
- Your temporary residence's local police station should provide you with a lost passport report;
- Consulate or Embassy to obtain new travel documents, such as passports and travel permits;
- An Embassy's or Consulate's letter of confirmation is required;
- To leave Vietnam, you must obtain an exit or replacement visa.
Where to apply for your Vietnam visa extension?
In all three major regions of Vietnam - North, Center, and South - the following is the contact information for the three central Immigration Departments:
In Ho Chi Minh City:
- The Ho Chi Minh City Police Department's Immigration Office: 196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
- Ministry of Public Security Department Of Immigration: 254 Nguyen Trai Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
- In Da Nang: 7 Tran Quy Cap, Da Nang City
- In Ha Noi: 40A, Hang Bai Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
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