Foreigners who are spouse/children/parents of a Vietnamese, or people residing overseas with Vietnamese relatives can apply for the certificate of Vietnam visa exemption or 5-year Vietnam visa and can stay 90 days for each entry.

The process of getting a certificate of Vietnam visa exemption  

Step 1: Prepare documents as prescribed by law.

Step 2: Vietnamese people residing abroad apply for a visa exemption certificate for themselves and their relatives to apply at the office of the Immigration Department – Ministry of Public Security:

Immigration officials receive records for checking the legality and content of the document:

  • In case the dossier is complete and valid, the receipt shall be printed to the applicant.
  • In case the dossier is missing, or invalid, the officer in charge of receiving the dossier will instruct the applicant to fix.

Step 3: Receive a visa exemption certificate at the Immigration Department – Ministry of Public Security.

The recipient gives the receipt, identity card or passport to the officials who return the results for examining and comparing; or

The applicant can come to receive the results directly by paying the fee and signing the receipt.

The necessary documents 

  • 01 application form for visa exemption (Form NA9).
  • Papers proving that the Vietnamese is residing abroad or papers previously issued are used to speculate on the Vietnamese nationality or origin.
  • Papers proving the relationship between husband and wife, children with Vietnamese residing overseas or Vietnamese citizens (marriage registration certificate, birth certificate, and other valuable papers as prescribed by Vietnamese law).
  • Foreign passports or those who have not been granted passport must have permanent papers issued by foreign countries (enclosed with copies for storing by competent agencies).
  • In the absence of the documents mentioned above, the applicant for a visa exemption certificate may present the documents issued by a foreign competent authority, if it shows the original nationality or Vietnamese origin. 

Processing time 

Within 07 working days from the date of receiving the complete dossier.

Who is eligible? 

Vietnamese overseas, spouses or children of a Vietnamese.

Others can see information on Vietnam entry visa here

Fees

  • Fee for granting of visa exemption for the first time: 20 USD.
  • Fee of granting visa exemption from the second time onwards: 10 USD.

Requirements and conditions for implementation

  1. Foreign passport or papers substituting foreign passports are valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry. In case a Vietnamese residing overseas doesn’t have a passport, the applicant must have a permanent residence permit issued by a foreign country valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry.
  2. Visa exemption documents cannot be granted if they are “not yet allowed to enter Vietnam” under the provisions of Vietnamese law.
  3. For Vietnamese residing overseas and their relatives: if they are temporarily suspended from exit, they shall not be granted visas exemption in Vietnam.