[Update August 2020] Vietnam Visa Extension And Visa Renewal During Covid 19 Period

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Many Foreigners coming to Vietnam for travelling, working, etc. are getting stuck here due to the pandemic Covid 19. Most of the flights are canceled and all the borders are closed, so it’s very difficult to get home in this period. That is the reason why many people want to prolong their stay in Vietnam. And this article will explain clearly all information about Vietnam visa extension and renewal so that you can extend your stay permit in Vietnam without leaving the country.

1/ Which Cases Are Automatically Extended To August 31st Without Applying Visa Extension?

Before you try to extend your visa, kindly note that:

If you entered Vietnam with Visa Exemptions, E-Visas or Tourist Visas from or later than March 1st, 2020, you will be eligible for “automatic stay permit extension” until August 31st, 2020, and are allowed to exit Vietnam at any time before August 31st without following any stay permit extension procedure. It means that if you entered Vietnam under those visa categories and entered the country on or after March 1st, 2020, even your visa will be expired before August 31st, 2020, you can leave Vietnam after your visa expiry date, but by August 31st, 2020, without penalty for overstaying.

In summary, you don’t have to extend your visa to EXIT Vietnam by August 31st, 2020. However, if you intend to stay in Vietnam after August 31st, 2020, you do need a visa extension.

If you entered Vietnam before March 1st, 2020, you will be eligible for the same policy if you show either of the following documents:

• A certification by your diplomatic mission in Vietnam through an official Diplomatic Note stating that you are stuck in Vietnam due to Covid 19 (attached with a translation in Vietnamese);
• Documents issued by the Vietnamese authorities certifying that you have undergone quarantine or treatment for COVID-19 or are stuck here due to reasons beyond your control.
• This policy works only for those who will leave Vietnam by August 31, 2020.

You are required to show those documents when exiting Vietnam to ensure no charge for overstaying.

In case you are eligible for an “automatic stay extension”, you are required to declare your temporary stay to local police and complete health declaration.

If you don’t meet the conditions above or have committed illegal actions, you shall be subject to do the visa extension or renewal to prolong your stay in Vietnam.

2/ What Are Visa Extension And Visa Renewal?

Visa extension is applied for foreigners who wish to prolong their current stay in Vietnam without leaving the country. With visa extension, you will get an extension stamp on your passport indicating your new stay duration. Visa extension is used for single entry only, which means it will be invalid immediately right after you leave Vietnam. For example, your visa is valid until June 30^th, but due to your flight is canceled, you extend your stay with 3 months visa extension until September 30^th, and there is a flight for coming back your country on August 15^th, when you leave Vietnam on August 15^th, your visa extension is also invalid because it is single entry.

Visa renewal almost the same as visa extension as it also allows foreigners to extend their stay in Vietnam without leaving the country. Moreover, it is also allowed the holders to exit and re-enter with a new permitted time.

However, if you renew visa, you will be granted a new visa sticker and stay duration stamp on your passport with the new duration permission. And therefore, the visa renewal fee is higher than the visa extension fee because you must pay stamping fee and visa sticker fee.

For the normal time, visa renewal is used for those for wish to exit and re-enter Vietnam many times with multiple entry. However, Vietnam Government is now closing the borders so visa extension is preferable than visa renewal.

3/ Visa Extension Is Recommended, Why?

The only choice to continue your stay in Vietnam legally after your visa expiry date is visa extension because all borders are closed now due to Covid 19. Visa renewal is not the option because you cannot leave and re-enter, and visa border run is also not available.

Your cost will be saved as the extension fee is much cheaper than the renewal fee.

It’s a good choice to avoid being taken into the blacklist of the Vietnam Immigration Department because of overstaying.

4/ Where and How To Extend Visa In Vietnam

For extending visa, you can come directly to Immigration Offices and submit documents by yourself. Or you can contact the visa agents to process your visa extension.

a/ If you process visa extension by yourself, the following Immigration offices will be useful for you:

• Hanoi immigration office: 44-46 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
• Immigration office in Da Nang: 78 Le Loi, Thach Thang, Hai Chau, Da Nang
• Immigration office in Ho Chi Minh City: 196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh city
• Working hours: Monday-Friday (Morning: 7am – 11h30am; Afternoon: 1h30pm – 5pm) and Saturday (Morning time only)

b/ In case you use extension service to do prolong your stay, you only need to go through the following 3 steps to get your visa successfully extended.

Step 1: Send the soft copy of your passport and the page containing your current Vietnam visa through email info@vietnam-evisa.com and you will receive full details of the visa extension options you can process.

Step 2: Send your original passport and pay the extension fee

Step 3: Get your passport with extended stay within 5 working days normally or 2 working days in urgent case upon your request

5/ Required Documents For Visa Extension/Renewal

To extend/renew Vietnam visa, your original passport must:

• be valid for at least 06 months from the time of extension/renewal.
• have at least 01 blank pages.

a/ If you extend visa through visa agents, no more documents are required. Only original passport is enough.

b/ If you extend visa by yourself, you must prepare NA5 form, sponsored letter, health declaration, and related documents depending on Immigration requets.

6/ How Long Can Be Extended And How Much For A Visa Extension ?

There are many types of Vietnam visas so we cannot show all cases in this article. For detailed information, please check through email info@vietnam-evisa.com for free.

Below are some common cases with extended durations:

Kindly note that the cost and length to extend Vietnam visa will depend on your original visa and also the duration you want to extend. Please feel free to send an email through info@vietnam-evisa.com to get the price.