Services of visa extension for foreigner

Visa is a very important paper, deciding a foreigner can live, study and work legally in another country.

 Your visa is about to expire and you want to extend it? You don’t know when, how and what you need for visa extension? Please contact us for free consultation or study related information below for procedure of visa extention 

Legal basis:

- Law No. 47/2014/QH13 dated June 16, 2014 – Law on entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam

- Law No. 51/2019/QH14 dated November 25, 2019 – Law on amendment, supplementation of some articles of Law on entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam

- Circular No. 04/2015/TT-BCA dated January 5th 2015 stipulating forms of papers relating to entry, exit, residence of of foreigners in Vietnam.

- Circular No. 04/2016/TT-BNG dated June 30th 2016 guiding procedures on issuance of visa, temporary residence extension temporary residence card for foreigners in Vietnam.

Visa extension

Visa, or entry visa, is a kind of certificate of one country’s government to issue to a foreigner, allow such person to enter their country for a certain period of time.

Visa extension means a foreigner who has a Vietnam visa and is currently residing in Vietnam wants to continue to stay in Vietnam for purpose of tourism, visiting relatives, studying and working, has to apply for a visa extension when the visa expires.

On the visa, symbols will be displayed and such symbols indicate the purpose of entry of foreigners, how many days can they stay.

Purpose of Visa extension

To ensure the legal rights of residence for foreigners in Vietnam, this is the only way for foreigners to continue staying in Vietnam legally after the visa expires without having to leave the country; avoid being blacklisted by the Immigration Department of Vietnam for overstaying visas and have more time to deal with jobs in Vietnam, especially during the time caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this case, extending the visa is the best solution.

Application dossiers for visa extension

The application dossiers for extension of each type of visa will be depending on the purpose of entry. Specifically for some cases as follows:

For Investment Visa:

+ A written request for issuance, supplementation, amendment of visa and extension of temporary residence (Form NA5).

+ Passport is still valid.

+ A copy of document proving that a foreigner is an investor: investment registration certificate, capital contribution certificate.

+ A copy of the operation license of the organization or enterprise that guarantees the foreigner.

For Work Visa:

+ A written request for issuance, supplementation, amendment of visa and extension of temporary residence (Form NA5).

+ Passport is still valid.

+ A copy of the operation license of the organization or enterprise that guarantees the foreigner

+ Work permit or work permit exemption confirmation

For business visa

+ A written request for issuance, supplementation, amendment of visa and extension of temporary residence (Form NA5).

+ Passport is still valid.

+ A copy of the operation license of the organization or enterprise that guarantees the foreigner

For Tourist Visa

+ A written request for issuance, supplementation, amendment of visa and extension of temporary residence (Form NA5).

+ Original passport and visa in use

For Visa to visit relatives

+ A written request for issuance, supplementation, amendment of visa and extension of temporary residence (Form NA5).

+ Passport is still valid

+ Copy of papers of the bailsman: If the relative is Vietnamese, provide the ID/ciziten card; if the relative is a foreigner, provide the passport or other international travel document.

+ Documents proving personal relationship: marriage registration certificate, birth certificate, family relationship proof document, etc.

Licensing agency

The government agency issuing visas for foreigners in Vietnam is the Immigration Department. In case of in-person submission, the applicant should submit the dossier at the nearest address to their curent location.

- Hanoi Immigration Department’s address: 44-46 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi

- Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh City: 196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

- Immigration office in Da Nang: 78 Le Loi, Thach Thang Ward, Hai Chau District, Da Nang

Procedures for application of visa extension

Step 1: Prepare documents for visa extension

Step 2: Submit application for visa extension

Step 3: Get the result

Visa extension processing time

Processing time is from 3 to 5 working days. In case the application dossier is incorrect or missing, the receiving officer will guide the applicant to supplement the application. If all documents are complete, the application will be accepted for extension.

There are many cases where foreigners face difficulties when they self-extend their visas at the Immigration Department and are refused due to many unreasonable grounds such as language differences, inadequate or incorrect preparation of documents as requests, lack of study of the regulations, .... Please do not hesitate to make a call, send a message to our lawyer for a FREE consultation.

4 Notes when extending Visa

1. Expiry of passport

To extend/re-issue a Vietnam visa, foreigners must ensure that their original passport is still valid for at least 06 months from the time of extension/re-issuance; leaves at least 2 blank pages.

2. Validity of visa extension

The extended visa will be valid for one entry, that is, after the extension, if the foreigner leaves Vietnam, the extended visa will automatically expire.

3. Penalty for overdue or expired Visa

In case the visa is overdue or expired, it means the expiration of the foreigner's temporary residence in Vietnam. At this time, foreigners will be fined according to the regulations of Vietnam laws.

Specifically, Clause 4, Article 18 of Decree No. 144/2021/ND-CP stipulates penalties for administrative violations in the field of social security, order and safety; prevention of social evils; fire protection and prevention; rescue; domestic violence prevention and control. Accordingly, a fine of from 5,000,000 VND to 10,000,000 VND will be applied if foreigners use temporary residence certificates, extended temporary residence cards, temporary residence cards overdue the expiry date of 60 days to less than 90 days without permission from the competent authority.

4. Visa extension fee

Fees are fixed amounts of money that applied to individuals and organizations when the public services is provided by a government agency for their managment. When submitting a dossier at a government agency, the applicant must pay the visa fee as prescribed by laws. Visa extension fee for foreigners is a mandatory fee when carrying out visa extension procedures in Vietnam. Included:

- One time visa extension: 25 US$

- Multiple visa extension: 50 – 135 US$

In addition, there may be some arisen costs such as travel costs, filing costs, service rentals and other related costs.

How to extend visa in the fastest and most effective way while minimizing costs? Call now for a FREE consultation!

Quick services for visa extension for foreigners 

In case you cannot proceed with the visa extension yourself or you do not have time to do it, do not know the regulations on visa extension, please contact Hoang Anh Law Firm immediately for advice with best services fee.

The lawyers of Hoang Anh Law Firm are professional with many years of practiced experience, have been involved in the registration procedures for obtainment of quick domestic and foreign licenses. We ensure to meet with your requirements in the fastest time.