How to Apply for a Vietnam Exit Visa
A standard visa allows foreigners to enter and exit Vietnam. So, why and when do you need an exit visa? Let’s take a closer look at the Vietnam exit visa in this post!
What is exit visa?
Foreigners who want to exit Vietnam must have a valid passport or equivalent international travel documents and a valid visa or temporary resident card. In case your visa expires or your passport is unfortunately lost or damaged but you need to exit Vietnam, you need an Exit visa.
Exit visa or exit permit is a legal document provided by the Vietnam Immigration Department to allow foreigners to exit Vietnam. The maximum validity of an exit visa is 15 days.
Who needs an exit visa?
Foreigners can use the original visa to both enter and exit Vietnam. However, in some special cases, you need to obtain an exit visa to legally leave Vietnam.
- Foreigners staying in Vietnam longers than the visa validity.
- Foreigners losing passports or having passports damaged.
- Foreign babies born in Vietnam.
- Foreign workers having a labor contract ended or a temporary resident card collected by the employer.
- Foreigners getting a new passport in Vietnam.
Overstaying in Vietnam will make foreigners forced to exit Vietnam and leave a bad mark on the Immigration record. In this case, foreigners need to contact the Immigration Department, be subject to a proper fine, and apply for an exit visa.
Foreigners are forced to leave Vietnam in some cases:
- Overstaying while the allowed duration of stay expires or overstaying leads to an overdue visa
- Other emergency cases
How to apply?
Different cases require different documents and procedures to apply for an exit visa. In case you lose your passport or your passport expires, you need to renew your passport or get a new passport before applying for an exit visa. In case you want to register an exit visa for your babies, you need to submit a child’s birth certificate, a visa application form NA5, parents’ original passport with valid visas/temporary resident card/work permit to the Vietnam Immigration Department
The following is how to apply for an exit visa in the most popular case - an expired visa or overstaying in Vietnam!
Dossiers
Foreigners having an expired visa/temporary resident card must have a guaranteed enterprise/agency in Vietnam.
- Documents required by guaranteed enterprises/agencies:
- Copy of business license
- Copy of seal sample certificate
- Copy of tax code registration
- Copy of sample registration with signature and seal.
- Documents required by foreigners:
- A passport with a minimum validity of 6 months
- A visa application form to exit Vietnam
- A written document explaining the visa overstay
- Flight tickets
Procedures
Based on your original visa, if your visa application was received and processed by the Vietnam Immigration Office, your exit visa application will be submitted to them. And it is similar to cases in Immigration Department of the province/city in Vietnam.
There are 4 steps you need to follow:
- Step 1: Immigration Department identifies the time of overstay, and informs applicants of the fine according to Vietnam Law.
- Step 2: Applicants pay the visa overstay fine as prescribed (*).
- Step 3: Applicants submit all documents for visa extension to the Immigration Department.
- Step 4: Receive a visa extension stamp on the foreigner's original passport after around 5 working days. Foreigners must exit Vietnam within the duration of extension.
(*) Overstay fine:
- 1 - 3 days: VND 500,000
- 4 - 10 days: VND 1,250,000
- 10 - 30 days: VND 4,000,000
- 1 - 3 months: VND 10,000,000
- Up to 1 year: VND 16,000,000
- More than 1 year: Over VND 16,000,000 and forced to leave Vietnam, restricted from entering Vietnam for a period of time.
Processing time & fee
- The processing time for an exit visa is around 05 working days (except for holidays).
- The fee depends on your fine for an overdue visa and the type of visa, but it could be more or less than US100.
Questions and Answers (06)
I have overstayed my visa by 2 days as I had issues with getting flights. I plan on going to immigration office to obtain an exit visa - can this be done straight away in the office?
@Siobhan, Unfortunately, we can’t confirm the processing time, as it varies case by case. We recommend that you visit the local immigration office as soon as possible or consider extending your current visa with a travel agency in Vietnam.
As an American citizen, I lost my visa but I have a photo copy of my visa and I still have my passport, can I go back to the United States?
@Cuong Cao Nguyen, if you still have a copy of your visa and your passport with the entry stamp, we recommend visiting the local Immigration office to determine whether you can exit the country or if an exit visa is required.
- In Hanoi: 44 Phạm Ngọc Thạch, Phương Liên, Đống Đa, Hà Nội.
- In Ho Chi Minh City, you can visit the office at 337 Nguyễn Trãi, Phường Nguyễn Cư Trinh, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is the validity of an exit visa?
An exit visa has a validity of 15 days which is a suitable duration for foreigners to complete procedures to exit Vietnam.
2. What documents are required for an exit visa?
Applicants need to prepare some documents including a passport with at least 6 months of validity, a visa application form, a written document showing the reason for an overdue visa, and proof of flight tickets. Besides, there are some legal documents required by the guaranteed enterprise/ agency such as a business license, seal sample certificate, tax code registration, and sample registration with signature and seal (all in certified copies).
3. Where do I submit the application for an exit visa?
You will submit an exit visa application at the Vietnam Immigration Office or Immigration Department of the provinces or cities of Vietnam where you are residing.
4. My passport will expire in 5 months, can I exit Vietnam?
In regard to Vietnam Law, your passport has to remain at least 6 months of validity in order to exit the country. In this case, you must renew your passport and make sure you have a valid visa or temporary resident card and are not listed in cases of being banned from leaving or suspended from leaving Vietnam as prescribed by law.
5. What does an exit visa look like?
An exit visa is similar to a visa extension which will be stamped on your passport. You can see a new duration of stay in Vietnam (maximum 15 days) and you are obligated to exit Vietnam during that time.
Contact sales if you have additional questions.
Contact support if you already submitted your visa application on our website.
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