If you are in Vietnam for tourist or business purposes, you can extend your visa in Vietnam. If you were in Vietnam with a business visa, you would have to get it renewed before the expiry date.

You can only extend your visa if the total time of your visit was lesser than six months. If you have already been in the country for six months, it is difficult to get a visa extension. You can either visit the Immigration office directly and initiate the application process or you can start the procedure online.

This guide will help you understand how you can apply for a visa extension in Vietnam. Read on to know the different terms and conditions and the procedure to be followed for the extension.

What is a Visa Extension?

For those who are unaware, there are differences between visa extension and visa renewal. If you cannot leave the country because of the work or travel restrictions, you can apply it for visa extension. 

You can only extend your stay if the total time of your visit was lesser than six months. If you have already been in the country for six months, it would be difficult to get a visa extension.

When you apply for a visa extension, you will be granted a new extension stamp on your passport. The stamp would include the details of your new duration permission. 

Visa extension is an ideal choice when you had a single-entry visa. It is a type of visa that can be used only once or for one entry only. Single entry visas would permit you to visit Vietnam once until your visa is valid. 

• You can apply for a visa extension for single-entry visas only.
• You can extend the duration permission for a maximum of three months.

What is Visa Renewal?

Visa renewal is somewhat similar to the original visa application procedure. You won’t have to leave the country and would be granted a new visa sticker. If you renew your visa, you will get a new visa along with the new duration permission. Unlike the visa extension, the fees for visa renewal is higher. 

• You can apply for visa renewal for both single and multiple entry visas.
• You can upgrade or get it renewed for a period of three, six months, and one year, depending on the type of visa (single or multiple).
• You will get a new page sticker on your passport. It would be considered as a new visa. 

You can apply for a visa extension and extend your stay in the country. You will also save a lot as the visa extension cost is much less than the cost of visa renewal. Therefore, you can apply for Visa extension and get more time to settle your work or stay in the country. 

Documents/ Requirements for Visa Extension and Visa Renewal

You must fulfill certain conditions in order to be eligible for the Visa extension or visa renewal. To be eligible for the extension or renewal for the visa, you must fulfill the following conditions:

• Your passport must have a validity of at least six months from when you’re applying for the extension or renewal. 
• Your passport must have at least two blank pages in it. 

Other than this, you must apply for the extension permission at least sixty days before the expiration date of the visa. If there are delays, the penalty for late registration would be charged. 

Following are the documents that are required for temporary extension in the country:

• Passport
• Application form (Form NA5 stamped with the Embassy)
• Health declaration and documents
• Documents showing temporary residence declaration

Where can you apply for a Visa extension in Vietnam? 

Below mentioned are the offices that are in charge of the visa extension in the country. You can visit these immigration offices for application and other paperwork:

• Hanoi immigration office

Address – 44-46 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi

• Ho Chi Minh City Immigration Office

 Address – 196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh city

• Da Nang Immigration office

Address: 78 Le Loi, Thach Thang, Hai Chau, Da Nang

Working hours of these immigration offices: 

• Monday-Friday (Morning: 7am – 11h30am; Afternoon: 1h30pm – 5pm) 
• Saturday (Morning time only)

How to apply for Visa Extension in Vietnam? 

Now, let us go through the steps required and follow in order to apply for Visa extension in the country. You can either visit the Immigration office directly and initiate the application process or you can start the procedure online through Vietnam-visa.com. You can even contact a local agency in Vietnam to help you with the process. 

Here are the steps that have to be followed for Visa extension:

1. Fill the NA5 application form to start the procedure. 
2. If you are filling an online application form, you can choose to pay the fee online. They accept major credit cards. You can choose any of them to pay your visa servicing fee. 
3. If you want to visit the Immigration office directly, you can take a print of the form. Fill the form, take your original passport, and then visit the immigration office to complete the process. 
4. Wait for a week or so. A one-month extension visa generally takes about five days for the extension. In contrast, a three-month extension visa may take about eight to ten days for the completion. Therefore, you must wait for seven to ten days to get the final updates for your extension application. 

The Cost Of Visa Extension 

It depends on your nationality, port of your entry and duration of visa extension you select. An average extension for a 1 month visa is around 60 USD to 155 USD and an extension for a 3 month visa is around 180-310 USD. If you are applying through an agency, their service fee will be added as well.

How long can you stay in the country?

If you entered with a one-month visa, the conditions are different. And if you came with a 3-month visa, the extension period would be different. Therefore, how long you can stay or how long extension you can get completely depends on the type of visa you currently have. 

Visa extension services are not available on public holidays. Therefore, you must avoid visiting the Immigration office on such days and on Sundays. It may take about 7-10 days. Wait for it or consult a travel agency to help you get your visa extended during these unprecedented times. 

You must note that visa extension fees can only be paid in either US dollars or Vietnamese Dong. Costs for a visa extension may vary, depending on the visa yow own. If you forgot to apply for the visa extension, an additional penalty fee would be charged. If you couldn’t leave Vietnam due to coronavirus outbreak, you can refer to the government guidelines for more information. 

Endnotes

Now that you know all about visa extension in Vietnam, extend your stay and experience the stunning beauty of this amazing country. Even if your visit to Vietnam is for business purposes, these few pointers will help you extend your visa in Vietnam without any hassles.