New rules about Vietnam’s unilateral visa exemption

According to the article number 20 of 47/2014/ QH2013 circulation about the Conditions for Entry Vietnam Immigration issued on 16th of June 2014 with effect from 1st January 2015: A foreigner shall be granted entry into Vietnam with unilateral visa-free entry when the foreigner have a passport that is still valid for at least 06 months, and the entry date must be at least 30 days from the previous exit.

Currently, Vietnam's unilateral visa exemption is applying for citizens of 13 countries, including: Korea, Japan, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belarus, Italy, Germany, Britain, France and Spain.

Citizens of those countries can enter Vietnam without visa within 15 days. In case, they want to enter into Vietnam under unilateral visa exemption in the next time have to wait at least 30 days from the last day exited Vietnam.

For example: A Spain citizen entering Vietnam dated 4th July 2015 under unilateral visa exemption and leaves Vietnam on 15th July 2015. If he/she wants immigration back to Vietnam, he/she has to wait at least 30 days (it means after 15th August 2015) to enter Vietnam under the unilateral visa exemption or he/she has to have visa.

 --------------------------------

Article 20 (Conditions for Entry Vietnam Immigration): Conditions for entry

A foreigner shall be granted entry into Vietnam when all of the conditions below are satisfied:

1. The foreigner has a passport/laissez-passer and a visa.

Any foreigner that enters Vietnam and is unilaterally granted visa-free entry must have a passport that is still valid for at least 06 months, and the entry date must be at least 30 days from the previous exit;

2. The foreigner is not suspended from entry as prescribed in Article 21 of this Law. 

When you enter Vietnam, you have to submit The Entry and exit form to the Immigration Officer. It is an important document as approval letter to get visa stamp. Since March 1, 2015, a new one that was renamed into Vietnamese visa application form has replaced the old entry and exit form. As such, the old form is currently invalid. Therefore, in case you received the old form for getting Vietnam visa on arrival at the airport from any travel agent, please ignore it, download the new version, fill it out and bring it together with you upon departure for Vietnam.

In case you do not have the Vietnamese visa application form from any source yet, you can take one at the airport upon your arrival to fill out with your information. However, it may take you 5 to 10 minutes to fill out. So we highly recommend you to download and fill it out before visit Vietnam to save your time. » Click here to download it.

This law is to come into effect on January 01, 2015. The Ordinance No. 24/2000/PL-UBTVQH10 on entry, exit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam is annuled as from the effective date of this law.

We would like to list some notable points of the law:

1. A foreigner holding various passports is forced to use only one of his/her passport for all his/her entry in, exit from, transit and residence in Vietnam. (Clause 4, Article 4).

2. Visa symbols are changed and more specific in accordance with the purposes of immigration (Article 8). 

The Immigration Law stipulates 20 different types of visa.

3. Foreigners who enter Vietnam to work are able to obtain a visa up to 02 years maximum (Clause 5, Article 9), while foreigners who enter Vietnam to invest are able to obtain a visa valid up to 05 years maximum in accordance with the law on investment (Clause 6, Article 9).

The validity of each visa type differs under the Immigration Law. For example, the maximum duration of an investor visa will be five years; the maximum duration of working visas will be two years which corresponds with the maximum duration of work permits.

The duration of temporary residence granted can be canceled or shortened where foreigners violate the Vietnam law or stay in Vietnam with a purpose different from the initial registered purpose.

4. Foreigners who enter Vietnam to work must obtain a work permit before applying for a Vietnamese entry visa (Section c, Clause 4, Article 10).

 To legally enter Vietnam, foreigners must apply for a suitable type of visa. For example, foreigners entering Vietnam for investment purposes must submit documents as proof of investment in Vietnam; foreigners working as lawyers in Vietnam must present their permit for practicing law in Vietnam; foreigners working in Vietnam must have a work permit in the visa application dossiers.

5. The law describes specific cases of Vietnamese visa-free entry, including the case of foreigners who enter Vietnam at the checkpoint of economic zones or special administrative – economic units (Clause 3, Article 12), and unilateral visa-free entry, in which the validity period of a decision to unilaterally grant visa-free entry shall not exceed 05 years and may be extended (Clause 2, Article 13).

6. The law broadens up to 06 cases of entities that are qualified to apply for visas at international border checkpoints (Clause 1, Article 18).

7. Cases of suspension from entry are also stipulated expressly in this law including children under 14 years of age without accompanying adult(s), persons expelled from Vietnam for less than 03 years, and persons deported from Vietnam for less than 06 months (Article 21).

Moreover, foreigners may be suspended from exit in one of the following cases:  (Article 28)

- Tax obligation is not fulfilled.

- Implementing a judgement or decision of a court.

- Implementing a decision on penalties for administrative violations, ect.

8. The law has a separate Chapter to describe the conditions for transit, transit passenger area, and transit by air/sea (Article 23, 24, 25 and 26).

9. The law gives provisions on both temporary and permanent residence of foreigners in Vietnam. Any stateless person who has had temporary residence in Vietnam from 2000 or earlier will be considered for granting permanent residence (Article 39).

Besides, duration of temporary residence cards is from 02 to 05 years and subject to visa types (Article 38).

10. The sanctions for administrative violations related to entry, exit, residence and travel of foreigners are still being applied in accordance with existing regulations. According to these regulations, the maximum penalty for violation is 40 million dong (US$2,000). Depending on the violation, foreigners may also be deported from Vietnam. 

Vietnam has many long holidays. Special in 2015, there are 15 days for Vietnam holidays that Vietnam Immigration Department will not work.

If you are planning to go to Vietnam in these days, you should apply the Visa online in advance to prevent any problem for applying a Visa to Vietnam.

Notes that Vietnam Visa upon arrival allows you apply online from 3 months before your entry dates.

 National public holidays of Vietnam in 2015

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said on October 31,  Vietnam has simplified the visa regime procedures Azerbaijani residents. Therefore, Azerbaijani residents will right now be able to get a visa upon arrival at Vietnam's international airports.

The agreement on visa simplification achieved after the subject raised by Azerbaijani's Embassy in Vietnam.

The parties have consented that Vietnam will arrange the visa for residents of Azerbaijani at Vietnam international airport then they just need apply the information to Vietnam travel agent.

Vietnam acknowledged Azerbaijani's independence on December 27, 1991, and the two countries developed diplomatic relations on September 23, 1992. Vietnam - Azerbaijani relations have been brotherly and traditional.