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ENTRY & EXIT PROCEDURES FOR VIETNAM

Any foreigners or overseas Vietnamese wishing to visit Vietnam shall fill in three regular application forms for an entry visa, enclosing three 4cm by 6cm photographs. They should be of the head and shoulders only, taken without a hat and should show the person facing the camera, (and taken no more than one year before the application). The applicant shall send one of the three forms with a photograph to a diplomatic representative office, or consulate of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in the most convenient country. The remaining two forms with photographs should be carried by the applicant and handed to the tourist agency on arrival at the first point of entry in Vietnam. In order to obtain early entry-exit visas, travelers should send the application forms to the Vietnam Embassy.

Procedures for entry Visa Settlement

(Pursuant to Decree No. 04/CP dated January 18th, 1993 and the official Correspondence No. 810/QHQT dated March 04th, 1993 of the Government)

A. General Regulations :

- The Ministry of Interior has the responsibility for checking a guest's personal status, issuing the entry permit into Vietnam for every foreigners, Vietnamese people residing abroad to apply for an exit / entry Visa (hereunder generally called as guests) except delegations invited by the Party central secretariat, the State President, the Chairman of the National Assembly, Prime Minister.

- Vietnamese diplomatic institutions, consulates or other organizations (briefly referred as to Overseas Vietnamese Representative Organization) locating abroad are authorized to issue entry Visas based on the results of check and permit of the Ministry of Interior.

- Domestic organizations inviting guests (briefly referred to as Donor Organization) are responsible :

   + To prepare working program for the guests before invitation.

   + To fulfill all formalities to be submitted to the Ministry of Interior to get entry visa for the guests.

   + To guide the guests during their staying in the country.

- Domestic individuals sponsoring, receiving Visitors have responsibilities in guiding guests during their staying in the country.

B. Concrete Regulations :

I. For Visa applicants :

1. Guests applying for entry visa to see their relatives in Vietnam must contact them beforehand.

2. Guests applying for entry visa with the purpose of working, tourism, doing business ... must contact the related organizations in Vietnam to arrange their schedule and itinerary.

3. After completion of the above- mentioned regulations as stipulated in points 1 and 2, guest shall conduct the procedure to apply for Visa at Overseas Vietnamese representative organizations (except those who have the right to be exempted from Visa). The procedure will consist of the followings :

- To fill in Visa application forms in duplicate (form M3), one of them must be submitted to the Overseas Vietnamese Representative organization, the other to the Vietnam border police - Station at the entry.

- Submitting application for entry visa at the Overseas Vietnamese Representative Organizations, guests must show their passports, documents proving the aims, reasons for entry into Vietnam (if any).

II. For the Donor organizations in Vietnam :

1. In case guests have passports to be exempted from Visa to Vietnam, the Donor organization must send an official letter to propose the Ministry of Interior to check up personal status of guests (using form M5) at least 7 days before the intended entry date.

2. In case guests apply to work in foreign Diplomatic Representative Offices, Consulate Organizations, International Organizations located in Vietnam, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be responsible for having an unified opinion with the Ministry of Interior on guests personal status before informing Overseas Vietnamese Representative Organizations to issue visa.

3. If guests do not belong to the above-mentioned 1, 2 groups :

a. In case guests apply for entry visa to work with domestic organizations, unions, socio - economic organizations, the heads of those organizations or authorized organizations will send official letter (form M5) to propose the Ministry of Interior to inspect and give Visa permit. The Ministry of Interior is responsible to reply not later than 7 days (using form M7) from the day receiving all due documents.

b. In case guests apply to work with productive, business targets in Joint Ventures enterprises with 100% foreign capital, Vietnam branches of foreign economic organizations, Joint Stock companies, limited companies, private companies, the general directors or the company directors must send an official letter (form M5) to propose the Ministry of Interior to inspect and give Visa permit. The Ministry of Interior is responsible to reply not later than 15 days (using form M7) from the day receiving all due documents.

c. In case applying for entry visa to investigate the commercial, investment ability, guests can conduct procedure for Visa permit in the Ministry of Interior (form M5) through business service organizations of Vietnam such as The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam, Investment Consulting and Service Companies. In case for entry to travel, guest can authorize Vietnamese International Tourist Companies to conduct procedures for Visa permit at the Ministry of Interior. The Ministry of Interior is responsible to reply not later than 15 days (form M7) from the day receiving all due documents.

d. In case guests apply for entry visa to see relatives, besides the guest's application at Overseas Vietnamese Representative Organization's Office, their domestic relatives also can propose the Ministry of Interior (Using form M4) to consider and issue visa permit. The Ministry of Interior is responsible to reply not later than 5 days (form M7) from the day receiving the proposal of the Overseas Vietnamese representative organization or the application of the relative of the guest.

III. Application for entry Visa at the Border Station :

Guests who have reasons to entry Vietnam urgently or due to incidental invitation of domestic organizations to serve external relations or to treat urgent works such as : technical settlement of investment projects, to bury relatives, to provide emergency aid to serious patient, to cure from danger, natural calamity, accident, epidemic .... if having visa permit but not be able to receive visa at Overseas Vietnamese representative Organization's office can receive it from representative of the Ministry of Interior at the border entry station of Vietnam.

- Organizations requiring to issue entry Visa at the border Station for guests must inform in writing the reason to propose the Ministry of Interior to issue Visa permit (form M5). They can inform their guests only after having the acceptation of the Ministry of Interior. In urgent cases, the requirement to issue visa at the border must be sent to the Ministry of Interior at least 24 hours before the arrival of the guest at the border station.

- Guests wishing to receive Visa at the border station need fill in the application forms with photographs and submit them at the entry border station.

- Guests who do not belong to the above-mentioned groups shall be forced to exit if they arrive at the border station without visa permit.

Visa permit extension, supplement, amendment procedures and some other procedures on residence and traveling. (Pursuant to the Decree No.04 CP dated January 18th, 1993 of Government)

1. foreigners, Vietnamese people settling abroad (hereafter referred to as guests) entry Vietnam termly are given certificates for termly residence issued by the Ministry of Interior at the border station ( People having diplomatic priority will conduct the same procedure at the Ministry of foreign Affairs) and may live in Vietnam only within the term of residence. In case guests desire to live in Vietnam longer time than the stipulated one in the certificate, so 3 days before the dead-line, the receiving organization (hereinafter referred to as Donor organization) should an official letter or the guest himself should propose the Ministry of Interior or the Provincial or City Police Office to inspect and to grant an extension permit (form M16).

- In the case of the term of Visa and the term of residence both are finished, if guests having been granted an extension for residence, they need not to apply to extend visa. They can use that Visa to exit in the term of residence, through the border station noted in Visa.

- In some cases, due to different reasons, the residence term may be shorter than the term of visa. In those cases if not receive the permission of the Ministry of Interior, the guest shall exit Vietnam according to term of residence.

2. Coming to Vietnam, if there is any change of the initial entry aim, the Donor organization or the guest shall apply for permission of the Ministry of Interior (Using from M16). The Ministry of Interior shall consider and reply in a term of 3 days. If the requirement is acceptable, the Ministry of Interior will grant an extension or new Visa conforming with the changed aim.

- If the guests conduct activities different than the registered without permission of the Ministry of Interior, they will be punished according to the Vietnamese laws and be forced to exit Vietnam.

- In case guests desire to change the Donor organization in Vietnam, the new Donor organization must send an official letter to the Ministry of Interior with the approved opinion of the first Donor.

3. Guests who desire to come into the prohibited for residence, traveling areas pursuant to the regulations of Vietnamese laws must send an application or their Donor organizations must send an official letter to the Ministry of Interior or the provincial/city police office where the prohibited area is.