In June 14, 2014, the National Assembly of Vietnam approved the new immigration law. The new law is scheduled to come into effect on January 1, 2015. Following are the key changes in this new Immigration Law of Vietnam:
1/ A complete new structure of visa types with 20 different categories of visas and new durations:
| Categories of Visa | Description / category of applicant entitled to | Duration of Visa | Duration of Temporary Resident Card | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NG1-NG4 | Diplomatic | Up to 12 months | Up to 5 years |
| 2 | LV1-LV2 | Working with Vietnamese authorities/parties | Up to 12 months | Up to 5 years |
| 3 | ĐT | Investors/foreign lawyers | Up to 5 years | Up to 5 years |
| 4 | DN | Working with Vietnamese enterprises | Up to 12 months | NA |
| 5 | NN1-NN2 | Chief Representative Office, Head of Project Office of foreign NGO), Chief rep of rep offices in Vietnam | Up to 12 months | Up to 3 years |
| 6 | NN3 | Staffs of NGO, Rep office in Vietnam | Up to 12 months | NA |
| 7 | DH | Students/ interns | Up to 12 months | Up to 5 years |
| 8 | HN | Attending meeting | Up to 3 months | NA |
| 9 | PV1 | Journalists with permanent residence in Vietnam | Up to 12 months | Up to 2 years |
| 10 | PV2 | Journalists with short term residence in Vietnam | Up to 12 months | NA |
| 11 | LĐ | Foreign workers | Up to 2 years | Up to 2 years |
| 12 | DL | Tourists | Up to 3 months | NA |
| 13 | TT | Dependents of 2,3,5,7,9,11 | Up to 12 months | Up to 3 years |
| 14 | VR | Visiting relatives, other purpose | Up to 6 months | NA |
| 15 | SQ | Related to MOF, Consulate with the purpose of market research, visiting relatives, tourist, medical treatment | Up to 30 days | NA |
2/ According to article 7, point 1 of the new law, the purpose of Visa may not be converted from one purpose to another. Our interpretation is that, for instance, someone entering Vietnam with a tourist visa (DL) may not be able to convert it to a work visa in country (LD)
3/ New prohibited conditions for entry and exit:
Prohibited conditions for entrance:
– Any person that was deported from Vietnam within the last 03 years;
– Any person that was compelled to leave Vietnam within the last 06 months;
– Any person Presenting forging paper or providing false information to obtain entry/exit/residence permit.
– A child under 14 years of age traveling without an accompanying parent or custodian; etc
Prohibited conditions for exit: A foreigner’s exit will be suspended (up to three years) in the following cases:
– His or her tax obligations have yet been fulfilled;
– He/she is obliged to comply with an administrative sanction;
– He/she has been criminally charged or must serve a criminal sentence;
– He/she is a defendant or a person with related rights and obligations in a civil, economic, labor, administrative or marriage litigation case
In addition to this piece of information, we have include all information about Vietnam visa in one post: Vietnam visa policy. It covers all information you may need to know about Vietnam visa, including:
- What is Vietnam visa?
- How visa differs from passport?
- Who needs Vietnam visa and who does not need it?
- Which type of Vietnam visa do you need?
- How to get a Vietnam visa?
- How much is Vietnam visa?
