Vietnam Immigration Department

Welcome to the Vietnam Immigration Department Portal

This portal aims to guide and assist you through immigration formalities, declaration of temporary residence (for foreigners), ABTC application, and passport issuance.

On this website, you can also find all the necessary information regarding the procedure and issuance of electronic visas for Vietnam. We are dedicated to helping foreigners and Vietnamese nationals with the utmost professionalism and efficiency.

Vietnam e-Visa issuance

Process for obtaining a Vietnam online visa

A person eligible for a Vietnam e-Visa has to follow these application steps, including:

1. Fill out the application form and upload the required documents (bio-data passport page and face photograph). After completing this step, a registration code will be delivered to the applicant's email inbox.
2. Cover the processing fee. Depending on the visa type, the fee varies and can be $25 for a one-entry electronic visa or $50 for a multiple-entry electronic visa.
3. Enter the registration code, email address and date of birth in order to verify the current status of your Vietnam visa application.
4. Download your approved Vietnam visa in a PDF file and print it out.

Requirements and eligibility criteria

The following conditions must be met by applicants to be granted a Vietnam e-Visa:

• At the moment of the application, they must be outside of Vietnam;
• They must hold a valid passport;
• They cannot be subject to the suspension from entry prescribed in Article 21 of the Law on foreign visitors' entry into the country, exit, transit, or residence.

Declaration of temporary residence for foreigners

Purpose and importance of temporary residence declaration

Declaring temporary residence in Vietnam is crucial for foreigners to prove their compliance with the applicable Vietnamese laws. Moreover, a temporary residence certificate is necessary if a foreigner wishes to apply for:

• a Vietnam Police Check;
• Vietnam visa extension;
• a Vietnam temporary residence card.

Where and how to complete the declaration process

Foreigners can now complete the temporary Vietnamese residence registration in two ways:

• by online registration
• by registering at the appropriate office of the Ward

How to declare temporary residence in Vietnam: procedures for foreigners

Online registration for a temporary residence in Vietnam

Online registration can be completed by foreigners on their own as long as they possess all the necessary details on the accommodation or by the landlord. The process involves the following steps:

1. Collecting accommodation information from the host (host's full name, phone number, and ID Card/passport number).
2. Accessing the online registration portal.
3. Creating your account and filling out the form with the host's details.
4. Signing in to the account and completing the registration.
5. Providing other details, including room number, passport number, nationality, full name, gender, date of birth, date of moving in and moving out.

Once the form is completed, you will need to click on the 'Save' button. If the registration is successful, you will see such notification.

ABTC issuance

About the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) issuance process

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Travel Card (ABTC) is a document facilitating short-term business travel within the APEC region. Thanks to the information being saved in the system, an applicant simply needs to make only one application, and all the details are next used to get permits to enter all economies of the APEC area*.

An applicant who successfully completes the ABTC application is granted a 5-year card, which functions as an entry permit to other fully participating economies. The card allows for business travel of up to 60 or 90 days. Its holder can also enjoy fast-tracked immigration procedures at each APEC economy's major international airport.

*APEC membership countries include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States of America, Vietnam.

Eligibility criteria and application requirements

The ABTC eligibility criteria state that an applicant must possess a valid passport from an APEC economy (or be a permanent resident of Hong Kong). Moreover, they should regularly travel for business across the APEC region and have no criminal background (crime convictions).

Individuals may be subject to additional eligibility requirements depending on the economy. To check particular criteria, applicants should visit the domestic website of a given economy.

To apply for the ABTC, an applicant is required to make a single application to the economy for which they possess a passport (i.e., home economy). Alternatively, they can hold permanent residency in Hong Kong, China. Once the economy has verified that the eligibility criteria are met, details of the applicant are transferred to the other participating economies. They also must assess the application and grant their pre-clearance decision.

The moment all economies issue their decisions, applicants receive an ABTC document, including a list of the economies where they are permitted to travel. Regarding the pre-clearance application and processing time, every APEC economy works independently, and the requirements and the time frames may differ.

Passport issuance for Vietnamese citizens

Information about Vietnamese passport application

These are things that every applicant should familiarize themselves with before submitting their applications for a Vietnamese passport:

• To apply for a Vietnamese passport, you must be a citizen of Vietnam;
• You need to visit the embassy in person (applications can also be submitted by courier services upon previous agreement with the embassy, while the Vietnamese embassy is not responsible for any potential document loss);
• The application form must be filled out personally by an applicant (only parents are entitled to fill out the form on behalf of their children);
• A passport constitutes national property and must be signed and kept properly;
• A passport application can also be sent by email to the embassy of Vietnam (if you decide to send your documents via mail, you have to provide such information as your mailing address and telephone number so that your documents can be shipped back by FedEx);
• The validity of the Vietnamese passport is 10 years or 5 years for holders younger than 14.

Vietnamese passport application processing times

Depending on the individual circumstances, the processing times may vary:

passport renewals/new passport applications for children can take around 5-7 business days upon receipt of complete documentation;

lost/damaged passport applications:

• around 5-7 business days upon receipt of the complete set of documents (provided that the original Vietnamese ID has been submitted);
• min. of 30 business days (if an applicant fails to submit an original Vietnamese ID);

new passport applications for adults:

• it can take at least 3 months (90 business days) upon receiving the complete set of required documents.

NOTE: Please be aware that every application is an individual matter. Applications for new passports for adults can even take years.

Requirements for a new Vietnamese passport application

This instruction applies to those who do not possess a valid passport from Vietnam. Providing insufficient or incorrect information is subject to automatic application rejection.

Applicants who wish to apply for a new Vietnamese passport should prepare the following documents:

• Completed application form (filled out in Vietnamese);
• Citizenship identification form;
• Original Vietnamese birth certificate (or its notarized and authenticated copy) and a photocopy of the passport (pages 2nd and 3rd);
• Any legal paper issued by Vietnamese authorities (birth certificate, expired passport, ID card, etc.);
• Two new passport-sized pictures.

Requirements for a Vietnamese passport renewal

These documents must be submitted if an applicant has a valid passport issued by Vietnam:

• Application form;
• An original Vietnamese passport (valid for at least 6 months);
• Two new passport-sized pictures;
• A notarized copy of the Vietnamese birth certificate (in case of expired Vietnamese passports).