VIETNAMESE VISA MATTERS

A. VISA FOR STUDYING IN VIETNAM

Student Visa (Type: DH) is non-immigrant visa that does not require the holder to obtain citizenship. Any prospective students seeking higher education in Vietnam must obtain a student visa.

Center for International Mobility (CIM) is the unit at International University to help international students and international scholars to obtain the visa pre-approval prior to their departure to Vietnam. International students and scholars need to provide CIM with all necessary documents at least 04 weeks prior to the expected day of their departure.

Important Note: It is unable to convert Tourist Visa into Student Visa after you enter Vietnam border. According to Article 7, Point 1 of Vietnam Immigration Law 2015, the purpose of Vietnam visa cannot be converted from one purpose to another. For instance, someone entering Vietnam with a tourist visa (Type DL) cannot be able to convert it into a studying visa (Type DH).

B. ENTRY VISA (For international students who are currently in their home country, have been admitted to International University, and will come to Vietnam for study purpose)

1. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

International students are obligated to provide CIM with the following information 4 weeks prior to the Date of Arrival in Vietnam:

  • Students’ contact information (Name, e-mail address and telephone number)
  • Accurate address of Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam General Consulate in students’ home country in which visa will be granted.
  • Scanned passport with at least 6 months validity

Note: International University will not be responsible for the tardiness of students’ arrival in case they fail to submit the required documents on time.

2. PROCEDURE:

Step 1: Once you are accepted to study at IU, you will receive a Letter of Acceptance. At the same time, IU will send an email requesting you to fill in the Visa Information Form. Information being requested composes of your personal information (name, passport number, etc.) and the exact address of Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General nearest to your place.

Step 2: IU then submits the necessary documents to Vietnam Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh City (VID-HCMC). The visa pre-approval will be issued after 7 working days.

Step 3: VID-HCMC will fax a copy of visa pre-approval to Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General in your home country (to the address of your choice as written in the Visa Information Form). At the same time, you will receive a copy of the visa pre-approval from IU via email.

Step 4: You are responsible for the printing of the visa pre-approval sent to you via email. You will need to bring the pre-approval together with the following documents to Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General in your home country to get the visa.

The required documents include:

  • Passport with validity of at least 6 months
  • Pre-approval confirmation (Printed on an A4-size-paper)
  • Letter of Acceptance from IU
  • Visa Application Forms (in accordance with the officials’ guidance at Vietnam Embassy/Vietnam Consulate General)
  • Visa application fees (submit at Vietnam Embassy/ Vietnam Consulate General). The fee may vary according to different Vietnam Embassies in different countries.

Step 5:

You will be notified by the Vietnam Embassy/Vietnam Consulate General on the date and time to receive your visa, type DH – multiple entries.

  • For Exchange Students from IU Partner-Universities: the length of visa will be 6 months/multiple-entry;
  • For Direct Exchange Student: the length of visa will be 3 months/multiple-entry. When your visa comes to expire: CIM will be in charge of your visa extension for another 3 month/multiple-entry.

Note: Obtaining and maintaining appropriate visa status is the responsibility of the student. However, the host university will provide all necessary documentation and forms. In fact, International University will support you to submit required documents at VID-HCMC. IU Decision of Academic Admission, approved by International University’s Rector, is a crucial part among the documentation to obtain your student visa.

When requesting for your visa pre-approval, IU will request 2 extra weeks prior to the beginning of the academic semester and 2 extra weeks after the end of that semester. Upon the completion of your studies with IU, IU will no longer sponsor for your student visa. You are highly recommended to apply for a tourist visa if you want to stay in Vietnam for other purposes.

 

SPECIAL CASE: VISA ON ARRIVAL

This is an alternative way to obtain visa for Vietnam: the Visa-on-Arrival will be issued and picked up at your international airports of arrival in Vietnam (i.e. Tan Son Nhat Airport, Noi Bai Airport, Da Nang Airport)

1. ELIGIBILITY: Visa-on-Arrival will be issued in the cases where there are not any representative diplomatic offices such as Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General in your home country.

2. PROCEDURE:

Step 1: Once you are accepted to study at IU, you will receive a Letter of Acceptance. At the same time, IU will send an email requesting you to fill in the Visa Information Form. The location where you could pick up your visa will be the International Airport of your arrival in Vietnam (i.e. Tan Son Nhat Airport, Noi Bai Airport or Da Nang Airport)

Step 2: IU then submits the necessary documents to Vietnam Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh City (VID-HCMC). The visa pre-approval will be issued after 7 working days.

Step 3: VID-HCMC will fax a copy of visa pre-approval to the international airport of your arrival. At the same time, you will receive a copy of the visa pre-approval from IU via email.

Step 4: You are responsible for the printing of the visa pre-approval sent to you via email. You will need to bring the pre-approval together with the following documents in order to get the visa on arrival.

The required documents include:

  • Passport with validity of at least 6 months
  • Pre-approval confirmation (Printed on an A4-size-paper)
  • Letter of Acceptance from IU
  • Visa Application Forms (in accordance with the officials’ guidance at the airport)
  • Visa application fees (pay at the airport)

Step 5: You will receive your visa from the Immigrant Department Officers at the airport in Vietnam.

 

C. VISA RENEWAL/ EXTENSION (For international students who are currently studying at IU with Student Visa and want to apply for visa extension)

You need to extend your visa 3 weeks prior to its expiry date. Penalty fee may apply on late applications according to the current Immigration Department regulations. Students are obliged to pay this penalty fee at Vietnam State Treasury HCMC by themselves.

GOOD TO KNOW

Penalty for late visa extension: according to Vietnam Immigration Law, penalty fee is calculated based on the number of exceeding days started from the expiry date of your visa.

Important: CIM will handle visa extension every first and third Tuesday of each month. Please check the dates that most suit you.

1. ELIGIBILITY: You are eligible to apply for student visa extension if you are currently enrolling in a(n):

  • IU awarded program
  • Twinning program
  • Exchange program

And students are required to pay the tuition fees of the forthcoming semester. A proof of payment is requested in order to apply for visa extension. Course registration of that semester may be required either.

Note: Student Visa will be terminated by International University within 1 month if the university records any evidences that student does not attend any classes in that semester

2. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Application Checklist:

  • Application Form (N5) – Taken at CIM Office (Room A2.604)
  • Original passport with 6 months validity at least
  • Original Certificate of temporary residence in Vietnam (resident record)
  • IU Student Verification (Assisted by CIM)
  • One ID photo (4 x 6 size, white background)

Note: If you cannot get the Resident Record from your stay, you have to fill in a form Certification of Resident Record and have it certified and stamped by Local Authorities (normally People’s Committee of the place you live)

3. VISA EXTENSION FEE

Type of visa 1 month 3 months 6 months Up to 12 months
Single 10 USD 10 USD 10 USD 10 USD
Multiple 60 USD 60 USD 105 USD 145 USD

Please pay the visa fee in Vietnam Dong. The exchange rate is subject to changes.

The changes will be returned on the same date with your passport.

D. CONTACT

Ms. Le Huynh Bao Tram

Center for International Mobility (CIM) – Room A2.604

International University – Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City

Email: lhbtram@hcmiu.edu.vn

Tel: (84) 8 3724 4270 – Ext: 3617