Overstay In Vietnam
1. What Is Vietnam Visa Overstay?
Vietnam visa overstay is when you stay in Vietnam longer than your visa is allowed. The expired date of your visa is clearly indicated in visa sticker stamped on your passport. You are expected to leave Vietnam before or on by the time your Vietnam visa is set to expire.
2. Main Consequences Of Overstaying A Vietnam Visa
The first thing you need know that the Vietnam Immigration Department has a computerized system to register all databases of every person who enters and exits. If you just overstay even one day, it will be recorded. Overstayers have to pay penalties as stipulated by the Immigration Law of Vietnam, which depends on a number of overstaying days or specific circumstance.
In some serious cases, you receive an immediate deportation or get banned from re-entering Vietnam for a certain period of time. What more, you will be blacklisted and will never be allowed to come back Vietnam.
3. Penalties For Overstaying In Vietnam
The penalty for overstaying is charged as per day as clearly stated in Article 8 of the Circular No.144/2021/ND-CP. Here are some basic penalties:
⋅ Overstay for less than 16 days: VN 500,000 – VND 2,000,000 (~ US $22 – US $88)
⋅ Overstaying for 16 days – less than 30 days: VND 3,000,000 – VND 5,000,000 (~ US $133 – US $221)
⋅ Overstaying for 30 days – less than 60 days: VND 5,000,000 – VND 10,000,000 (~ US $221 – US $441)
⋅ Overstaying for 60 days – less than 90 days: VND 10,000,000 – VND 15,000,000 (~ US $441 – US $661)
⋅ Overstaying for at least 90 days: VND 15,000,000 – VND 20,000,000 (~ US $661 – US $885)
4. How To Avoid Overstaying In Vietnam
Definitely, there is the best piece of advice to avoid those consequences of Vietnam visa overstay: don’t overstay. Here are some useful tips that could save you from paying the penalties for overstay.
⋅ Check your visa validity carefully when you receive it at the Vietnamese Embassy or at the Vietnam airport. In some cases, the Immigration Officer can give a wrong date on your visa stamp, therefore be sure that you have all correct visa validity and other information before leaving the Vietnam Immigration Area.
⋅ Take note and set an alarm on your last day in Vietnam.
If you wish to stay longer than the period as granted, an application for visa extension has to be applied.
5. What To Do If Your Visa Is Expired
Travelers who do realize that they overstay their visa for just a few additional days, they can head to the international airport right away, pay the fine and depart as normal. However, foreigners who overstay in Vietnam more than a week and unable to leave the country, should go to the Vietnam Immigration Department. At the Immigration Office, they can pay the foresaid fines and explain their situation. In this case, they may be able to apply for an exit visa which grants them some extra days to prepare all necessary documents for leaving Vietnam.
All in all, the best way to deal with overstaying your visa is to extend it in order to avoid any problem that you might face when re-visiting the country.
6. How To Extend An Expired Visa?
In case, you just overstay from 5 to 7 days in Vietnam, you should pay a visit the Vietnam Immigration Office to pay the overstaying fine and apply for a visa extension. Here are the documents need to prepare for the visa extension application:
⋅ Original passport is valid at least 6 months
⋅ A completed NA5 Form
⋅ For business visa extension, the applicant has to have a sponsor company in order to provide the other supporting documents. Labor contract, work permit and temporary residence card might be asked to submit together if necessary.
