VIETNAM VISA FOR FOREIGN INVESTORS

Sunday, 21/10/18

Visa for foreign investors in Vietnam is symbolized as ĐT Code and it is valid for from 01 year to 5 years maximum. It is used for foreign investors and lawyers practicing in Vietnam, who set up or combine capital for the company performance in Vietnam, are granted Vietnam visa or the temporary residence card for long term business in Vietnam. The short-term investment visa can be obtained at Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in their own country or Vietnam’s international airports.

AN OVERVIEW FOR EACH TYPE OF WORK OR INVESTOR VISAS

ĐT Visas or Investor Visas:

Granted for foreign investors in Vietnam and foreign lawyers practicing in Vietnam
Visa duration: no longer than 05 years

Condition: Any foreigner who comes to make investment must have papers proving the investment in Vietnam in accordance with the Law on Investment, and any foreigner who works as a lawyer in Vietnam must have a practice license in accordance with the Law of Lawyers

DN visas:

Granted for people working with company in Vietnam
Visa duration: no longer than 12 months
Condition: Foreigners must have a sponsored company in Vietnam

LĐ visas:

Granted for foreigners with working purpose
Visa duration: no longer than 02 years
Condition: Any foreigner who comes to work in Vietnam must have work permits in accordance with the Labor Code

LV visas:

LV1 - issued to persons working with the departments, agencies and units under the central Communist Party of Vietnam; The National Assembly, the Government, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Supreme People's Court; Supreme People's Procuracy, State, ministries, ministerial-level and governmental agency’s Audit, ; Provincial Party Committees, People's Councils, Provincial and City People's Committees under central authority.
LV2 - issued to persons working with political and social organizations, social organizations, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam.
Visa duration: no longer than 12 month

TWO MAIN WAYS TO OBTAIN AN INVESTOR VISA FOR VIETNAM
All foreigners coming to Vietnam for investment or short-term business purpose must apply for an short-term investor or business visa firstly symbolized as ĐT and DN Code under sponsored by a registered company in Vietnam. There are 02 ways of obtaining such a visa:

Apply to get visa at Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in your own country;
Apply for a Visa on Arrival (VOA);

Option 1: Via Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate

Key Features:

Traditional approach to getting a visa
Can be used to apply for any type of visa
The fee is uncertain as it depends on the consulate/ embassy
Can be used for any entrance point, whether by land, air, or sea
Takes about 7 working days to process, but can be sped up to 5 working days for urgent service.
Visa is stamped before departure.

In term of investor and business visa, you cannot apply for a visa through the local Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate yourself. Instead of that, you could have a partner or Visa Service Provider in Vietnam to help you get the Investor or Business Approval Letter in advance.

The advantage of applying this way is that you already have the visa stamped in your passport before leaving for Vietnam, which means you do not need to queue on arrival for your passport to get stamped.

The application process is not the most convenient, however, especially for people who do not live near a Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate. Moreover, the fees vary depending on the Embassy or Consulate, and the processing time is longer.

Option 2: Visa on Arrival

Key Features:

Convenient, as it can be done by completing an online application form
Can be used to apply for any type of visa (1- 3, or 6 months, or 1 year multiple-entry visa)
You will need to pay two fees: 1. Service fee for Visa approval letter, 2. Stamping fee.
The service fee is paid online to the service provider. The amount depends on the visa type (number of months and number of entries) and service provider.
The stamping fee is paid at the arrival airport when the visa is stamped. The fee starts at USD25 for 1 month and 3 month single entry, USD50 for 1 and 3 month multiple-entry visas. The stamping fee must be paid in cash (USD or VND).
Can only be obtained at Vietnam’s international airports in Hanoi, Danang, Ho Chi Minh, Cam Ranh or Phu Quoc Airport. Hence it is only an option for air passengers.

Visa on Arrival is a viable option with various advantages. With Visa on Arrival, you can apply for longer-term and multiple-entry visas, and you do not need to go in person to the Embassy, or apply by post. You just need to submit an online application and get a pre-approval letter.

PROCEDURES TO APPLY INVESTOR, BUSINESS, OR WORK VISA FOR VIETNAM

STEP 1: Applying Investor, Business Approval Letter

For the purposes of business, work or investment, the applicants are required a Visa Approval Letter from the Ministry of Public Security in advance obtained by a company in Vietnam.

The required documents need to provide both the applicant and Vietnam’s sponsor company:

A notary certified copy of sponsor company’s business or investment or representative license in Vietnam, tax and stamp registration certificate;
Visa application forms must be signed and sealed by a legal representative of the company;
Scanning the applicant’s passport;
Providing the proposed date of arrival (this is the date you want your visa to start from. The start date of the visa itself will be the day you arrive - you can enter Vietnam at a later date (up to your exit date) but not before that date, so be sure to take time zone differences into account);
Providing the place of picking up the visa (the visa can be picked up at either the Vietnamese Embassies/ Consulates in your own or another country, or airports of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang or Nha Trang);

Visa’s validity: 1-12 months with single or multiple entry

Normal processing time: 7 working days

STEP 2: Stamping Vietnam Investment, Business, or Work Visa (Visa code: ĐT, DN, LĐ)

After your Investment, Business, or Work approval letter is already, you will receive a scan copy of it via your email. And then you are pleased to prepare all the following documents to stamp your tourist visa:

Your original passport must be valid for six months from your intended arrival date, and must have at least one blank visa page;
2 passport sized photographs (4x6 cm);
The copy of visa approval letter;
Complete the entry and exit application form;
Visa stamping fee depending on the visa single or multiple entry and visa duration (USD25 for 1 and 3 month single entry, USD50 for 1 and 3 month multiple entry, USD95 for 6 month multiple and USD135 for 1 year multiple entry) must be paid in cash at the place of picking visa.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS APPLYING FOR TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CARD OR LONG TERM INVESTOR VISA IN VIETNAM

Long-Term Investor Visas or Temporary Residence Cards will be issued after foreign investor entered Vietnam with code visa as ĐT, it not be issued if the applicant’s passport is valid for less than one year, and the duration of the residence card will always be at least one month shorter than the duration of the holder’s passport.

A notarized copy of legal entity profile of guaranteed bodies, organizations or enterprises which asked for the issuance of temporary residence card, and depend on the specific cases, the following documents may be required:
* Certificate of investment; Certificate of business registration showing the name of investors;

* Seal registration certificate; Tax code registration certificate (if any);

A written request for temporary residence card (NA6 form) must be signed and sealed by a legal representative of the company;
Declaration of foreign applicant’s information (NA8 form) must be signed by the applicant;
Two (2) passport-sized photographs (2cm x3cm);
The applicant’s original of passport;
A valid and suitable Vietnam’s visa as ĐT or DN;
Proof of residence registration must be certified by local police station

In case of accompanying relatives, documents showing proof of relationship such as: birth certificates, marriage registration and family register are a must (these documents must be consular legalized and translated into Vietnamese, unless they are exempt from consular legalization under the provisions of Article 9 of Decree No. 111/2011 / ND-CP dated 05/12/2011 of the Government on consular certification, consular legalization.)

PROCESSING TIME

The processing time is 05 - 07 working days from the date of receiving complete documents

OTHER INFORMATION RELATED TO VIETNAM'S WORK PERMIT, VISAS AND RESIDENCE CARD

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VIETNAM VISA FOR FOREIGN INVESTORS

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