What is a Visa? Classification of visas according to purpose of entry in Vietnam

Luật sư Nguyễn Thu Hương
December 10, 2024 4:00 pm
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What is a visa? According to regulations, a visa is a document issued by a competent Vietnamese agency allowing foreigners to enter Vietnam. Applying for a visa to enter Vietnam is a mandatory step for most foreigners, except in cases of visa exemption according to the provisions of law. This article will provide detailed information about types of Vietnam visas, entry conditions, visa exemption and subjects eligible for visa exemption.

What is a visa? How are visas classified?

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What is a visa? Is it required to have a visa when entering Vietnam?

Visa, also known as visa, is a document issued by a competent Vietnamese agency, allowing foreigners to enter Vietnam. According to the provisions of Article 20 Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam 2014 (amended and supplemented in 2019), foreigners who want to enter Vietnam must have a passport or valid international travel document and visa, except in cases of visa exemption.

Having a visa is mandatory for most foreigners when entering Vietnam, except for visa-exempt cases as prescribed by law. Visa checks are carried out at Vietnam’s international border gates.

Classification of visas according to purpose of entry in Vietnam

Pursuant to the provisions of Article 8 of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam 2014, amended and supplemented by Clause 3, Article 1 of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam revised 2019, Vietnam Visa is classified according to entry purpose, including:

Type of a visa (Visa)	Granted to objects
NG1	Issued to members of invited delegations of: – General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam; – President; – Chairman of the National Assembly; – Prime Minister.
NG2	Issued to members of invited delegations of: – Standing member of the Central Committee Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam; – Vice President; – Vice Chairman of the National Assembly; – Deputy Prime Minister; – Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; – Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court; – Director of the Supreme People’s Procuracy; – State Auditor General; – Member of the guest delegation at the same level as the Minister or equivalent; – Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; – Secretary of the City Party Committee; – Chairman of the People’s Council; – Chairman of the People’s Committee of provinces and centrally run cities.
NG3	Issued to the following subjects, spouses, children under 18 years old, and housekeepers accompanying them on term of office: – Member of diplomatic representative agency; – Member of consular office; – Member of representative agencies of international organizations under the United Nations; – Member of representative bodies of intergovernmental organizations.
NG4	Issued to people coming to work and their spouses and children under 18 years old accompanying them, and people visiting members of: – Diplomatic representative agencies; – Consular offices; – Representative agency of international organizations under the United Nations; – Representative agency of intergovernmental organizations.
LV1	Issued to people working with: – Departments, agencies and units directly under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam; – National Assembly, Government, Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front, Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuracy, State Audit, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, agencies under the Government government; – Provincial Party Committee, City Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee of provinces and centrally run cities.
LV2	Issued to people working with: – Socio-political organizations; – Social organization; – Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
LS	Issued to foreign lawyers practicing in Vietnam.
Phone 1	Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam with capital contribution worth 100 billion VND or more or investing in industries, occupations with investment incentives, and priority areas. Investment incentives are decided by the Government.
Phone2	Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam with capital contribution value from 50 billion VND to under 100 billion VND or investing in industries and professions that encourage investment and development decided by the Government.
Phone 3	Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam with contributed capital worth from 03 billion VND to less than 50 billion VND.
Phone4	Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam with contributed capital worth less than 03 billion VND.
DN1	Issued to foreigners working with businesses and other organizations with legal status according to Vietnamese law.
DN2	Issued to foreigners offering services, establishing commercial presence, and performing other activities according to international treaties to which Vietnam is a member.
NN1	Issued to people who are Heads of representative offices or projects of international organizations and foreign non-governmental organizations in Vietnam.
NN2	Issued to heads of representative offices, branches of foreign traders, representative offices of economic, cultural, and other foreign professional organizations in Vietnam.
NN3	Issued to people working with foreign non-governmental organizations, representative offices, branches of foreign traders, representative offices of economic, cultural and other foreign professional organizations in Vietnam Male.
DH	Issued to people who practice and study.
HN	Issued to people attending conferences and seminars.
PV1	Issued to reporters and press residing in Vietnam.
PV2	Issued to reporters and press for short-term activities in Vietnam.
LĐ1	Issued to foreigners working in Vietnam with confirmation that they are not subject to work permits, unless an international treaty to which Vietnam is a member has other provisions.
LĐ2	Issued to foreigners working in Vietnam who require a work permit.
DL	Issued to people on tourism.
TT	Issued to foreigners who are spouses, children under 18 years old of foreigners issued visas with symbols LV1, LV2, LS, DT1, DT2, DT3, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LD1, LD2 or foreigners other than the father, mother, wife, husband, or children of Vietnamese citizens.
VR	Issued to people visiting relatives or for other purposes.
SQ	– People who have a working relationship with an agency competent to issue Vietnamese visas abroad and their spouses, children, or people with a written request from a competent agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the host country; – People with a guarantee note from diplomatic missions or consulates of foreign countries located in the host country.
THIS	Electronic visa.

>>> See more: Instructions on how to apply for a tourist visa in detail from A to Z.

Classify visas according to the provisions of law

When are foreigners exempt from visas when entering Vietnam?

Foreigners are exempted from visa when entering Vietnam in the following cases:

According to international treaties: Vietnam has visa exemption agreements with a number of countries.
Use of permanent residence card, temporary residence card: Foreigners who have been granted permanent residence card or temporary residence card in Vietnam.
Entering border gate economic zones and coastal economic zones: Applicable to some special areas according to Government regulations.
Vietnamese people residing abroad: Applicable to Vietnamese people residing abroad with foreign passports and their relatives.
Spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens: Some cases are exempt from visa according to Government regulations.
Unilateral visa exemption: The Government of Vietnam decided to unilaterally exempt citizens of some countries from visas, based on Article 13 of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam 2014.

Who is eligible for a free visa application in Vietnam?

According to the provisions of Clause 1, Article 5 of Circular 25/2021/TT-BTC, the following subjects are exempted from visa issuance in 2024:

Guests of the Party, State, Government, and National Assembly.
Officials and employees of diplomatic missions, foreign consulates and representative agencies of international organizations in Vietnam.
In case of exemption according to international treaties that Vietnam has signed or participated in.
Foreigners entering Vietnam to perform relief work or humanitarian assistance.
Foreigners in Vietnam who violate the law are punished but do not have financial capacity.

Fast visa application support service at Long Phan

If you are looking for fast, professional visa application support services, Long Phan is confident that it will be the top choice for you. Our services include:

Consulting on choosing the appropriate visa type (travel, work, study abroad, settlement, family visit…).
Assist customers in preparing all necessary documents.
Drafting and notarized translation of documents.
Make an appointment with the visa issuing agency as required.
Provides detailed instructions to prepare for the visa interview.
Monitor the process of processing customer documents.
Quickly resolve issues that arise during the approval process.

Consulting on a visa applications quickly and effectively

Visa is an important document that allows foreigners to enter Vietnam. Customers need to carefully learn about visa types, entry conditions, visa exemptions and related regulations to ensure the entry process goes smoothly. If you need support, please contact Long Phan via the hotline 0906735386 for the best advice and support.

Luật sư Nguyễn Thu Hương

Lawyer Nguyen Thu Huong is a leading expert in the field of investment and licensing for foreigners. With extensive knowledge of investment laws and the complex regulations related to licensing procedures, she has successfully assisted numerous businesses and foreign investors in establishing their operations in Vietnam.