Visa extension/renewal - anybody got a 1 year visa renewal before?

6 month visas are a gamble thing. It might be changed down to anything and also entry entry reused .... . You can try alos alien consulting in NT, #10, Ngyen Thien Thuat and see, if they can offer better

I am so confused about this whole visa thing myself. Really need help! So I am planning on moving to hanoi in two weeks and got a business visa... Will I be able to turn this into a work permit once I receive a contract, etc? Or do I just extend the business visa? Thank you

Well, it is exactly the question of the immigration officer in Nha Trang: looking at my visa carefully, he then asked me if I was working for myself or for someone. Neither one or the other. As of the 1/1/15, they changed the B3 visa for this new DN, and apparently, this is what all tourists get – unless I'm wrong. So it seems that this DN visa is what you need to work…

daCabbie wrote:

...be careful of people offering 6 month / 1 year....they may return your passport in a week with a one month visa and a sad story....sorry, I couldn't get it....sorry, no refund....

Under no circumstances should you pay any/all of the cost before the visa is issued when renewing in country. If that is required for a 6 or 12 month visa get the shorter one. I've never paid until the passport was returned with visa and I believe that's how most agents do it.

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The problem with the DN visa (I assume you applied for it online before you entered) is that it is effectively a business visa and has to be stamped by a company in Saigon or Danang. It basically says you are coming here to do business with them. When it comes to renewal, it must be stamped by the same company and in Nha Trang, that of course is impossible. When you apply for a visa on arrival letter, always choose tourist visa (DL category). You can then renew this visa easily enough in Nha Trang.

Regarding your question about 1 year. There are only a few types of 1 year visa.

TT Category: visa for family or dependents. Can be obtained if you are married to a Vietnamese national.

Residency Card: Valid for a period of 1 - 3 years. 2 ways to get a residency card are to have an employment contract with a company here and make a work permit to get residency for 2 years. Or,, create a company in Vietnam and you can get residency card up to 3 years.

PM me if you need more information about the above!

If you get a DN visa online then it can't be used for with the company you make the work permit with as it will have been provided by another company. if you make the work permit with them, then you can apply for a visa on arrival letter from immigration directly and you will get a DN business visa that is stamped by your employer. This can then be changed to a long term visa or residency card!

AlegreViajero wrote:

Yes, I know it is an old recurrent topic, but we all have to face this ongoing changing issue every three months or so.

Here in Nha Trang, I went to the immigration office to be told that my 3-month DN (business) visa (issued after 1/1/15) cannot be renew/extended. That I have to exit and come back (ex. Cambodia).

Same story at TM Brothers.

But another Tourist Office (I know perfectly that this guy has contacts – I can see it by his wry smile) can give me a 3-month DN for $200 (4 millions) OR… a 1-year DN for $800 (16 millions). It is not the first time this guy shows he knows better.

My question: has anyone got such a 1-year visa before?

Another question: has anyone travelled to Cambodia lately (same day return) and came back with a 6-month visa (or better)? At what price?

Thanks for sharing the info.

It took us a couple of hours as we looked at the casinos, to go to Cambodia and come back to Viet Nam a couple years ago from Hồng Ngự near my Wife's village. If every official is at the right place, you might be looking at half an hour. Note, the casinos that we saw did not impress us and we have heard many stories about them ripping people off. The visa fees were $50.00 each way. We had to pay another $50.00 to roust a Cambodian official.

I tried 2 agents yesterday and both said only 1 month extensions are available at the moment. The whole visa extension thing here seems to have deteriorated ? Several years ago getting 3 month extensions at a reasonable price ($50) was an easy thing to do. Now it is like they don't want any longer term tourists here as making it very difficult (and pricey) to extend...

Immigration goes through an 6 year cycle and this year, they have changed all the main guys in Immigration. The new guys in charge have changed the rules, as they don't want people staying here  for up to a year on on tourist visas.

Their explanation for this is that there are too many long term "tourists" that live here and earn money without being registered as being employees of a company, or owning a company. It's similar to the restrictions they have place on foreigners holding bank accounts and being able to lodge money to those accounts without proving the source of funds.

Basically, they want people to be registered correctly. If you are tourist, then you abide by tourism visa laws and leave after the tourist visa expiry (+1 month), and if you wish to stay long term, then you need to either be employed or create a business to secure a temporary residency card or business visas which can be extended numerous times!

Other visa types, such as marriage visas are still in place and are now easier to make with 6 month - 1 year stamps available over the 5 year period of the marriage exemption visa.

There definitely should be a retirement visa, which is the main thing that is lacking for those who wish to stay long term but are not at an age where they want to work or do any kind of business.

thanks that is a good explanation...

The VN National Assembly is to possibly allow a one year tourist visa for Americans this month or shortly after. It would make things so less difficult if such happens. The USA already allows a 1 yr tourist visa for Vietnamese and the push is to extend the same 1 yr visa for American tourists. Seems quite fair between governments.
Prob some older generation Viet types from the war days who object tho. Hopefully relations are continuing to get better enough between the US and VN to allow this new visa.

The 1 year visa for US citizens is already in place and available. However, it needs to be obtained Stateside through a Vietnamese Consulate or Embassy in the USA. It can't be obtained from withing Vietnam

atomiccolm wrote:

The 1 year visa for US citizens is already in place and available. However, it needs to be obtained Stateside through a Vietnamese Consulate or Embassy in the USA. It can't be obtained from withing Vietnam

Huh???? You got a link to back up that post?

No, but i have direct contact with immigration, and have helped a client to make it already through the Consulate in Hawaii!

atomiccolm wrote:

No, but i have direct contact with immigration, and have helped a client to make it already through the Consulate in Hawaii!

Well I'll be danged, first I heard that there was a VN Consulate in Hawaii. Gee,  and Mr. GOOGLE doesn't know that either.

i dont think any agents in nha trang can get a 3 month extension, if they can please contact me...

I can absolutely confirm that there is no VN consulate in Hawaii.  There should be based on the number of Viet Kieu here but there is not.  Most everyone in Hawaii uses Vietnamese travel agents to handle visa matters as they get better service than individuals.

In HCM.. a business visa extension can vary from $150 to $300... mine cost $150 for 1st extension.
If you need.. message me.

That is so expensive Sir!
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