Immigration. District 3 HCM. Visa Extension.

colinoscapee wrote:

May be easy in D3, try doing it in Ba Ria, they just tell you to get an agent and wont accept your paperwork.

I didn't comment on anywhere else, I only relayed what happened personally in D3 which may be helpful to others residing here.

Indices wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

May be easy in D3, try doing it in Ba Ria, they just tell you to get an agent and wont accept your paperwork.

I didn't comment on anywhere else, I only relayed what happened personally in D3 which may be helpful to others residing here.

True, and I just stated that what happened in D3 is not the norm. Not everyone on this forum lives in Saigon.

cruisemonkey wrote:

There are so many variables when it come to visas. Please tell us:
- your nationality;
- type of visa;
- single entry or multiple entry;
- port of entry;
- supporting documents required.

No point.
I already said there are many variables. I only quoted what happened to us this morning.
there are endless variables. Get the paperwork right and you will not have a problem.

Indices wrote:

...all I did was to try and prevent those expats relevant to D3 area applications from spending money on vultures when they can do it easily themselves at a much much cheaper cost?

👍

Note: You posted to "Saigon" forum

I think more people follow the HCMC forum.

Also to clarify, today was just a submission of paperwork?

As she stated to you, an actual decision is made by someone else?

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Indices wrote:

...all I did was to try and prevent those expats relevant to D3 area applications from spending money on vultures when they can do it easily themselves at a much much cheaper cost?

👍

Note: You posted to "Saigon" forum

I think more people follow the HCMC forum.

Also to clarify, today was just a submission of paperwork?

As she stated to you, an actual decision is made by someone else?

Off to the dungeons then for posting to Saigon forum. The Mafia have spoken. Saigon forum is not relevant to HCM watchers.
My mistake.
"As she stated to you, an actual decision is made by someone else? "
No, not the decision to extend, that was not in dispute for obvious reasons, but rather the length of time the relative visa is extended for.

Indices wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Indices wrote:

...all I did was to try and prevent those expats relevant to D3 area applications from spending money on vultures when they can do it easily themselves at a much much cheaper cost?

👍

Note: You posted to "Saigon" forum

I think more people follow the HCMC forum.

Also to clarify, today was just a submission of paperwork?

As she stated to you, an actual decision is made by someone else?

Off to the dungeons then for posting to Saigon forum. The Mafia have spoken. Saigon forum is not relevant to HCM watchers.
My mistake.
"As she stated to you, an actual decision is made by someone else? "
No, not the decision to extend, that was not in dispute for obvious reasons, but rather the length of time the relative visa is extended for.

I didn't mean to criticize.

Just mentioning it.

Cheers!

Indices wrote:

cruisemonkey wrote:

There are so many variables when it come to visas. Please tell us:
- your nationality;
- type of visa;
- single entry or multiple entry;
- port of entry;
- supporting documents required.

No point.
I already said there are many variables. I only quoted what happened to us this morning.
there are endless variables. Get the paperwork right and you will not have a problem.

"No point" is correct - there's no point to your original post because you don't give any specifics (except it was 3-month visa); thus, it's just anecdotal evidence particular to a specific set of unknown circumstances that may, or may not apply to anyone reading the post.

Indices wrote:

Just returned from a trip to get a friends visa extended. Arrived 7.50am, was ushered straight in and seen in 5 minutes by a very polite clerk. She checked all paperwork ( 3 month visa had expired April 10th ) and said to return on May 5th to collect passport. She gave no indication of fee or how long the extension would be granted for saying that it was up to a more senior officer.
All very easy, hassle free and no problems. Whole process from arriving to leaving took 25 minutes.
My friend was actually stunned at how easy it was.
I have to stress that make sure you prepare all documents you need first which I had spent the last week or so doing for him. On leaving however I did notice that the numbers of people waiting had increased significantly so if you have to go then go early.
All applications are obviously based on circumstances but suffice to say that at this particular office you certainly do NOT need to spend money on agents.

I *personally* think your post will prove to be helpful to someone for what it is:

A first-person account of one place a person might go for visa extension with insight as to how to avoid a known pitfall.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Indices wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

👍

Note: You posted to "Saigon" forum

I think more people follow the HCMC forum.

Also to clarify, today was just a submission of paperwork?

As she stated to you, an actual decision is made by someone else?

Off to the dungeons then for posting to Saigon forum. The Mafia have spoken. Saigon forum is not relevant to HCM watchers.
My mistake.
"As she stated to you, an actual decision is made by someone else? "
No, not the decision to extend, that was not in dispute for obvious reasons, but rather the length of time the relative visa is extended for.

I didn't mean to criticize.

Just mentioning it.

Cheers!

Exactly what I did too, he seems to take exception to anyone who posts on his threads.

Indices wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Indices wrote:

So start a thread relevant to where you are. I clearly stated D3 HCM.

So now you are the formum moderator MR Vietnam.

Stupid remark.
Why so much animosity when all I did was to try and prevent those expats relevant to D3 area applications from spending money on vultures when they can do it easily themselves at a much much cheaper cost?

I could ask you the same thing with my reply to your post.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Note: You posted to "Saigon" forum
I think more people follow the HCMC forum.

Off-topic, but what is the difference between the two forums?

cruisemonkey wrote:

Indices wrote:

cruisemonkey wrote:

There are so many variables when it come to visas. Please tell us:
- your nationality;
- type of visa;
- single entry or multiple entry;
- port of entry;
- supporting documents required.

No point.
I already said there are many variables. I only quoted what happened to us this morning.
there are endless variables. Get the paperwork right and you will not have a problem.

"No point" is correct - there's no point to your original post because you don't give any specifics (except it was 3-month visa); thus, it's just anecdotal evidence particular to a specific set of unknown circumstances that may, or may not apply to anyone reading the post.

Don't read it then, let alone comment.

colinoscapee wrote:

Where is immigration in D3, as far as I knew they were in Nguyen Du and Nguyen Trai D1. Is there a new office in D3.

There is something you do not know ? Surely not . . . .

196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh.

Travelfar wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Note: You posted to "Saigon" forum
I think more people follow the HCMC forum.

Off-topic, but what is the difference between the two forums?

They're totally different forums.

HCMC is the much more active of the two

Travelfar wrote:

Off-topic, but what is the difference between the two forums?

HCMC and Saigon are two names of the same city.  Most residents of the city use the name Saigon, many commercial enterprises, works of arts, literature, music, and independent newspapers use the name Saigon.  Most expats who were here during Vietnam War use the name Saigon.  The code name of the airport is SGN.

Very few locals use the full name HCMC; they shorten it to "The CIty" (Thành Phố).  However, many expats use the full name because it's on the documents they obtained when they arrived and during their stay in VN.

The founder of this website created two separate forums because he didn't want to exclude one group while showing preference to the other.  You can use either or both forums by simply subscribe to one or both of them.  I don't know for certain which forum is more active because I subscribe to both and I don't pay attention to the small line at the top of the page to see from which forum the post comes.

Indices wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Where is immigration in D3, as far as I knew they were in Nguyen Du and Nguyen Trai D1. Is there a new office in D3.

There is something you do not know ? Surely not . . . .

196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh.

Relocation from Nguyen Du, hence why I said "as far as I knew", things do change.

Relocation

Ciambella wrote:

HCMC and Saigon are two names of the same city.  Most residents of the city use the name Saigon,.....

I hesitate to disagree with you of all people on a subject like this but there are definitely parts of HCMC that were not part of Saigon prior to 1975.  Thu Duc is just one example and I think people who live there will tell you that they live in Thu Duc but not in Saigon.  I for one, feel that the two sub-forums should be merged as there is often confusion, particularly for newer posters, however it is not something for which I need to fall on my sword. 

THIGV wrote:

I hesitate to disagree with you of all people on a subject like this but there are definitely parts of HCMC that were not part of Saigon prior to 1975.  Thu Duc is just one example and I think people who live there will tell you that they live in Thu Duc but not in Saigon.

You’re absolutely correct. Saigon before ‘75 was much smaller with only 11 quận which we could easily cover in a few days on buses, motorbikes, and foot. My friends and I did that many times in our last summer in high school: finding a quiet place in each quận to study for the national exam.

Thủ Đức was definitely not Saigon. It was far enough that public transportation was too sparse, making a visit to cadets at the Officer Academy an entire day trip.

Ciambella wrote:

Thủ Đức was definitely not Saigon. It was far enough that public transportation was too sparse, making a trip to visit cadets at the Officer Academy an entire day trip.

Aha!!!  Just what were you young ladies doing visiting the Officer Academy.  Did your parents know about that trip?  
I understand that the Academy was on the site of what is now the  National University.  I never saw it but have heard there is a graveyard for graduates there which is sadly not well maintained.  Hopefully some day all military graveyards will be well maintained as that will be a true sign of reconciliation.

THIGV wrote:

Aha!!!  Just what were you young ladies doing visiting the Officer Academy.  Did your parents know about that trip?  
I understand that the Academy was on the site of what is now the  National University.  I never saw it but have heard there is a graveyard for graduates there which is sadly not well maintained.  Hopefully some day all military graveyards will be well maintained as that will be a true sign of reconciliation.

   
Let's just say that even though we were good girls, the group of friends of which I belonged had done a few things that weren't sanctioned by our parents.  Maybe that's why we all knew how to predict our children's actions and intentions when we became parents ourselves.

It's the Saigon Campus of University of Transport and Communications that occupies part of the old Academy now.

I've never heard of a graveyard on the Academy property.  You're probably thinking of the nearby Bien Hoa Military Cemetery (Nghĩa Trang Quân Đội Biên Hòa) where 30k fallen military personnel were buried.  It was a beautiful landmark made well-known by the famous sculptor Nguyễn Thanh Thu's work titled Thương Tiếc (Mourning) -- the statue of a soldier sitting with a M1 rifle on his lap.

After '75, the sculptor was imprisoned, the statue was knocked down, and the tombstones were destroyed.  In 2007, the cemetery became Nghĩa Trang Nhân Dân Bình An (Binh An's People Cemetery).

Indices wrote:

Just finished lunch with an American guy that visited the D3 immigration yesterday. Unlike the friend I took there early Friday morning he was willing to allow some details on the forum.
He had a 3 month multi-entry visa that he usually renews via the Viet embassy in Singapore and expired last Monday.
Apart from the need to wait for a little over 3hrs, he got there just before lunch, his experience was much the same. All very polite, simple temp check before being allowed in, use of hand sanitiser and had to maintain distancing. All he needed was to present his passport, confirmation of address from his local district officer, health statement, one reference ( he did not know if this was needed but took it anyway which the clerk retained ) and his cancelled flight details. He also had to fill out a form at the desk stating his reasons for the extension request and how long he wanted it for. This form he had to take 50m to get photocopied and then returned. All accepted ok and was told to return on May 6th. Again, no indication of what extension he would be allowed in terms of length.
He added that taxis were quite frequent.

Can you confirm please he had a tourist visa and no mention of any sponsor in his extension request ? Thanks in advance :-)
Laurent

Laurent futur Nha Trang wrote:

Indices wrote:

Just finished lunch with an American guy that visited the D3 immigration yesterday. Unlike the friend I took there early Friday morning he was willing to allow some details on the forum.
He had a 3 month multi-entry visa that he usually renews via the Viet embassy in Singapore and expired last Monday.
Apart from the need to wait for a little over 3hrs, he got there just before lunch, his experience was much the same. All very polite, simple temp check before being allowed in, use of hand sanitiser and had to maintain distancing. All he needed was to present his passport, confirmation of address from his local district officer, health statement, one reference ( he did not know if this was needed but took it anyway which the clerk retained ) and his cancelled flight details. He also had to fill out a form at the desk stating his reasons for the extension request and how long he wanted it for. This form he had to take 50m to get photocopied and then returned. All accepted ok and was told to return on May 6th. Again, no indication of what extension he would be allowed in terms of length.
He added that taxis were quite frequent.

Can you confirm please he had a tourist visa and no mention of any sponsor in his extension request ? Thanks in advance :-)
Laurent

Depends of the nationality!
More easy with US citizen...
More complicate for French!

Indices wrote:

Kallouche

"Depends of the nationality!
More easy with US citizen...
More complicate for French! "

Well obviously the are nationality variations hence I stated American !
I have no idea of the French requirement or if it's more difficult or not.

Merci

Indices wrote:

A UK associate of mine just returned from the Immigration office requesting an extension to his 5 yr VEC.

Was it an extension to his VEC?  Or an extension to his entry stamp?

Details :
Married to a Vietnamese national.
Proof of address from local district officer.
Marriage Cert.
Health declaration.
Passport.
Passport style photo. ( does not know if needed but they took it anyway )
He had already prepared the application a few days ago but his wife had to do another one requesting the extension from todays date..
His wife filled out the application at the desk, photo copied it and returned a few minutes later.

6 month extension granted. Fee $10. Collect May 7th.
Whole process took around 30mins including waiting time.

My situation is similar, except I already have a six month extension on my entry stamp, so clarification will be much appreciated.

Travelfar wrote:

Indices wrote:

A UK associate of mine just returned from the Immigration office requesting an extension to his 5 yr VEC.

Was it an extension to his VEC?  Or an extension to his entry stamp?

Details :
Married to a Vietnamese national.
Proof of address from local district officer.
Marriage Cert.
Health declaration.
Passport.
Passport style photo. ( does not know if needed but they took it anyway )
He had already prepared the application a few days ago but his wife had to do another one requesting the extension from todays date..
His wife filled out the application at the desk, photo copied it and returned a few minutes later.

6 month extension granted. Fee $10. Collect May 7th.
Whole process took around 30mins including waiting time.

My situation is similar, except I already have a six month extension on my entry stamp, so clarification will be much appreciated.

As the request for the extension had to be dated today I doubt it relates to an entry stamp.
Even if it did you should be ok as I believe you are entitled to extend your 5yr VEC twice during the 5yr period.

Indices wrote:

[snip lots]
As the request for the extension had to be dated today I doubt it relates to an entry stamp.
Even if it did you should be ok as I believe you are entitled to extend your 5yr VEC twice during the 5yr period.

I thought it was once per entry.  Do you have a link to the twice per VEC rule?

Travelfar wrote:

Indices wrote:

[snip lots]
As the request for the extension had to be dated today I doubt it relates to an entry stamp.
Even if it did you should be ok as I believe you are entitled to extend your 5yr VEC twice during the 5yr period.

I thought it was once per entry.  Do you have a link to the twice per VEC rule?

I think I once saw the issue addressed in this thread but I can't quickly find that entry:

expat. com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=369913

Travelfar wrote:

Indices wrote:

[snip lots]
As the request for the extension had to be dated today I doubt it relates to an entry stamp.
Even if it did you should be ok as I believe you are entitled to extend your 5yr VEC twice during the 5yr period.

I thought it was once per entry.  Do you have a link to the twice per VEC rule?

I have done it myself although it was some time ago but I can't remember the link to the info or I may have just gone to immigration on the off chance.  if you do your research you should be able to clarify the issue.  Rules change all the time.