If you overstay your visa in Vietnam, you have two main options: extend your visa (after paying administrative fines) or exit Vietnam. The penalty ranges from 500,000 to 10,000,000 VND depending on the overstay duration and circumstances.
What Happens If You Overstay Your Visa in Vietnam?
You will face penalties that depend on your visa overstay time. After paying an administrative fine with a penalty fee equivalent to the number of expiration dates, you can continue to have your visa extended in mild cases.
In more serious cases, you may be blacklisted, forced to be deported, or banned from re-entering temporarily or permanently.
Penalty Fees Structure
For overstays under 15 days: Foreigners whose temporary residence card or permanent residence card in Vietnam is overstayed for less than 15 days without the consent of competent authority, will be fined from 500,000 to 2,000,000 VND.
For 1-2 day overstays: If you overstay your visa for just 1 or 2 days, you do not need to contact the local Immigration Office; you can proceed to the airport and pay the penalty there (about $23/day) before obtaining an exit visa to depart the country.
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For overstays over 16 days: You can be fined an amount of money between 3,000,000 – 5,000,000 VND if you overstay them for more than 16 days.
For fake documents: People who use fake documents related to passports, visas, temporary residence cards, and verification stamps will face a fine ranging from VND 5,000,000 to VND 10,000,000.
What To Do If You Overstay Your Visa?
When you overstay your visa in Vietnam, you only have two options below:
Option 1: Continue to Extend Your Visa
This is possible if the reason behind your overstayed visa is accepted. You can choose this method to continue residing in Vietnam. However, before being eligible for doing it, you must pay a fine.
The penalty cost will depend on the number of overstaying dates, as we mentioned above. You had better pay the fine on your own by going to the Immigration Department or the province where you are living.
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Option 2: Exit Vietnam
Most people probably don’t want this to happen; however, if your extending visa application is not accepted, you must exit Vietnam. And when you want to return to Vietnam, you have to apply for a re-entry visa.
Nonetheless, in some cases, if you commit serious violations in the field of entry and exit or are on the “black list”, you will be banned from entering Vietnam for 5 years. When the ban period expires, you are allowed to re-enter Vietnam in accordance with the law.
How to Extend Your Overstayed Visa in Vietnam?
Visa Extension Conditions
Your passport must be valid as prescribed, which means that its validity must be longer than that of your visa by at least 1 month.
You must have declared temporary residence according to regulations. You can declare directly at the commune or police station in your area where you live or do it online at the National Web Portal on Immigration.
You must have paid administrative fines according to regulations as aforementioned.
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Required Documents
Basic documents needed:
- Your original passport and visa in use
- A copy of the temporary residence declaration
Additional documents depending on your kind of visa:
- Work permit
- Investment certificate
- Relative relationship certificate
Note: They must be certified as true copies.
Other required forms:
- Letter introduction
- Application for explaining the reason for renewal
The Overstayed Visa Extension Process
Step 1: Prepare Documents
Prepare all documents as mentioned above before proceeding to the submission.
Step 2: Submit Application
You can apply for a visa extension at one of the following two locations:
Immigration management office of provinces and cities
Vietnam Immigration Department:
- Headquarters in Hanoi: 44-46 Tran Phu Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
- Office in Ho Chi Minh: 333-335-337 Nguyen Trai Street, District 1, HCM city
Step 3: Processing Time and Results
The processing time for your applications is about 5-7 working days. The state agency will return the results after fulfilling the obligation to pay the extension fee as prescribed. The renewal cost will be from 25 USD to 155 USD per visa.
Above is useful information on what to do if you overstay your visa in Vietnam. Please remember to set your reminder for your visa expiration date to avoid falling into this hassle. Refer to other articles about visas, work permits and teaching English in Vietnam from us here.
