Certification of visa exemption for foreigners in Vietnam
01. Conditions for application 
* Applicable entities:
1. Vietnamese people residing overseas and foreigners who are spouses, children of Vietnamese people residing overseas or of Vietnamese citizens.
2. Relevant organizations and individuals.
* Conditions for visa exemption:
1. Has a passport or another international travel document that is still valid for at least one more year.
2. Has documents proving that he/she is a person eligible for visa exemption
3. Not banned or suspended from entry or exit
* The maximum duration of a certificate of visa exemption is 05 years and must be at least 6 months shorter than that of the holder’s passport or international travel document.
* Each person shall be granted a separate certificate of visa exemption. Any parent and children who share the same passport shall be granted a single certificate of visa exemption.
02. Applicable laws 
1. Law on entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam 2014
2. Decree No. 82/2015/ND-CP on visa exemption for Vietnamese people residing overseas and foreigners who are spouses, children of Vietnamese people residing overseas or of Vietnamese citizens
3. Circular No. 04/2015/TT-BCA on specimen papers concerning foreigners entering, leaving, and residing in Vietnam
4. Circular No. 219/2016/TT-BTC on licensing fees on entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam
03. Procedure
Step 1: Prepare the following documents
1. The passport or another international travel document, or a permanent residence permit issued by an authority of the foreign country to the Vietnamese person residing therein.
2. An application form for issuance/reissuance of the certificate of visa exemption enclosed with 02 pictures (01 picture fixed on the application form).
3. Documents proving eligibility for visa exemption:
a) The applicant who is a Vietnamese person residing overseas shall submit a certified true copy (or a copy enclosed with the original for comparison) of one of the following documents: birth certificate, decision to permit renouncement of Vietnamese nationality or certification of loss of Vietnamese nationality, other documents showing/proving the person’s Vietnamese nationality;
b) The applicant who is a foreigner shall submit certified true copies (or copies enclosed with the originals for comparison) proving that he/she is a spouse or child of a Vietnamese citizen or a Vietnamese person residing overseas;
c) In case there are no papers proving that the applicant is a Vietnamese person residing overseas, the overseas visa-issuing authority of Vietnam shall examine the applicant’s documents which show that he/she is of Vietnamese descent to decide whether to accept the application.
Step 2: Submit the file
- Each person who is temporarily residing in Vietnam and wishes to obtain a certificate of visa exemption shall submit the file to Immigration Administration.
- The applicant for certificate of visa exemption who is residing overseas shall submit the file to an overseas visa-issuing authority of Vietnam.
Step 3: Get results
- In case the file is submitted to the Immigration Administration, within 05 working days from the receipt of satisfactory documents, the Immigration Administration shall consider issuing the certificate of visa exemption.
- In case the file is submitted to the overseas visa-issuing authority of Vietnam
- Within 01 working day from the receipt of satisfactory documents, the overseas visa-issuing authority of Vietnam shall send a list of applicants for the certificate of visa exemption to the Immigration Administration.
- The Immigration Administration shall response the overseas visa-issuing authority of Vietnam within 03 working days.
- Within 01 working day from the receipt of the response from the Immigration Administration, the overseas visa-issuing authority of Vietnam shall issue the certificate of visa exemption.
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