How to Extend my Vietnamese Visa in Lao Cai City
Lao Cai is a mountainous province located in the northwestern part of Vietnam, about eight hours away from Hanoi. Because of its very laid-back vibe, too many foreigners have chosen to visit the place and stay for a little bit longer. If you are one of those foreigners who wanted to stay longer in Lao Cai, make sure you have extended the validity of your visa.
As a foreigner in Vietnam, your stay is only limited depending on your visa’s validity. For foreigners holding a 30-day tourist visa, they are only allowed to stay in Vietnam for 30 days or less. But if you choose to stay beyond 30 days, then you can apply for a visa extension.
Here’s everything you need to know if you are planning to extend your Vietnamese visa in Lao Cai City.
What is Visa Extension?
Visa extension is a facility that allows foreigners to extend the validity of their visa. This process will help foreigners to legally extend their stay in Vietnam without having to apply for a new visa again.
The visa extension can be applied directly from the Vietnam Immigration Office in Lao Cai City. But you can also hire an agent online that will facilitate the processing of the visa extension on your behalf. Once your application for visa extension is approved, they will give you back your passport which indicates the new validity period of your visa.
Take note that if you will apply for a visa extension, you can only request an extension of the same validity as that of your visa. So if your visa’s validity is 30 days, then you can only extend it for 30 days more. And if your visa is valid for 60 days, then you can only extend it for another 60 days. Furthermore, applicants will only be allowed to extend their visas twice.
Requirements to Apply for a Vietnamese Visa Extension in Lao Cai City
When you apply to extend your Vietnamese visa in Lao Cai City, there are many requirements you need to prepare. These requirements will vary depending on your nationality and other factors. But generally, these are the requirements that foreigners should submit when getting their visas extended:
👉 Passport – you need to submit the original copy of your passport. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from the day you applied for the visa extension. So make sure to double-check your passport so as not to avoid delays in getting your visa extended.
👉 Application form – to apply for a visa extension, Vietnam Immigration will ask you to fill out the application form known as the NA5 form. Download this form online and print it out. Fill out the application form completely. Don’t worry if you can’t download this form online because you can also get it from the Vietnam Immigration Office in Lao Cai. Form NA5 for visa extension.
👉 Visa copy – you need to also submit the visa that you are trying to extend. But if the visa is already attached to your passport, then there’s no need to submit it separately.
Remember, the requirements to extend your visa would vary greatly. The requirements mentioned above are only the basic requirements. You might be asked to submit additional supporting documents. To be sure, it is best to call the Vietnam Immigration Office ahead of time. Find out exactly what requirements are needed from you so you can prepare this ahead. You can also go through a local agent online. The agent will check your eligibility and inform you what requirements are needed.
How to Apply for a Visa Extension in Lao Cai City
So after you have prepared all the requirements needed to get your visa extended, here are the steps on how to apply for a visa extension in Lao Cai City.
👉 First, contact the Vietnam Immigration Office in Lao Cai to schedule your appointment. Then make sure to ask the requirements needed for your visa extension. Find out the cost of the processing fee as well so you know how much money to bring.
👉 Upon your arrival at the Immigration Office, the staff will ask you to fill out the application form if you have not done it yet. If you need help, feel free to ask for assistance from the staff. When you’re done, give the form to them along with the other requirements, such as your visa copy and passport.
👉 Next, pay for the processing fee. The staff will then inform you of how long it will take for them to process the extension of your visa. If you need it urgently, inform the staff of this so they can try to expedite the process.
Once your visa extension is approved, collect your passport from the Vietnam Immigration Office and you will find that it has been stamped with the new validity date.
Email for Support : info@vietnamvisa.cheap