Phu My Hung is an urban area located in the south of Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a modern neighborhood that’s home to one of the largest ex-pat communities in Vietnam. Most of the foreigners that live here have come to Vietnam for work, business, or holiday.
If you are a foreigner living in Phu My Hung and you would like to extend your stay in the country, yet you’re worried that your visa is about to expire soon, you can apply for a visa extension from the Vietnam Immigration Office in Ho Chi Minh City. There are two Immigration Offices in Ho Chi Minh. One is located in Nguyen Trai Street in District 1 and the other is in District 3. Here’s how to extend your Vietnamese visa.
Before you go to the Immigration Office to apply for your Vietnam visa extension, it’s a good idea to understand what this process is. Visa extension is an option for foreigners to stay longer in Vietnam. Those who wanted to prolong their stay in Vietnam without having to apply for a new visa can benefit from the visa extension. With this option, you will receive an extension stamp in your passport, which will indicate the new duration of your stay in the country. But take note that the visa extension will only allow for a single entry and you can only apply for a visa extension twice.
When applying for a Vietnamese visa extension, you must meet certain requirements for your extension request to be approved. Here are the requirements:
👉 Original Passport Copy – you should submit the original copy of your passport. The passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you applied for the visa extension. It should also have extra blank pages for the visa stamp.
👉 Application Form – to apply for a visa extension, you need to fill out the application form known as the NA5 form. This form can be downloaded online, although you can also get this from the Vietnam Immigration Office. Fill out the form completely and make sure you provide the correct information to avoid delays in the processing of your visa extension.
👉 Visa copy – you will also be required to submit a copy of your existing visa when applying for the Vietnamese visa extension.
Take note that you can only extend your visa for a similar validity as that of the visa that you are holding. For instance, if your visa is only good for one month, then you are only allowed to extend it for one more month. But if the visa is good for 60 days, then feel free to extend your visa for 60 days more.
Aside from the requirements mentioned, you could be required to submit additional documents before Vietnam Immigration will approve your visa extension. It’s, therefore, a good idea to call the Vietnam Immigration Office ahead of time to find out what other requirements are needed.
If you already have all the requirements, you can start applying for the visa extension from the Vietnam Immigration Office in Ho Chi Minh City. Here are the steps:
👉 1. Visit the Vietnam Immigration Office in Ho Chi Minh City. Make sure to bring all the requirements needed. When you arrive, fill out the NA5 form. Provide all the details that are being asked and make sure that the spelling is correct.
👉 2. When you’re done filling out the form, submit it to the staff together with your passport and some other requirements. The staff will check the application form and everything is already complete, they will collect your payment for the processing fees. They will then advise you to wait for their call once your visa extension application is already approved.
👉 3. After about a week or two, the Vietnam Immigration Office will call you regarding the status of your visa extension. If it’s approved, they will ask you to claim the passport from the immigration office. When you receive your passport, you will find a new stamp indicating the new validity of your visa.
If you do not want to go through the hassles of extending your visa by yourself, why don’t you get assistance from a local agency in Vietnam? With a local agency, all you need to do is to give them your passport and visa copy. By paying only a minimal fee, they can get your visa extended in no time. And if you need the process to be expedited since your visa is due to expire soon, you can pay an extra cost. This is much cheaper than having to pay the penalty for overstaying.