Hoi An is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam, and it’s easy to see why. This well-preserved ancient town serves as an important trading port during the 15th century.
If you are a foreigner living in Hoi An, Vietnam, then you are surely aware that your stay in the country is very limited. So if you plan to stay in Hoi An a little bit longer, you need to get your visa extended. When extending your stay in Hoi An, you have two options – the visa extension and visa renewal.
For foreigners who are not holding a visa since they are eligible for a visa-free entry to Vietnam, the visa renewal is a more suitable option for them. With this option, Vietnam Immigration will renew your stay in the country by issuing a new visa.
Visa renewal refers to the processing of renewing your Vietnamese visa, allowing you to stay in the country for a much longer time. Unlike the visa extension where the validity of your visa will be extended, the visa renewal will give you a new visa. This new visa is your ticket to staying longer in Vietnam. Since a new visa will be issued to you, the visa renewal will cost you more for the processing fee when compared to the visa extension.
The visa renewal is highly recommended to foreigners who are not holding any Vietnamese visa since they are eligible for the visa exemption scheme of Vietnam. Under the scheme, foreigners of certain nationalities can enter Vietnam visa-free. However, the stay will only be limited to less than 30 days, depending on which country they came from. Those who wanted to stay longer can opt for a visa renewal.
To apply for a visa renewal, you need to go to the nearest Vietnam Immigration Office in Hoi An, which is in the city of Da Nang. Before you go to the office, make sure you prepare all the required documents. Here they are:
👉 Passport – you will be required to submit your passport to the Vietnam Immigration Office when you apply for a visa renewal. Double-check your passport to make sure that it is valid for at least six months. Your passport should also have extra blank pages for the new visa to be attached.
👉 Application form – when you apply for the visa renewal, you’ll be asked to fill out the application form. Aside from providing your details, you will also be required to indicate the type of visa that you wanted to apply for when you fill out the form. Make sure you provide all the information that is required from you. Form NA5 for visa extension
👉 Visa copy – foreigners who are trying to renew their existing visas will need to submit a copy of the visa when applying for the visa renewal.
You might be required to submit some other requirements aside from the things mentioned above, so it is best to call the Vietnam Immigration Office in Da Nang to find out what the requirements are. That way, you can prepare these things ahead and avoid having to keep on coming back to the office.
Once you have all the requirements needed, you can start applying for your visa renewal. Here are the steps to get you started.
👉 1. First of all, call the Vietnam Immigration Office in Da Nang and inquire about their operating hours. Find out what the requirements are for the visa renewal and the cost of the processing fee.
👉 2. Upon your arrival at the Vietnam Immigration Office, inform the staff that you need to apply for a visa renewal. The staff will then ask you to fill out the application form. Fill out the form completely then submit it to the staff. The staff will then collect the payment of the processing fees from you.
👉 3. After about a week or two, the Vietnam Immigration authorities will call you to inform you of the status of your visa renewal. If they have approved your visa renewal request, a new visa will be attached to your passport. You can then collect your passport from the Vietnam Immigration Office in Da Nang.
If you find it a bit complicated to apply for a visa renewal in Hoi An City, you might want to consider hiring a local agency. The agency will facilitate the processing of the visa renewal on your behalf and all that’s left for you to do is to submit the requirements and fill out the application form. If you would like the process to be rushed since your visa is already expiring, you can also ask for help from the agency for that. For an added cost, the agency can request from the Vietnam Immigration Office for your visa renewal to be prioritized.
Hoi An is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam, and it’s easy to see why. This well-preserved ancient town serves as an important trading port during the 15th century.