What Documents Are Required & How To Get Spouses Visa in Vietnam

If you are a foreign individual who is married to a Vietnamese local, you are probably wondering how you can go about applying for a Spouse Visa in Vietnam. First of all, you should know that there is no particular visa for foreigners married to a Vietnamese. So in order to stay in Vietnam and be with your spouse, you will have to apply for either a visa exemption or a permanent residence card that will allow you to live in the country for several years.

If you are not in Vietnam but you plan to come over to marry your Vietnamese fiancé, your best option is to use a tourist visa or other types of visa that will grant you entry into the country. After you get married, that’s when you can apply for a spouse visa exemption or the permanent residence card.

Five-Year Spouse Visa Exemption in Vietnam

Although there’s no such thing as a spouse visa in Vietnam, foreigners who are married to a Vietnamese are eligible for a visa exemption. This means that they can live in Vietnam without holding any type of visa.

So how do you apply for a five-year spouse visa exemption in Vietnam? Fortunately, you can apply for the visa exemption without the need to leave Vietnam. However, this visa will require you to go out of Vietnam after every 180 days, or every 6 months. Even though the visa exemption will let you live in Vietnam for five years visa-free, you cannot stay in the country continuously. So you need to exit out of Vietnam after every six months.

Documents Required to Apply for the 5-Year Visa Exemption

To apply for the 5-year spouse visa exemption in Vietnam, you are required to submit the following documents:

• Original copy of your passport.
• Passport of your Vietnamese spouse. If no passport is available, any valid ID can be submitted.
• House registration book of the Vietnamese spouse, also known as the “Red Book”.
• Marriage Certificate
• 2 passport-sized photos in white background. The size should be 4 cm x 6 cm. They should be taken within the past six months.

Process of Application for the 5-Year Spouse Visa Exemption

Once you have all the documents ready, you can follow the steps below for the process of application:

1. Submit all the required documents to the Vietnam Immigration Department or through a local agency. If you cannot appear in person, you can send the documents by post.
2. Wait for the application to be processed, which will take approximately two weeks.
3. Once your application is approved, you can claim your passport. You will also be issued with a five-year visa exemption card, which is proof that you can stay in Vietnam without the need of a visa.

Things to Keep In Mind

For those who entered the country using a tourist visa or business visa, you are required to exit the country before your visa exemption will be activated. Once you go out of Vietnam, your tourist visa or a business visa will be expired. When you enter the country, you must present the visa exemption card.

If your passport has a validity of less than 5 years, then the duration of your visa exemption will be based on your passport’s validity. When your passport expires, your visa exemption will expire as well.

Permanent Residence Card

Aside from the spouse visa exemption, another option is the permanent residence card. The permanent residence card is like a long-term visa that will be valid for 2 years or 3 years. This card is issued to some foreigners, including those who are married to Vietnamese nationals. It is also given to foreign individuals of Vietnamese origin.

The good thing about the permanent residence card is that you can stay in Vietnam continuously. You do not have to go through the hassles of having to leave the country every few months, which is the case for visa exemption.

Documents Required for Permanent Residence Card

To apply for the permanent residence card, you are required to submit some documents. Here are the documents that you need to prepare:

• Original passport copy of the applicant.
• Passport copy of the Vietnamese spouse. If there’s no passport, any valid ID will do.
• House registration book of the Vietnamese spouse also known as the Red Book.
• Marriage Certificate
• 2 passport-sized photos taken recently. It should be in white background and the size is 4 cm x 6 cm.
• Form NA8 and NA7.

Procedures to Apply for the Permanent Residence Card

Here are the steps to apply for the permanent residence card.

1. Submit all the required documents to the Vietnam Immigration Department or to a local agency.
2. It will take around 7- 10 working days to process the permanent residence card.
3. When your application is approved, you will be asked to claim your passport and the residence card.

When applying for the permanent residence card, make sure that the current visa that you have is the “Visiting Relatives Visa” or the TT visa. Otherwise, you’ll be asked to leave the country before your temporary residence card will be activated.