VIETNAM VISA FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

 A.   VISA for STUDYING in Vietnam

 Student visa (Type: DH) is non-immigrant visas that do not require the holder to obtain citizenship. Any prospective students seeking higher education in Vietnam must obtain a student visa.

International Student Service Center (ISSC) is the unit at International University to help international students and international scholars to obtain the visa pre-approval prior to their departure to Vietnam. International students and scholars need to provide ISSC with all necessary documents at least 2 weeks prior to the expected day of their departure.

Note: It is unable to convert Tourist Visa into Student Visa after you entered Vietnam. According to article 7, point 1 of Vietnam Immigration Law 2015, the purpose of Vietnam visa cannot be converted from one purpose to another. For instance, someone entering Vietnam with a tourist visa (DL) cannot be able to convert it into a studying visa (DH).

 B.  ENTRY VISA (For international students who are currently in their home country, have been admitted to International University, and will come to Vietnam for study purpose)

 1. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

 International students are obligated to provide the following information 4 weeks prior to the date of arrival in Vietnam:

 ·         Students’ contact information (Name, e-mail address and telephone number)1

·         Accurate address of Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam General Consulate in students’ home country in which visa will be granted.

·         Scanned passport with at least 6 months validity

 Note: International University shall not be responsible for the tardiness of students’ arrival in case they fail to submit the mentioned documents on time.

 2.   PROCEDURE:

 Step 1: Once you are accepted to study at IU, you will receive a Letter of Acceptance. At the same time, IU will send an email requesting you to fill in the Visa Information Form. Information being requested composes of your personal information (name, passport number, etc.) and the exact address of Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General nearest to your place.

 Step 2: IU then submits the necessary documents to Vietnam Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh City (VID-HCMC). The visa pre-approval will be issued after 7 working days.

 Step 3: VID-HCMC will fax a copy of visa pre-approval to Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General in your home country (to the address of your choice as written in the Visa Information Form). At the same time, you will receive a copy of the visa pre-approval from IU via email.

Step 4: You are responsible for the printing of the visa pre-approval sent to you via email. You will need to bring the pre-approval together with the following documents to Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General in your home country to get the visa.

 The required documents include:

 ·         Passport with validity of at least 6 months

·         Pre-approval confirmation (Printed on an A4-size-paper)

·         Letter of Acceptance from IU

·         Visa Application Forms (in accordance with the officials’ guidance at Vietnam Embassy/Vietnam Consulate General)

·         Visa application fees2 (submit at Vietnam Embassy/ Vietnam Consulate General)

 Step 5:

 You will be notified by the Vietnam Embassy/Vietnam Consulate General on the date and time to receive your visa, type DH – multiple entries.

 ·         For Exchange Students from IU Partner-Universities: the length of visa will be 6 months/multiple- entry;

·         For Direct Exchange Student: the length of visa will be 3 months/multiple-entry. When your visa comes to expire: ISSC will be in charge of your visa extension for another 3 month/multiple-entry with the condition that you could proof your tuition fee payment.

Note: Obtaining and maintaining appropriate visa status is the responsibility of the student. However, the host university will provide all necessary documentation and forms. In fact, International University will support you to submit required documents at VID-HCMC. IU Decision of Academic Admission, approved by International University’s rector, is a crucial part among the documentation to obtain your student visa.

When requesting for your visa pre-approval, IU will request 2 extra weeks prior to the beginning of the academic semester and 2 extra weeks after the end of that semester. Upon the completion of your studies with IU, IU will no longer sponsor for your student visa. You are highly recommended to apply for a tourist visa if you want to stay in Vietnam for other purposes.

The fee may vary according to different Vietnam Embassies in different countries.·   

SPECIAL CASE: VISA ON ARRIVAL

 This is an alternative way to obtain visa for Vietnam: the Vietnam- Visa-on-Arrival will be issued and picked up at your international airports of arrival, i.e. Tan Son Nhat Airport, Noi Bai Airport, Da Nang Airport)

 1. ELIGIBILITY: Visa-on-Arrival will be issued in the cases where there are not any representative diplomatic offices such as Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam Consulate General in your home country.

 2.   PROCEDURE:

 Step 1: : Once you are accepted to study at IU, you will receive a Letter of Acceptance. At the same time, IU will send an email requesting you to fill in the Visa Information Form. The location where you could pick up your visa will be the International Airport of your arrival in Vietnam (i.e. Tan Son Nhat Airport, Noi Bai Airport, Da Nang Airport)

 Step 2: IU then submits the necessary documents to Vietnam Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh City (VID-HCMC). The visa pre-approval will be issued after 7 working days.

 Step 3: VID-HCMC will fax a copy of visa pre-approval to the international airport of your arrival. At the same time, you will receive a copy of the visa pre-approval from IU via email.

 Step 4: You are responsible for the printing of the visa pre-approval sent to you via email. You will need to bring the pre-approval together with the following documents in order to get the visa on arrival.

 The required documents include:

 ·         Passport with validity of at least 6 months

·         Pre-approval confirmation (Printed on an A4-size-paper)

·         Letter of Acceptance from IU

·         Visa application forms (in accordance with the officials’ guidance at the airport)

·         Visa application fees (pay at the airport)

 Step 5: You will receive their visa from the Immigrant Department officers at the airport.

C.  VISA RENEWAL/ EXTENSION (For international students who are currently studying at IU with Student Visa and want to apply for visa extension)

 Note: You need to extend your visa 3 weeks prior to its expiry date. Penalty fee may apply on late applications according to the current Immigration Department regulations. Students are obliged to pay this penalty fee at Vietnam State Treasury HCMC by themselves.

 Important: ISSC will handle visa extension every first and third Tuesday of each month. Please check the dates that most suit you.

  1.    ELIGIBILITY: You are eligible to apply for student visa extension if you are currently enrolling in a3:

·         IU awarded program

·         Twinning program

·         Exchange program

 And students are required to pay the tuition fees of the forthcoming semester. A proof of payment is requested in order to apply for visa extension.

Note: Student Visa will be terminated by International University within 1 month if the university records any evidences that student does not attend any classes in that semester.

 2.   REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

 Application checklist:

 ·         Application Form (N5) – Can be taken at ISSC Office (Room A2.604)

·         Original passport with 6 months validity at least

·         Original Certificate of temporary residence in Vietnam (resident record)

·         IU Student Verification (ISSC will obtain this document from related offices on your behalf)

·         One ID photo (4 x 6 size, white background)

 Note: If you cannot get the Resident Record from your stay, you have to fill in a form Certification of Resident record and have it certified and stamped by Local Authorities (normally People’s Committee of the place you live).

3.   FEE:

·         When you apply for new visa, fee shall be applied as follows:

 ·         Following fees are for visa extension:

 Please pay the visa fee in Vietnam Dong. The exchange rate is subject to changes. The changes will be returned on the same date with passport.