The Office of the government issued on January 18, 2022, official dispatch 450/VPCP-QHQT to change and ease the conditions of entry for foreigners and overseas Vietnamese by removing the entry permit requirement.
Vietnam closed its border in February 2020 and few months later allowed foreigners to enter Vietnam but only after being granted an entry permit resulting in a heavy administrative burden and lengthy procedure. That requirement has been applicable to both foreign residents holding a valid visa, permanent or temporary residence card and to new foreigners coming to work in Vietnam.
Key points of New Entry Permit Regulations
The new dispatch is a government request to the provincial authorities to implement the new regulation as follows:
- Foreigners, overseas Vietnamese and their relatives holding a permanent resident card, temporary residence card, visa or visa exemption certificate shall be exempt from the entry permit requirement and immigration approval to enter Vietnam.
- Foreigners who are NOT holding a permanent resident card, temporary residence card, visa or visa exemption certificate shall still obtain entry permit sponsored by their host entity in Vietnam and issued by People’s committee and Immigration approval to enter Vietnam for work purpose, attending meetings, conferences, seminars, studying
Relevant provincial authorities shall follow with their own regulations to implement this new policy. It may take some time for this directive to actually be applied country-wide and applicants should be cautious when reading news reports. The impact of Omicron also remains a concern with regard to rollout.
Please contact our immigration team should you have any questions.
