New amendments of the Immigration law to come into effect in 2020

KEY POINTS/CHANGES:

• The new law allows a change of visa categories while in country under certain circumstances and with related supporting documents. This new regulation will result in more convenience, time and cost savings for investors and employers of international assignees who in some cases had to exit the country and re-enter in order to receive a new visa category.

• There are a couple of changes in the visa categories as below:

- LS: Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and foreign lawyers practicing in Vietnam.

- Foreign investors’ visa and Temporary Residence Card (ĐT) is now divided into 4 categories depending on the investment amount of the company in Vietnam.  The visa or temporary residence card duration will vary between 1 to 10 years depending on the investment amount. However, dependents of foreign investors will be granted a visa or temporary residence card with a maximum of 3 years duration, renewable.

- DN visa is to be divided into 2 categories:

-      DN1: Issued to foreigners coming to collaborate with enterprises and organizations with legal status regulated by Vietnamese law.

-      DN2 Issued to foreigners coming to Vietnam to offer services, establish commercial presence or conduct other activities under international agreements to which Vietnam is a party to.

- Working visa (LĐ) be divided into 2 categories:

- LĐ for Work Permit holders

- LĐ for Work Permit Exemption certificate holders.

• Conditions for Visa waivers: Foreign nationals entering Vietnam under visa exemption scheme are only required to have a passport which is still valid for at least 06 months. More significantly, the 30 days cooling off period from the previous exit is no longer required.

• The new Immigration law also provides a legal framework for the e-visa regulation implemented in 2017.

Should you have any question or would like to know more about this service, please contact your immigration coordinator at Resident Vietnam.