E-Visa Extensions Allow More Flexibility for Business Travelers
The long-awaited changes to the e-visa and visa exemption policies have been approved during the 15th National Assembly session which ended last week.
Vietnam lawmakers approved the 2 changes below, which will be effective from August 15, 2023, below:
- e-visa will be available for a duration of up to 3 months (instead of 30 days) and allow multiple entries to Vietnam (instead of single entry).
- Visa exemption duration will be extended from 15 days to 45 days for regular passport holders of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Russia, Finland, Denmark, Japan, and South Korea (unilateral exemption).
To view an example of the E-visa result document, please click HERE
While the main objective of the new policy is to foster tourism development in Vietnam, business travelers of eligible nationalities will also benefit from this new policy and can obtain the e-visa for their business purposes without having to apply for a visa through their host entity (and therefore avoid the wait for their company to obtain the pre-approval letter and get their visa endorsed through the Vietnamese embassy or consulate abroad). In the current context, the Business visa application process can indeed sometimes be lengthy, uncertain, and unpractical.
A reminder for business travelers: E-visas allow basic business activities to be performed in Vietnam such as:
- Attending or receiving internal/external training;
- Making site visits to internal or client facilities or plants;
- Making sales calls to potential Vietnam clients, provided that the employee is representing a commercial entity outside of Vietnam
- Look-see trips.
For those foreigners who intend to do more extensive work in Vietnam for an extended period, a work permit and long-term visa (or TRC) sponsored by the local entity may be required. The immigration and labor authorities are closely monitoring companies and their foreign workers to ensure compliance with the law. Many foreign companies have been audited in recent months to check that their foreign workforce is compliant (including business travelers) from an immigration and labor perspective, but also from a tax perspective. Those foreign workers (and their companies) who are found to be abusing the e-visa program may incur penalties including foreign employees being “blacklisted” and refused entry to Vietnam.
It is crucial that any business in Vietnam that has business travelers entering Vietnam discuss with our immigration team the company’s overall strategy and the scope of work being performed to ensure companies stay compliant. Foreign labor has never been more scrutinized by the authorities than now.