What is a Vietnam loose-leaf / sticker visa? When is it issued?

A reader asks: When is a loose-leaf visa issued? How is the issuance of a loose-leaf visa by Vietnam’s overseas visa-issuing authorities regulated? 

Contents

• What is a loose-leaf visa?
• When is a loose-leaf visa issued?
• Issuance of a loose-leaf visa by Vietnam’s overseas visa-issuing authorities

What is a loose-leaf visa?

Under Clause 11, Article 3 of the 2014 Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam, a visa is defined as a document issued by a competent Vietnamese authority that permits a foreign national to enter Vietnam.

A loose-leaf visa is one form of visa, alongside visas issued in a passport and electronic visas (Clause 2, Article 1 of the 2019 Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the 2014 Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam).

When is a loose-leaf visa issued?

Pursuant to Article 11 of the 2014 Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam (as amended and supplemented by the 2019 amending law), a visa is issued on a loose leaf in the following cases:

• The passport has run out of pages for visa issuance.
• The passport is issued by a country that does not have diplomatic relations with Vietnam.
• The applicant holds an international travel document.
• For diplomatic, defence, or security reasons.
• Children under 14 years old who share a passport with their father, mother, or guardian.

Issuance of a loose-leaf visa by Vietnam’s overseas visa-issuing authorities

(1) Within 01 working day from the date the overseas Vietnamese visa-issuing authority receives the instruction from the competent authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the passport and the visa application form with an attached photo (for the case specified in Clause 2, Article 15 of the 2014 Law), the overseas authority shall issue the visa.

(2) For cases not falling under Clause 1, Article 17 of the 2014 Law: after receiving the notification from the inviting/sponsoring agency, organization, or individual, a foreign national who is required to hold a visa shall submit their passport, visa application form, and photo at the competent Vietnamese visa-issuing authority overseas. Children under 14 years old who share a passport with their father, mother, or guardian are not required to submit a separate visa application in cases where they share that passport.

Within 03 working days from the date the overseas authority receives the notification from the immigration management authority or the competent authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnamese visa-issuing authority overseas shall carry out the visa issuance.

(3) The head of the competent Vietnamese visa-issuing authority overseas may issue a visa valid for no more than 30 days to a foreign national who needs to enter Vietnam for market surveys, tourism, visiting relatives, or medical treatment, in the following cases:

• A person who has a working relationship with the competent Vietnamese visa-issuing authority overseas, and their spouse and children; or a person who has a written request from the competent authority of the host country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
• A person who has a guarantee note (diplomatic note) from a diplomatic mission or consular post of a foreign country located in the host country.

(4) After issuing a visa in the case specified in Clause 3, Article 17 of the 2014 Law, the head of the competent Vietnamese visa-issuing authority overseas must notify the immigration management authority and shall be responsible for the visa issuance.