Overstaying your Vietnam visa intentionally might lead to serious consequences; the worst scenario for repetitive mistakes is you will be on the blacklist of the Immigration Department and banned to return Vietnam for next visits.

However like in most other countries, overstaying your visa than the permitted validity duration still occurs due to various reasons such as loss of passport, hospital treatment, extended trips or simply lack of notice on expiry visa date. In any circumstance, it’s always helpful to get yourself prepared with the penalty and procedure.

Things to do when you overstay your Vietnam visa

• If you only prolong your stay for less than 3 days, you can pay the fine directly to the immigration officer at Vietnam airport. The penalty may cost up to 2,000,000 VND to acquire an exit visa. This amount may vary without notice and you are not expected to get a receipt in return. Also, you are required to sign a document by the immigration officer before leaving.
• In case you overstay your Vietnam visa from 3 days upward, you cannot go to the airport directly but needs to contact a travel agency in advance for helping you with penalty procedures. The agency, on behalf of you, will submit a letter of explanation to the local immigration office and pay the fine. The penalty fee for staying over 15 days can range from 5,000,000 VND – 10,000,000 VND.
• If you want to know the exact amount you need to pay for your penalty for overstaying in Vietnam, kindly send us the screenshot of your passport with current visa via email at support@immivietnamvisa.com and let us know if you work in Vietnam and where your location is. Our staff at immivietnamvisa.com is always willing to help.

Avoid overstaying your Vietnam visa

If you plan on staying longer than your indicated visa date, it’s strongly advised to apply for Vietnam visa extension before your visa comes to expire to avoid any possible penalty and consequences. Otherwise, it’s important to take note and set an alarm on the expiry date of your visa.

There are cases when the officials may put a wrong date on your visa sticker regardless of the fact that your approval letter says else. In such circumstances, no explanation seems persuasive enough to convince the immigration officer that it’s not your fault. Therefore it’s better to check carefully your valid visa dates right on the spot for the possibility of instant correction.

Overstay due to loss of passport

If you lose your passport and must stay beyond the visa expiration date, you will need to declare the case to the ward police. After you fill in the Passport Loss Report, the ward police will provide you with a sealed confirmation, which will be helpful for passport renewal at your Embassy later.

Your Embassy/Consulate will issue a letter to Vietnam Immigration Department to request their support in providing you with a new visa or travel document to exit the country.