Phu Quoc Visa Exemption For Foreigners

1. Unilateral Visa Exemption

Foreigners are exempt from visas while accessing coastal economic zones, according to Law No. 51/2019/QH14, which went into effect on July 1, 2020:

• Having international airports
• Having private space
• Having defined geographical borders and separate from inland
• Conformity with socio-economic development policies and not harming national defense and security, social safety, and order of Vietnam

The law also stipulates that foreigners entering coastal economic zones who are exempt from visas are allowed 30-day temporary residence.

30-Day Visa Exemption To Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc (Kien Giang province) is a coastal economic zone that is entitled to apply a visa exemption policy for foreigners entering the island.

According to this, the Government enacted Resolution No. 80/NQ-CP on visa exemption for foreign visitors to Phu Quoc:

“Vietnam exempts visas for foreigners entering Phu Quoc from abroad with a residence period of 30 days; applies to the case of staying in transit areas at an international border gate of Vietnam (including air and sea), and then continuing to Phu Quoc island.”

The visa exemption policy with a maximum temporary stay of 30 days would create more advantageous conditions to attract international tourists to travel and relax.

2. Phu Quoc Free-visa Requirement

All visitors from other countries won’t be required to have a visa if they stay in Phu Quoc for less than 30 days. Visitors who want to enter Phu Quoc without a visa must fulfill the following requirements:

• Your passport must be valid for 6 months from the date of departure and have 2 blank pages for visa stamping.
• You have to fly from an international airport to Phu Quoc International Airport. This applies to direct and indirect flights where your final destination along the route is Phu Quoc. The onward destination can be any country, except Vietnam.
• Your stay on the island must be less than 30 days. You must provide proof (round-trip airfare, cruise ship departure date, etc.) that you will leave Phu Quoc Island within 30 days to be issued a visa-free stamp.
• Have not been extradited from Vietnam in the past.
• Not on Interpol's list of wanted persons.
• Travel to Phu Quoc by sea (ship or cruise) or by air (plane), not by land border.

3. Travel To Phu Quoc With Visa Exemption

If you are permitted to visit Phu Quoc without a visa, you can begin your journey in two ways below:

Direct flight to Phu Quoc International Airport

The most convenient way is to fly directly to Phu Quoc International Airport. There are some airlines that offer direct flights to Phu Quoc International Airport:

Connecting flight to Phu Quoc

If you don’t want to choose a direct flight, you can also take a connecting flight:

• Connecting flight to Phu Quoc International Airport Transit
• Connecting flight to Phu Quoc Airport from any international airport in Vietnam, and you must depart on the same day (you have to stay in the transit area for connecting flight to Phu Quoc)

You can choose one of these airlines in Vietnam providing flights to Phu Quoc from a domestic terminal:

Read more: Find your lowest fares for Vietnam domestic flights

4. Ways To Have Visa For More Than 30-Day Stay

In case you plan to go to other destinations in Vietnam after Phu Quoc Island or want to stay there for more than 30 days, applying for a Vietnam visa is a must. There are three ways to apply for a visa to Vietnam:

If you intend to visit other places in Vietnam after Phu Quoc Island or stay longer than 30 days, you must apply for a Vietnam visa. There are three options to apply for a Vietnam visa:

Embassy visa

Tourists will apply for a Vietnam visa at the Vietnam embassy/consulate for their entire trip before departure.

This option is suitable for those who live near the embassy/consulate. But if your residence is far from the embassy, use the following option.

Visa on arrival in Vietnam

It is convenient to get a Phu Quoc visa on arrival as it takes no document preparation to apply for a visa, and only needs a device can access the internet. Tourists merely need to complete an online form with their personal information.

Extend visa in Phu Quoc

The two ways above are suitable for those who are planning a trip to Phu Quoc and have not yet entered the island. After arrival, you come directly to Vietnam Immigration Department to process the visa application as below:

Note: The person who comes to receive the results shall give the receipt, identity card, or passport to the officials who return the results of the examination and comparison, and if the results are available, request the person who receives the results to pay fees.

You can also use travel agencies to do it for you with a certain fee. The process will take about one week since Your passport must be delivered to Ho Chi Minh City for processing.

Once your visa has been extended, you can get your passport in Ho Chi Minh City from the travel agent - they will send it back to you in Phu Quoc.

5. Visa Extend In Vietnam

Requirements for extending Vietnam visa

To extend a visa in Vietnam, travelers must meet all of the following requirements::

• Valid passport to carry out procedures for Vietnam visa extension for foreigners
• Foreigners staying in Vietnam must have a register of temporary residence from the police of the area where the foreigner resides
• The Vietnam visa individual is still valid
• There is a company in Vietnam that guarantees to carry out procedures to extend Vietnam visas for foreigners for business, work, and investment visa
• Foreigners have not committed crimes during their stay in Vietnam

Required documents to extend Vietnam visa

Documents that are required:

• Declaration form for issuance, supplement, amendment of visa, and extension of temporary residence (form NA5)
• Passport or valuable papers of international travel of foreigners
• Furthermore, depending on the kind of visa, the Vietnamese visa agency will ask you to prepare additional documents. To be more specific:

Where to extend Vietnam visa

Vietnam visa extension can be carried out at the Immigration Management Department in the cities and provinces where the foreigners live and work. These are the precise addresses in Vietnam's three largest cities:

• Hanoi: 44 - 46 Tran Phu Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
• Danang: 78 Le Loi Street, Thach Thang Ward, Hai Chau District Da Nang
• Ho Chi Minh City: 333 - 335 - 337 Nguyen Trai Street, Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

How to extend Vietnam visa

Step 1: Prepare the necessary documents

Step 2: Submit the document directly at the office of the Immigration Department – Ministry of Public Security

• Vietnamese agencies, organizations, Vietnamese citizens, and foreigners legally residing in Vietnam submit the documents to one of the working offices of the Immigration Department – Ministry of Public Security.
• Officers will receive documents examining the legality and content:
• If the document is complete and valid, the officer will receive the document, print it, and give a receipt, and an appointment to return the results.
• If the application document is not yet valid, the officer will instruct the applicant to complete the document.

Note: The application time is from Monday to Saturday morning (except on New Year, holidays, and Sundays).

Step 3: Receive the result

Individuals who come to receive the results have to show the receipt to the officer for comparison, if there is a visa extension result, individuals will receive the result, pay the fee and sign the receipt.

Note:

• The time for processing a Vietnam visa extension is from 7 to 10 working days from the day when all the documents are completed.
• A Vietnam visa validity can be extended for 15 days, 1 month, 3 months, or 6 months depending on its original validity.

Phu Quoc is one of the most beautiful destinations with gorgeous white-sand beaches and various types of fresh seafood that you should not miss when traveling to Vietnam. Do not hesitate to find your suitable tour on our website!

Camellia Mie

(Image source: Internet)