Vietnam Offers Visa Exemption for Vietnamese US Citizens

In the visit to the US, President Nguyen Minh Triet informed overseas Vietnamese in the US, as well as all overseas Vietnamese in more than 90 countries in the world, that the Vietnamese State has decided to exempt visas for all overseas Vietnamese who meet some conditions. Related agencies in Vietnam are compiling documents to realize this decision since September 1, 2007.
Under the above decision, overseas Vietnamese must fulfill some formalities to be granted a visa exemption verification document, which is valid for many times of traveling and takes effect within five years, not only one time like in the past.

The maximal residency time in Vietnam is 90 days each time. If they want to stay longer, they must ask for visas and fulfill extension formalities in Vietnam. They have defined three subjects of overseas Vietnamese who will enjoy visa exemption:

• The people who have Vietnamese nationality.
• Vietnamese people who hold foreign nationalities.
• Foreigners who are wives, husbands, children of Vietnamese or Vietnamese who hold foreign nationalities.

A certificate must be obtained by the passport holders for the exemption to be utilized.

In order to be granted visa exemption certificates at Vietnamese representative offices abroad, overseas Vietnamese need to submit one of three following documents:

• A document that proves they are ethnically Vietnamese.
• A guarantee by overseas Vietnamese associations based in the country where they are residents of or by a Vietnamese citizen.
• And a document by authorized foreign agencies certifying that they are ethnically Vietnamese.

Husbands, wives and children of Vietnamese people living abroad will also need to submit documents that prove their relationship to the Vietnamese member of their immediate family.

Expecting a rush on representative offices abroad, the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese has sent 200,000 visa exemption certificates to Vietnamese embassies overseas.

I’ve mentioned in previous conversations that things are changing at a faster rate now than before, so pay attention to changes that may affect you for the better. This installment of a visa exemption program for overseas Vietnamese will encourage and promote travels and hopefully, renew confidence in the younger generation to visit their mother country and start investing in the economy. This is a positive direction and people who may benefit from this should utilize it accordingly. Nonetheless, be conscious of the potential frustration as most embassies are just starting to learn the policies and procedures for this new program so there may be some initial confusion.