Business visa - Foreigners who come to Vietnam to work with domestic enterprises, organizations or offer services, establish a commercial presence, and sign contracts,... must apply for a Business visa (except for countries that are exempt from visa as prescribed by laws).
>> In this article, together with Nhi Gia, let’s find out the information about Business visa, Procedures, application forms, as well as the costs to apply for a Business visa, etc.
Table of Contents
What is a Business visa?
Business visa is granted to foreigners who enter Vietnam to work. Depending on the entry purposes, Business visa will be divided into DN1 or DN2 (old symbol is DN):
- DN1 Visa - is issued to foreigners working in an organization, which has Legal Entity following the regulations of Vietnam Laws.
- DN2 Visa - is issued to foreigners who offer services, establish a commercial presence, and perform other activities under international treaties of which Vietnam is a member.
Vietnam Business visa is issued for a limited duration which maximizes for 1 year and no more than 30 days for each entry. Therefore, the common types of visa issued to foreigners include:
- 1-month single entry visa
- 3-month single entry visa
- 1-month multiple entry visa
- 3-month multiple entry visa
- 6-month multiple entry visa
- 1-year multiple entry visa
In case, Business visa is about to expire but foreigners still want to stay in Vietnam, they must renew the visa according to Vietnamese regulations.
To save time and money when applying for Vietnam Business visa, the applicant should conduct 2 basic steps below:
- Check if your nationality is on the list of countries exempted from Vietnam Business visa.
- Prepare documents in the simplest way to apply for a business visa to Vietnam if not subject to visa exemption.
>> Below is the information about:
- List of countries exempted from Vietnam business visa
- Conditions and documents to apply for a Vietnam business visa (if not subject to visa exemption)
List of countries exempted from Vietnam business visa
Nowadays, Vietnam unilaterally exempts visas for citizens of 13 countries (including the purpose of business entry). The duration to stay is no more than 15 days if the applicants meet all the conditions prescribed by Vietnamese Law (according to the Resolution No. 32/NQ-CP - effective from 15/03/2022):
| Countries | Maximum visa extemption | Applied time |
| Germany | 15 days | Until the end of March 14, 2025 (and is considered for extension according to regulations) |
| France | ||
| Italy | ||
| Spain | ||
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | ||
| Russia | ||
| Japan | ||
| Korea | ||
| Denmark | ||
| Sweden | ||
| Norway | ||
| Republic of Finland | ||
| Republic of Belarus |
Besides, the cases below are also exempted from Vietnam Business visa:
- Residents from ASEAN countries (bilateral visa-exemption): Brunei, Myanmar (14 days); Philippines (21 days) and Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Laos (30 days).
- People who have APEC Business Travel Card: are exempted from visa for 90 days.
NOTICE: The regulation on a gap of at least 30 days in between two entries into Vietnam under the visa exemption category has been removed (Amendment and supplementation in Article 20 of the Law No. 51/2019/QH14).
Conditions for applying for a Business visa (Visa DN1, visa DN2)
If you are not subject to Business visa exemption, you need to apply for a visa and make sure that you meet the conditions below:
- Have a passport or valid international travel documents.
- Have an invitation or guarantee from an agency, organization, or individual in Vietnam.
- Not subject to such cases that have not been permitted to enter Vietnam.
* When applying for a Business visa for some special cases, foreigners must have documents proving their entry purposes.
Vietnam Entry Approval Letter for business purpose
If foreigners want to enter Vietnam for business purpose, they must apply for the Entry Approval Letter first. Required documents including:
Documents to be prepared by the guarantee company;
- Business license of the guarantee company.
- Authorization letter.
- Invitation letter for business purpose.
Applicant’s personal documents: Valid passport of the foreigner.
The prescribed forms:
- NA2 form - Application for the entry approval letter which allows foreigners to enter Vietnam.
- NA16 form - Application for registration of seal and signature specimen for the first time at the Immigration Department.
- Referral letter
- And some other documents as required.
The processing time of Vietnam Entry Approval Letter as prescribed is no more than 5 working days. Depending on the citizenship or the status of the documents, the processing time will be longer from 7 - 10 working days.
When obtaining the Entry Approval Letter, the enterprises can send the same through email, fax, fast delivery, etc. to the foreigners and they may continue to apply for the visa.
>> If your customers have problems in the process of applying for a Entry Approval Letter for business purpose, Nhi Gia is always ready to support with such services of: Consulting procedures, Completing documents as required, Supporting submit/follow up the application process/receiving visa/booking air tickets,... (upon your demands). Please contact 1900 6654 for support!
Frequently asked questions
Where to submit the visa application form?
After you prepare all the required documents, you can submit your documents at Vietnam Immigration Department - Ministry of Public Security according to one of the following two locations to submit:
- Vietnam Immigration Department - Ministry of Public Security
+ HCM City: No. 333-335-337 Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward, District 1.
+ Hanoi City: No. 44 Tran Phu Street, Ba Dinh District.
- Vietnam Immigration Department, Public Security Department of the province/city where the foreigner temporarily resides.
Or contact the hotline: 1900 6654 to get support from experts on Vietnam visa of Nhi Gia. They will consult - complete the Business visa procedures depending on each specific situation!
How long does it take to apply for Vietnam Business visa?
If your Business visa application is eligible, complete, and valid, the Officer will issue an appointment letter to return the result to the applicant. Normally, the time to issue a Vietnam business visa is no more than 05 working days from the date of receipt of complete documents.
How much does it cost to apply for a Vietnam business visa?
Depending on the length of stay and the nationality, the fees to obtain a Vietnam Business visa will be paid in USD and ranged from 25 - 135$. Specific:
| Types of visa | Fees |
| Single entry visa: 1-month single entry visa, 3-month single entry visa | 25 USD |
| Multiple entry visa: | |
| 3-month multiple entry visa | 50 USD |
| Over 3 - 6 months multiple entry visa | 95 USD |
| 6 months - 1-year multiple entry visa | 135 USD |
Notice: In case, your application form is denied. You may only take back the passport and original documents, and the visa fees paid will not be refundable.
How to extend Business visa?
As mentioned above, when the Business visa is about to expire, but foreigners still want to continue to stay in Vietnam, they need to apply for a Business visa extension.
According to regulations on immigration management, organizations (including companies, branches or representative offices, etc.) have the right to guarantee foreign investors to renew their visas or extend their temporary residence in Vietnam for business purposes.
Required documents to renew Vietnam Business visa for foreigners, including:
- Original passport
- Form NA5: Visa renewal application (according to regulation)
- Form for temporary residence registration
- Two 4x6cm photos
- Business license of the guarantee company
- And other documents as required
The extension duration of the Business visa is maximum of 3 months. If foreigner wants to stay in Vietnam for longer than that duration, they must provide document proving their purpose to stay.
Vietnam Business visa extension fees include the Business visa application fees (mentioned-above) and the fees to extend the residence time is 10 USD.
Should I apply for Business visa by myself?
You should not apply for a Business visa by yourself. For the following reasons:
- Besides the required document mentioned-above, you must provide a lot of documents to prove your entry purpose.
- Regulations on Business visas and Business visa extensions often change. You must clearly understand the law.
- Your application may be refused if all required documents are not provided.
- It takes a lot of time as well as efforts from the customer.
Is there any package services for Vietnam Business visa?
If you are wondering whether to choose a prestigious company to make Vietnam Business visa, Nhi Gia is the best suggestion for you:
- With nearly 20 years of experience in applying for Vietnam and foreign visas: Investment visas, Relatives visa, Business visa, Student visa, Work visa, Travel visas, etc.
- Highly appreciated, trusted and used by customers from all over the world since 2006 until now.
- Always offer the most optimal solutions to help customers easily choose the right service package.
- Provide the most economical cost in the market, no intermediaries, no costs incurred.
- Help customers save their time and effort.
- Provide free consultation on visa, related documents and other services such as Work Permit, Temporary Residence Card, Entry Approval Letter, etc. (if any)
>> To know more about the detailed Business visa, contact Nhi Gia Company at the hotline: 1900 6654; email: info@nhigia.vn or address: 186-188 Nguyen Duy, Ward 09, District 08, Ho Chi Minh City.
