Visa renewal and visa extension
Your Vietnam visa is going to expire soon? You need more time to stay in Vietnam? Then, what will you do in this situation? You may probably wonder whether you should renew your visa or extend your visa. Just now take a look at the differences between these two kinds of Vietnam visa services to make wise decision with your visa plan.
What is visa?
Visa is a conditional authorization granted by a country (typically to a foreigner) to enter and temporarily remain within, or to leave that country. A visa includes limits on the duration of the foreigner’s stay, the dates they may enter and the number of permitted visits. A visa is commonly a stamp endorsed in the applicant’s passport or other travel documents although it can also be a separate document.
Since visa has a limit on the duration of the foreigner’s stay, the foreigner will be forced to leave Vietnam when his visa expires. However, there are many travellers still expecting to remain in Vietnam even when their now invalid visas do not allow them. It is when they need to consider lengthening their visas’ dates of expiration. So what to choose, visa renewal or visa extension? These both are services to help validate a visa but they are still different.
Visa renewal
Vietnam visa renewal
Visa renewal is actually more like making a second visa than lengthening the date of expiration of current visa. A renewed visa is issued when a traveller has already left Vietnam and then wish to enter Vietnam again. Then, the date of effect of the latter visa is not necessarily on the same or right after the date of expiration of the former visa. One can renew his visa many times but the renewal must depend on the decision of Vietnamese Immigration Department. When a traveller asks for a visa renewal, the Immigration officer in Vietnam will check his former entries to Vietnam to determine whether to accept his next travel or not. However, the requirements for renewing a visa are as simple as making a visa. The applicants only need to apply online for a visa on arrival to get visa approval letter, and after that, to get stamped visa at the airport. No passport sending away is needed. The type of your renewed visa is separate from your former visa and does not have any connection with or dependence on it. An important thing to bear in mind with the visa renewal is that if an applicant applies for a three - month, single entry visa and he leaves Vietnam after only 1 month staying, he still needs to renew his visa to be able to come back Vietnam, even as soon as only one day after his exit.
Visa extension
Vietnam visa extension
Visa extension is necessary if your current visa is going to expire and you want it to be valid for longer. In contrary of visa renewal, you can only extend your visa when you still stay in Vietnam, not to come across its border. The date of expiration of your visa will be lengthened from the original date to another date. Normally, the purpose of your visa (such as business or tourism) can not be altered after the extension. Besides, the limitation on the number of your entries and the duration of your stay depends on your current visa. For example, if your current visa is a tourism purpose, one month, single entry visa, then you can only extend your visa for tourism purpose, one month and single entry. Whether you can extend your visa or not is decided by Vietnamese Immigration Department, therefore, original passport with stamped visa paper must be checked before the extension is made. Read more: Vietnam visa in the age of technology