Quick answer
- Who applies
- Your sponsor in Vietnam (Article 35 of the Law)
- Form
- NA5 + your passport
- Where
- Provincial police immigration office, or the Immigration Department
- Processing time
- 5 working days from a complete file
- Government fee
- US$10 per extension
On this page
Who applies for the extension
Article 35 of Law No. 47/2014/QH13 says a foreigner in Vietnam who needs to stay longer must ask the agency, organisation or person who invited or sponsored them to apply. In practice, the sponsor is usually:
- the company or organisation in Vietnam that invited you (for business visas, work, investment, study);
- a Vietnamese citizen living in Vietnam who is your grandparent, parent, spouse, child or sibling — they must show papers proving the relationship;
- for tour visitors, the international travel company that organised your visa.
Documents and steps
- Form NA5 — request for a visa or extension of temporary stay, completed and signed by the sponsor.
- Your passport or other international travel document.
- For a family sponsor: papers proving the relationship (for example a marriage or birth certificate).
Sponsor prepares the file
Form NA5 is filled in with your details and signed by the sponsoring company or family member.
Sponsor submits it
At the immigration office of the provincial police where the sponsor is based, or at the Immigration Department. Online submission is possible; your passport must then be sent by public postal service.
Pay the fee and wait
The fee is US$10 per extension. The office decides within 5 working days of a complete and valid file.
Collect the result
The result is an extension of your temporary residence certification in your passport. If the office asks for more papers and they are not supplied within 15 days, the file is closed.
Form numbers (NA1, NA2, NA3, NA5, NA6, NA7, NA8, NA16, NA17…) follow Circular No. 70/2026/TT-BCA of the Ministry of Public Security, in force from 1 July 2026. Since that date only the forms issued with this Circular are accepted — download the current form from the official procedure page.
Immigration Department offices: 69 Mac Thai To Street, Yen Hoa Ward, Hanoi · 333–335–337 Nguyen Trai Street, Cau Ong Lanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City (per official procedure 1.003358; address checked in person by the Tu Do Team).
Extension or new visa?
An extension adds time to your current stay. If you need a different purpose or a longer, multiple-entry visa, the sponsor applies for a new visa issued in Vietnam (Article 19 of the Law) — also with form NA5 and within 5 working days, but the fee follows the visa type. Changing the purpose of a visa is only allowed in a few cases; see changing your visa purpose in Vietnam. People who will live in Vietnam long term may qualify for a temporary residence card instead.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Temporary stay extension (per time) | US$10 |
| Single-entry visa | US$25 |
| Multiple-entry visa, up to 90 days | US$50 |
| Multiple-entry visa, over 90 to 180 days | US$95 |
Apply before your stay ends
The procedure needs 5 working days after a complete file, plus time for your sponsor to prepare it. Start well before the date stamped in your passport. Staying beyond it can lead to being required to leave Vietnam and not being allowed back for a period — see rules for foreigners staying in Vietnam.
We help you and your sponsor understand the procedure and fill in the forms correctly. We do not submit files at the Immigration Department or provincial immigration offices, and we do not collect government fees. To check your situation, send a case check.