Condition for New Zealand citizens to get 5 year Vietnam visa

5 year Vietnam visa for New Zealand citizens

New Zealand nationals who are married to Vietnamese people or have Vietnamese relatives can apply for a 5 year Vietnam visa. This kind of visa allow you to stay in Vietnam for 90 days, when it expires you may leave or apply for a stay extension. Most people consider this an opportunity to visit a neighboring country and then comeback.

To get this visa, you usually do not need too much but have to come in person to apply. Of course, do not forget to bring the fees, charges may vary, so be sure to bring extra cash in case.

Step 1: Gather the required documents and fill out the paperwork

Application form: A completed 5 year Vietnam visa exemption application form here

2 passport photos: Two 4×6 photos (white background, taken within 6 months and without glasses) on demand.

Passport: Needs to be valid for at least 1 year (attached with a copy for the competent authority to save, your present Vietnam visa needs to have at least 7 days remaining.

1 original document which proves you were either born in Vietnam or the child or spouse of a Vietnamese national. It could be a Vietnamese passport, birth certificate or verification of marriage.

Step 2: Present at your country’s embassy or consulate to get your foreign document verified.

Embassy of Vietnam in Wellington, New Zealand

Address: Level 21 Grand Plimmer Tower, 2-6 Gilmer Terrace, Wellington

Tel: 00 64 4 473 5912

Fax: 00 64 4 473 5913

Step 3: Go to the Vietnam Office of External Relations to get the verified birth certificate authenticated and translated to Vietnamese.

Vietnam Office of External Relations

Address: 184 Bis 1, Pasteur, Ben Nghe, Quan 1, Ho Chí Minh

Process: about 1 week

Direction: You need to go up the stairs and office just to your right. There should be a tray on one of the counters for you to drop your verified foreign documents. It takes you some minutes (no more than 10 minutes) to sit on one of the chairs leaning against the wall and wait for them to call your name.

Step 4: Submit your application and documents at the Vietnamese Department of Immigration 

Vietnamese name for department in Ho Chi Minh city

Address: 333-337 Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Cu Trinh, Quan 1, Ho Chi Minh

Process: Exactly 7 days

Direction: After entering the building, you should go straight to the counter 14 (no need to pick up and wait), give them your application and documents and they should know what to do. Then, go to the counter and wait on a nearby chair until they call your name to pay for fee (either in VND or USD). The entire process is simple and it will take less than 30 minutes.

7 days later, you should return to the building and go straight to the counter indicated on your receipt, show them the receipt in exchange for your passport to get your 5 year Vietnam visa.

5 year Vietnam visa fees

This is an experience that there are people lurking around the Vietnamese Department of Immigration who will offer to take care of everything for you for US $150. Some people thought they could save money by doing it on themselves and refused help and ended up spending a lot more time and money than anticipated. In the end, they could only save $0.79 and had to take hours off of work over a series of weeks.

We do not tell this story to recommend you to outside service, this is just a story for you to refer 5 year Vietnam visa fees.