Minister of Public Security clarifies the reason for extending visa duration to 90 days

Minister of Public Security To Lam has just been authorized by the Prime Minister to report and explain the opinions of the National Assembly Standing Committee at the 23rd session on the draft law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Exit and Entry of Vietnamese Citizens and the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam.

Bộ trưởng Công an nói rõ lý do kéo dài thời hạn visa lên 90 ngày - Ảnh 1. — Minister of Public Security To Lam reports at the 23rd session of the National Assembly Standing Committee

Regarding the request for further explanation on the proposal to extend the duration of e-visas from 30 days to 3 months , Minister To Lam said that currently, the short duration of e-visas (30 days) has not attracted many foreigners, especially those who want to stay long-term in Vietnam.

Besides, the number of people who need to survey, learn about the market, and seek long-term investment opportunities in Vietnam is also relatively large.

Therefore, the Government proposes to extend the duration of e-visas to 3 months, valid for single or multiple entries, to meet the long-term vacation needs of international tourists. This also creates favorable conditions for foreigners who want to enter Vietnam to research, survey the market, seek and promote investment.

According to Minister To Lam, the e-visa duration of up to 3 months is consistent with the length of stay for foreigners responsible for establishing a commercial presence, service providers, and service providers under contracts as committed by Vietnam in FTAs.

Mr. To Lam also said that the issuance of electronic visas is done through prior personnel review. Therefore, compared to unilateral visa exemption, the issuance of electronic visas helps immigration authorities screen out groups of people who are not eligible for entry, meeting management requirements.

Regarding the proposal to increase the temporary residence period at the border gate for people entering under unilateral visa exemption from 15 days to 45 days , the Government said that this is in line with the trend of the tourism industry.

Tourists from far away like Europe coming to Vietnam often take long vacations of 15 days or more and choose resort, cross-country and international travel programs.

The tourism industry aims to attract beach vacationers and long-term stays to gradually compete with other countries in the region in beach tourism, while countries such as Thailand, Singapore... are applying visa exemption policies with temporary stays of up to 45 days and 90 days.

Mr. Lam emphasized that increasing the unilateral visa exemption period to 45 days is the average level in the region, thereby improving Vietnam's competitiveness in attracting tourists; helping tourists to proactively plan their time and schedule for sightseeing and long-term stays in Vietnam.

The Minister of Public Security also reported that since the pilot phase in 2017, the number of foreigners requesting e-visas has been increasing. After the Government restored the immigration policy as before the Covid-19 pandemic (from March 15, 2022), the number of e-visas granted has increased 46.6 times compared to the same period before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Transitional regulations for passports without place of birth information

In addition to extending the validity of e-visas, the revised law also adds place of birth information to immigration documents, including ordinary passports.

Opinions at the National Assembly Standing Committee suggested adding an effective date for the above regulation; at the same time, providing transitional regulations for immigration documents that do not contain "place of birth" information and passport application procedures submitted before the effective date of the amended law so as not to affect citizens' rights.

Explaining this issue, Minister of Public Security To Lam said the Government assigned the law drafting agency to coordinate with the National Assembly's Defense and Security Committee to revise it to ensure suitability.

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