What to do if your passport with Vietnamese visa is lost?
For sure you will need a new visa to be able to leave the country. Let’s see what to actually do, where to go and what to bring to get an emergency passport and an exit or replacement visa so you can remain in and then exit Vietnam.
Your passport is an important document and it can be required to produce to local authorities at any time in Vietnam. And Vietnamese authorities will not permit you to depart Vietnam unless you have a valid passport and visa.
If your passport is lost or stolen, here’s what to do and the order to do them:
- Obtain a police report (a stamped police report stating that your passport and everything else has been stolen);
- Apply for a new travel document or an emergency passport from the Embassy or Consulate-General (depends on your nationality, that’s the Embassy or Consulate you need to go to);
- Obtain an exit or replacement visa in order to leave Vietnam.
How to obtain a police report? Go to the nearest police station first
If you have lost or had your passport stolen in Vietnam, and you need to obtain a new passport or an emergency passport, do not go directly to the embassy first. They cannot help you without the police report. You need to apply for your police report before applying for another travel document.
You must first apply for a police report from the local police office closest to where the passport was lost or stolen. You cannot apply for a police report in a different location to where you have lost or had your passport stolen. Vietnamese immigration authorities will only accept a Vietnamese police report in order to process an exit or replacement visa – they will not accept a statutory declaration witnessed by a foreign consular official. Your embassy cannot assist with obtaining a police report. It is recommended that you seek assistance to obtain a police report through your hotel, travel agent/group or other local in-country contacts.
You should also endeavour to obtain one copy of the police report as evidence for your claims against the relevant insurance company.
Tips:
You do not need to bring anything with you, just go and explain them what happened. You will need to fill out the form stating exactly what happened, when it happened and exactly where (find the approximate address on your phone or someone’s phone) and sign it. You should wait until a more senior officer from a more central station comes to sign and stamp it to get the stamped report.
Go to the Embassy to apply for an emergency passport
Check the location of your embassy and working hours before going to the embassy to apply for an emergency passport. You need to bring:
- Stamped and signed police report in original and a copy
- Two identical passport-sized photos and as many personal identification documents containing your signature and photo as possible (eg. a current Driving Licence)
- Picture of your old passport if have
- Local currency for the passport application fees
Your emergency passport is issued within 2-4 working days depend on the embassy.
Tips:
- Take a photo of your new document immediately. You may need this passport number for booking new flights and you’re about to give it to the Vietnamese authorities to get a new visa. So take copies of some sort. Your embassy might even do it.
- Renewal of passports:
For information on how to renew your full validty passport, please visit your embassy. As soon as your new passport has been received, you will need to transfer your visa from your old passport to your new passport. To do this, you will have to visit the Immigration offices listed below to apply for a transfer.
Where to obtain your exit or replacement visa
Keep in mind that Vietnamese authorities will not permit you to depart Vietnam until your exit visa is issued. A fee will be payable to the relevant Immigration Department and may vary.
You need to bring:
- Stamped and signed police report in original and a copy
- A copy of your old passport and visa if you have it
- Your emergency passport from the embassy
- Cash in the local currentcy to pay for your new visa
- Form NA5 which you can pick up and fill in when you arrive
You embassy might provide you with a letter to the Vietnamese Immigration Department requesting their assistance to issue an exit or replacement visa in your emergency passport.
In Hanoi you need to proceed to the Vietnamese Immigration Department at 44 - 46 Tran Phu Street, Hanoi (website: www.vnimmm.gov.vn) to apply for a new Vietnamese exit or replacement visa. The Immigration Department might ask you to lodge your application through your sponsoring organisation in Vietnam. You can try to persuade them to do it yourself.
Experience has shown that a new visa normally takes 3-4 working days to be issued.
In Ho Chi Minh City you need to proceed to the Vietnamese Immigration Department at 333-337 Nguyen Trai St, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City (website: www.vnimmm.gov.vn) to apply for a new Vietnamese exit or replacement visa. The Immigration Department might ask you to lodge your application through your sponsoring organisation in Vietnam. You can try to persuade them to do it yourself.
Experience has shown that a new visa normally takes 5-7 working days to be issued.
Note for people with dual nationality:
You cannot enter Vietnam on a passport of one nationality and then leave on passport of a different nationality.
Under Vietnamese law you must enter and leave the country using the same nationality.
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