Vietnam cuts visa-exemption certificate processing to one day

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said in a directive on Sunday that foreign nationals should be allowed to submit applications by post to Vietnamese visa issuance agencies abroad.

A visa-exemption certificate is an entry–exit document issued to overseas Vietnamese and foreigners with a Vietnamese spouse or parent.

It comes in two forms, one a certificate affixed on the passport and the other a separate certificate, including to holders of passports from countries or territories with which Vietnam has no diplomatic relations.

Visa-exemption certificates are valid for five years and six months before the passport or international travel document expires.