Vietnam’s Department of Immigration has issued a notice on automatic extension of stay for foreigners stranded in the country due to COVID-19.
Accordingly, foreigners who entered Vietnam on visa waivers, e-visas or tourist visas from March 1, 2020 are entitled to automatic stay extension until November 30, 2021 and can depart from Vietnam without having to apply for stay extension, the Government portal reported.
For those who entered before March 1 too the automatic extension until Nov. 30 would be available subject to provision of proof the person was stranded due to Covid restrictions along with a translated and notarized note from relevant diplomatic missions or a written document from Vietnamese authorities saying the person was quarantined or treated for Covid-19.
Those who do not qualify or who commit violations will face charges.
To contain Covid, Vietnam closed its borders and canceled all international flights in March last year, allowing only Vietnamese repatriates and foreign experts and highly-skilled workers entry since then.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam last week proposed resumption of flights to 15 countries and territories: Australia, Cambodia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and the U.K.
The nation welcomed just 3.83 million foreign visitors against a record 18 million in 2019, according to official data. Vnexpress‘s Minh Nga reported.
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Source: Vietnam Insider