Lao Cai is a beautiful province in the northern part of Vietnam. It shares a border with China, right across the Chinese city of Hekou. This province is home to Sapa, a mountainous town that’s a popular destination for mountain trekkers. Since Lao Cai is one of the most visited provinces for tourism in Vietnam, the Vietnam Immigration Office has set up an office here.
The Vietnam Immigration Office in Lao Cai is located at Hoang Sao Street, Duyen Hai Ward, in Lao Cai City. If you are currently in Lao Cai province and you needed help with your visa and other immigration-related concerns, you can simply visit them. Take note that the Immigration Office closes on Saturday afternoon, Sunday, and during public holidays.
One of the most concerns that foreign tourists have is their expiring visa. Depending on the type of Vietnam visa that you have, this visa is only good for a certain period. And once it expires, you must make sure to go out of Vietnam. But what happens if you wanted to extend your stay? In this case, you can request a visa extension or visa renewal.
Extending the validity of your visa is possible, but this will also depend on whether or not Vietnam Immigration will approve your request. To request the visa extension, you need to go to the Vietnam Immigration Office in Lao Cai and fill out the NA5 form. Make sure you bring with you your passport and visa. After you fill out the form, make a payment for the processing fee.
Remember that you can only extend your visa for the same period of validity as the visa that you’re holding. So if you are holding a 30-day tourist visa, then you can only extend it for 30 days or less.
The processing time of the Vietnam visa extension will take around 3 to 5 working days. But sometimes, this could take longer. That’s why it’s very important that you apply for the extension as soon as possible, especially if your visa is about to expire in a few days. Once your extension request is granted, you must exit the country and re-enter again to activate the new extension period.
Another option for foreign tourists who wanted to extend their stay in Vietnam is to get a visa renewal. With this option, you’ll be given a new Vietnam visa that will let you stay in the country legally. This is a suitable option for those who were allowed to enter Vietnam with no visa as part of the country’s exemption policy.
To request a visa renewal, head to the Vietnam Immigration Office in Lao Cai. Bring your passport and visa if you have any. Inform the staff that you are interested to get a visa renewal. They will ask you to fill out a form and pay for the processing fees. The staff will also ask for your passport to be submitted. Once your visa renewal request is approved, a visa will be attached to the pages of your passport. So make sure that the passport has at least two blank pages.
It will take around 3 to 5 business days for Vietnam Immigration to process your request for a visa renewal. But once it is approved, they will ask you to claim your passport from the office. The passport will already have the new visa attached to it. Therefore, you no longer need to exit the country. You can continue staying in Vietnam using the new visa.
You can also ask for assistance from a local agency if you don’t want to go through the hassles of processing the extension of your Vietnam visa on your own. The agency will process the extension or renewal on our behalf. You just need to give them your passport and other requirements and pay them for their services.
For those whose visa is due to expire in a few days, using an agency is highly recommended. They may be able to expedite the processing of your visa extension. That way, you will not be penalized for overstaying in the country.
Aside from assisting you with the visa extension and visa renewal application, these local agencies can also help you with other immigration-related concerns. So if you have any issues with your immigration status in Vietnam, you can ask for their help to settle these issues. These agencies are experts in this field. They can coordinate with the Vietnam Immigration Office in Lao Cai to settle whatever problems you may have.
