The Bac Lieu province is located in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, at the southernmost tip of the country. It has interesting topographic features that consist of plains, rivers, and canals. Indeed, Bac Lieu province is a great place to live in, so it’s no wonder why many foreigners would call this paradise their home.
If you live in Bac Lieu and you have some concerns with your visa, you can go to the Vietnam Immigration Office in Bac Lieu for this. The Immigration Office can process any visa-related concerns, including extending or renewing your visa. This is a great option for those who needed to stay longer in the country but their visa is about to expire soon. Before you go to the Immigration Office, it’s important that you are aware of the process. So here’s everything you need to know.
You do not need to travel far to get your visa extended since there’s an Immigration Office in Bac Lieu. But before you show up at the Vietnam Immigration Office, you should prepare the requirements. The most important requirement is your passport. Make sure you bring the original copy with you and that it should be valid for at least six months from the renewal date.
Your request for a visa extension will be approved for as long as the total duration of your stay will not go beyond six months. So if you are holding a visa that’s good for three months, you can only be approved for a visa extension for three months more. The new extension can only be used for a single entry. A stamp will be attached to your passport indicating the new duration of your stay in the country.
To request a Vietnam visa extension, you will be asked to fill out a form. Fill it out completely and submit it along with your passport. It should take around 3 to 5 business days for them to process the visa extension. The Vietnam Immigration Office in Bac Lieu will notify you once your request is approved so you can go to the office and claim your passport.
Applying for the visa renewal at the Vietnam Immigration Office in Bac Lieu should be almost similar to the process of applying for the visa extension. But it’s important to remember that the visa extension is different from the visa renewal. Instead of merely a stamp, you will get a new visa sticker on your passport if your visa renewal request is approved.
What’s good about the visa renewal is that there is no need for you to go out of the country. The new visa sticker that will be attached to your passport is an indication that you are legally allowed to stay in the country for a few more months. Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the duration of the new visa sticker.
So what are the differences between the visa extension and visa renewal? That’s a question that so many foreigners have in mind. The two methods are confusing for many but both serve the same purpose which is to lengthen your stay in Vietnam way beyond your visa’s validity. The concepts might sound the same, but they are different.
If you will be going out of the country since your visa is going to expire soon, yet, you plan on coming back to extend your stay, the visa extension can work for you. Just present your passport upon re-entering the country and the Immigration officer at Passport Control will let you into the country. However, if you do not have any intention to go out and you wanted to extend your stay, the visa renewal could work for you. It’s more expensive than getting a visa extension, but it’s worth it if you don’t want any inconvenience. You will be given a new visa sticker on your passport allowing you to stay in the country legally.
If you have entered Vietnam under the Visa Exemption Program but you wanted to stay longer, the visa renewal is a good option. As mentioned, you will be issued a new visa sticker, which will allow you to stay in the country much longer. Usually, the visa exemption program will only let you stay in the country for 15 days or 30 days, depending on your nationality. But if you wanted to stay longer, then you should apply for a visa renewal so you will be given a visa. If you are still confused about which method to use, you can call the Vietnam Immigration Office in Bac Lieu.