How to Renew Your Passport Entry Permit Stamp

Around the second week of June I remembered that my three-month permit stamp in my passport was going to expire at the end of the month. To get a new stamp, I was planning to leave the country for a couple of days; I would get a new three-month stamp on my way back into Vietnam.

Brian, a fellow expat friend and co-founder of Saigoneer (check out the website, it's a fantastic glimpse into life and culture Saigon) and his wife, Chau, clued me in on another method to getting a permit stamp, one that wouldn't require me to spend time and money leaving the country.


I have a rather snazzy five-year certificate of visa exemption thanks to my wife, a Viet kieu. Viet kieu (a.k.a. overseas Vietnamese) and their spouses are allowed to apply for and receive a five-year certificate of visa exemption, which is basically a five-year, multiple entry tourist visa.

The stamp on the lower-right corner
is a three-month permit

However, despite the five-year longevity of the visa exemption, visa holders still receive a permit stamp in their passport that lasts only three months. I'd have to get a new permit stamp before the current one expires. Failure to do so would void my entire five-year visa. I'd have to apply for a new visa, which would be a hassle and cost even more time and money.

Thus, it behoved me to get a new permit stamp. Here's how I went about it.

Step 1: Make sure your residency book is updated

My residency book

When foreigners rent a place in Vietnam, they have to register their residency with the local police in a residency book. The foreigners keep the residency book in their place and are expected to show it upon request.

When Thuy and I moved into our apartment in District 1 back in November of 2013, two police officers stopped by on the same day to log in our residency in this book. They noted our names, length of stay, contact information, and passport numbers, and then they signed and stamped the entry with an official police stamp.

What I didn't know was that the residency book stamp that we received when we moved in also had an expiration date. Fortunately I haven't had a police officer stop by to check the book (whew...).

The mention of an expiration date leads me to Step 2.

Step 2: Renew your residency book with the local police [if needed]

My local police station

If your residency book stamp is expired, then you'll need to get it restamped with the local police. Take your residency book and passport to your local police station, and tell them that you would like to renew your residency book.

They will fill in the information, but you won't receive a new residency book stamp until you get a new permit stamp.

You should be able to get this done in English with little to no hassle; the police officer who assisted me spoke English pretty well and explained the entire process clearly.

Getting your residency book stamp renewed is a free service; they shouldn't charge you anything. I wasn't asked for any money, and I wasn't expected to "pay extra" for "expedited service."

If you live in a furnished apartment, then chances are that your landlord is managing your residency book and you can skip this renewal step.

Step 3: Go to the immigration office to pick up a visa/permit stamp renewal form

Take your passport and residency book to the immigration office on the corner of Nguyễn Du and Cách Mạng Tháng 8 in District 3 (opens new tab to Google Maps). Go to section #9, most likely window #6, and ask for a visa/permit stamp renewal form.

When I arrived, there wasn't any line to queue -- I hope I didn't cut in line. I walked up to the window, asked for the form, and left in under three minutes.

The form is free.

Step 4: Have visa/permit stamp renewal form stamped by local police office

Visa/permit stamp renewal form

Complete your visa/permit stamp renewal form and take the form, your residency book, and your passport to the same local police office that manages your residency book stamp. Assuming everything on the form is filled out correctly, the police office will sign and stamp your form.

Getting a police stamp on your visa/permit stamp renewal form is free.

Step 5: Take your visa/permit stamp renewal form and passport to the immigration office

Go back to the same immigration office. This time go to section #2 (or whatever section manages the visa/permit stamps) and submit your visa/permit stamp renewal form and your passport.

They will keep your renewal form and passport. You will receive a receipt that tells you to come back in exactly one week to pick up your passport. The receipt will also tell you the section and window to visit.

KEEP THIS RECEIPT. You'll need it to pick up your passport.

Again, I didn't encounter any line when I came back to submit my renewal form and passport. I was in and out within 10 minutes.

Submitting a renewal form and passport is free.

Step 6: Retrieve your passport from the immigration office

Go back to the immigration office to pick up your newly stamped passport at the time and place listed on the receipt you received in Step 5.

Once again, no line. I walked in, went straight to the window, got my passport, paid the fee, and left in under five minutes.

You will be asked to pay $10 USD or the Vietnamese Dong equivalent, which was about 212,500 VND. This is the standard fee for a new permit stamp.

Step 7: Get your residency book updated again

To complete the process and ensure that you're 100% up-to-date on all of your paperwork and stamps, bring your residency book and newly stamped passport back to the local police station to receive a final entry and signature marking your new final day of permitted stay in Vietnam.

Was it worth it?

This process can be a bit of a hassle, more so for those who don't live near the immigration office. It might have be easier to just hop on a bus for a day-trip to and from Cambodia. However, I'm glad I did it this way because I could finally experience what it's like to transact with the Vietnamese government.

I've heard all sorts of horror stories about the various inefficiencies, bribery, red tape, and general hassle that supposedly comes with dealing with the Vietnamese government and legal paperwork. Much to my surprise, I didn't encounter any of this. Granted I was just requesting a new permit stamp and not a permit to build a multimillion dollar golf course and beach resort, this particular process was smoother, quicker, and cheaper than I expected.

It's also worth noting that I did all of this in English. I intentionally opted to transact in English because I didn't want to stand out and be noticed by anyone in the Vietnamese government. It's not that I was worried that anything was going to happen to me, I just don't like the idea of being on any government official's radar as being a non-white foreigner who speaks Vietnamese (that's really rare, trust me on this).

Furthermore, a modicum level of Vietnamese proficiency denotes having lived in Vietnam for an extended period of time. I haven't lived in Vietnam for a long time, so I'm still ignorant on many paperwork processes. Thus, it's much easier for me to claim (or feign) ignorance and gain helpful sympathy points by speaking English.

I realize that my perspective and experience will be different from others, especially from those who might claim that I didn't get hassled because I either wasn't an overseas Vietnamese or I didn't look like I could speak Vietnamese. In this particular regard, it's not really my place to confirm or deny that the Vietnamese government will treat people differently based on heritage and language ability. I will assume the best, for the time being, and will happily leave it at that while I'm still writing this blog from within Vietnam.

I hope this helps!