Study visa information for international students

For new students:     

You are required to:

• enter Vietnam with Study Entry Visa (kindly check the effective date before making your decision on flight date).
• sign the Statement of Student Visa Responsibilities Form and submit to International Office.
• work with your landlord to register your temporary residence address with the local authority immediately after entering Vietnam. Please refer to the Online residence registration section below. 
• extend your current student visa 5 weeks prior to its expiry date. Please refer to the Extension of Stay Permits and Renewal Procedures section below.

For current students:

You can lodge a ticket via Student Connect Online Portal for Entry Visa or Visa Extension related matters. After that, you are required to work with your landlord to register your temporary residence address with the local authority immediately. Please refer to the Online residence registration section below.

The decision of your entry visa/ visa extension comprehensively relies on the Vietnamese Immigration Department. RMIT Vietnam is not responsible for and cannot guarantee the outcome of any visa application.

Visa processing timeline may take from 15 to 20 working days or even longer in some cases.

Note:

• You are required to leave Vietnam if you are on a different type of visa and would like to apply for a student visa (Entry visa).
• For current international students holding a student visa (DH) sponsored by RMIT University Vietnam, departure from Vietnam must be arranged before the visa expiry date if they choose not to proceed with a student visa extension in Vietnam. Importantly, they must provide a copy of my Exit stamp to the Student Visa Compliance Team at student.visa@rmit.edu.vn and commit not to use the valid DH visa to re-enter Vietnam.
• All visa and visa-related procedures will strictly follow the Vietnam legislation and regulations, which RMIT Vietnam must comply with in all activities. 

Online residence registration

International students must have a student visa (DH code) sponsored by RMIT Vietnam and comply with Vietnam immigration rules and regulations. If you are on a different type of visa, you may be required to leave Vietnam in order to apply for student visa (Entry visa).

Students must not be in Vietnam when applying for an Entry Visa.

The decision of your visa entry comprehensively relies on the Vietnamese Immigration Department. RMIT Vietnam is not responsible for and cannot guarantee the outcome of any visa application.

Entry visa procedures

International students, who are currently in their home country or in a country where the Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate General Office is located, and have been enrolled at RMIT Vietnam to study, can apply for an Entry Visa. To apply for Entry Visa, applicants are required to:

• Provide a copy of your 6-month valid passport;
• Pay the tuition fees for the forthcoming semester. Proof of payment is required.
• Fill in the Statement of Student Visa Responsibilities Form

(Other supporting documents will be arranged by RMIT)

RMIT Vietnam will send you the soft copy of the approval correspondence from the Vietnamese Immigration Department. You will submit the Pre-visa Letter together with your visa application form, original passport, and visa payment to the Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate General Office to collect your actual visa in the preferred country.

Students should contact the Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate General Office in your preferred country to determine whether there are additional required documents and information pertaining to visa fee or additional requirements/forms. The visa letter might be expired after one (01) month if students do not collect the visa stamp.

Visa fees

As of June 1, 2016, the fees you can expect to pay are below:

• USD 35 for a 3-month single entry visa
• USD 60 for a 3–6 -month multiple entry
• USD 105 for a 6-month multiple entry
• USD 145 for a 6-month to one-year multiple entry

In case there is no Vietnamese government office in your country, it is important to inform us as soon as possible so we can support you in applying for a student visa on arrival. Students then can pay the visa fee and pick up their student visa stamp at Vietnam airports after landing.

Visa exemptions

Citizens from some countries are exempt from requiring visas to enter Vietnam. However, before the exemption date has expired, students must leave the country and re-enter in order to collect a study visa arranged by RMIT University Vietnam.

More information on visa exemptions

Timeline for application of study and visa

1. Students submit the application approximately 10 weeks before semester starts.
2. RMIT Vietnam will issue the Offer letters via the online application portal around 1-2 weeks later, after which students can accept the offer online.
3. RMIT Vietnam will issue Pre-approve letters of student visa within 1 week after step 3.
4. Students have 6-8 weeks to submit the Pre-approval letters of student visa to Vietnamese Embassy in students' country.
   
5. The Student Entry Visa should be available to collect at the Vietnamese Embassy in students' country within 1-2 weeks after step 5.

Important note

• All international students are required: 
  • to enter Vietnam with Study Entry Visa (kindly check the effective date before making your decision on flight date)
  • to sign the Statement of Student Visa Responsibilities Form and submit to International Office
  •  to work with your landlord about registering your temporary residence address with the local authority immediately after entering Vietnam. It should be Online Residence registration, click here if you are in Hanoi/ or click here if you are in HCMC.
  •  to extend your current student visa 5 weeks prior to its expiry date. Please find #2 in the Visa Extension Procedure.
• Your Study visa will be valid 1 month prior to the start of the semester.
• This timeline applies for normal process, more time may be needed in case of unexpected event.

This is for international students who are currently living in Vietnam, undertaking study at RMIT Vietnam and would like RMIT Vietnam to be their visa sponsor. The Immigration Office will not approve any visa extensions in Vietnam if you transfer between campuses, whether from Hanoi to Saigon South or vice versa. You are required to apply for a new student entry visa. For further guidance, please contact Student Connect.

What documents do you need to submit?

• Your original passport with the DH visa sponsored by RMIT
• NA5 visa extension form with your wet signature (please find in the attached file, fully fill in Part I – The Applicant, sign on part of The applicant’s signature and full name).
• A copy of stamped Residence book with a Cover page and the page with your name inside OR Online Residence registration (click here if you are in Hanoi/ click here if you are in HCMC). The information must be up to date.
• One ID photo (size 4x6cm, on white background)
• Visa fee in Vietnam Dong by cash. Please note only cash payment is accepted
• Statement of Student Visa Responsibilities Form

When should you submit the application?

You are expected to submit all required documents to Student Connect at least 5 weeks prior to the expiry date of your current visa.

If you are an English student close to completion of the current level, you are required to pay the tuition fees for the next level of study in advance prior to submitting your visa renewal documentation. Please contact Student Connect to find out the exact amount you have to pay.

How much does it cost?

You are responsible for the visa fee (payable in Vietnam Dong at the Vietcombank buying exchange rate on the day of the transaction). This fee is to be paid by cash to Student Connect when you submit your passport.

*Note: The above fees are estimated in Vietnam Dong, including transaction fees applied by banks for online banking methods. The fee will be refunded or additionally required based on the actual charge reflected on invoices.

Once your stay is over the visa validity, you are required:

• to write an explanation letter in addition to submitting the required documents for visa renewal, and
• to accompany RMIT Student Admin Officer to the Immigration Office to submit the visa renewal application.

Please note: Financial penalties and/ or fine(s) including all related costs (if any) will be on the student, which will be decided by the Immigration Authority.

For more information and support, please contact Student Connect.

For international students who hold a student visa, once you complete your program at RMIT Vietnam, you are required to exit Vietnam by the visa expiration. Importantly, you must provide a copy of your Exit stamp to the Student Visa Compliance Team at student.visa@rmit.edu.vn and commit not to use the valid visa to re-enter Vietnam.

Please contact Student Connect if you would like to be advised on a specific situation. 

For international students who are currently approved to take leaves of absence (LOA) from your program at RMIT Vietnam. Your visa, which has been sponsored by RMIT Vietnam, will be therefore cancelled following a request from Vietnam Immigration Office. You are then requested to manage to leave Vietnam within the validity of the exit visa, which is about 2 weeks from the date of RMIT’s report to the Immigration Office. 

The following steps will guide you on how to fulfill the request:

Within one week from the date of the confirmation of visa cancellation email, please contact Student Connect to provide these documents

• Your original passport with the DH visa sponsored by RMIT
  
• NA5 visa extension form with your wet signature (please find in the attached file, fully fill in Part I – The Applicant, sign on part of The applicant’s signature and full name). 
• A copy of stamped Residence book with a Cover page and the page with your name inside OR Online Residence registration (click here if you are in Hanoi/ click here if you are in HCMC). The information must be up to date.
• One ID photo (size 4x6cm, on white background)
• Extension of stay fee which will be paid to the Immigration Department in VND by cash: VND 300,000
• Statement of Student Visa Responsibilities Form

Important notes

• You will be granted up to 15-day extension of stay (depending on cases) and therefore must exit Vietnam by the exit visa expiration. Importantly, you must provide a copy of your Exit stamp to the Student Visa Compliance Team at student.visa@rmit.edu.vn.
• You will be updated with other requests from the immigration authorities if required.
• The processing time may take 10 – 15 working days and maybe more in some special cases.  
• We will have to report all cases of visa cancellation to Vietnam Immigration Department as per Law no.47/2014/QH13 about Entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners in Vietnam.
• If you fail to comply with the instruction above, which means you violate the law of Vietnam Immigration, you will legally take full responsibility from the immigration authorities, including strict penalties or your possibility of further entry.

Please contact Student Connect should you have any further concerns or still require further information related to visa matters.

For international students who have cancelled or have been cancelled from your program at RMIT Vietnam, your visa, which has been sponsored by RMIT Vietnam, will be therefore cancelled following the request from Vietnam Immigration Department as per Law no.47/2014/QH13 about Entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners in Vietnam.

If you need more time to prepare for your departure from Vietnam, please follow the procedure below. 

Procedure

Within one week from the date of the confirmation of enrolment cancellation email, please contact Student Connect to provide these documents

• Your original passport with the DH visa sponsored by RMIT
  
• NA5 visa extension form with your wet signature (please find in the attached file, fully fill in Part I – The Applicant, sign on part of The applicant’s signature and full name).
• A copy of stamped Residence book with a Cover page and the page with your name inside OR Online Residence registration (click here if you are in Hanoi/ click here if you are in HCMC). The information must be up to date.
• One ID photo (size 4x6cm, on white background)
• Extension of stay fee which will be paid to the Immigration Department in VND by cash: VND 300,000

Important notes

• You will be granted up to 15-day extension of stay (depending on cases) and therefore must exit Vietnam by the exit visa expiration. Importantly, you must provide a copy of your Exit stamp to the Student Visa Compliance Team at student.visa@rmit.edu.vn.
• You will be updated with other requests from the immigration authorities if required.
• The processing time may take 10 – 15 working days and maybe more in some special cases.  
• We will have to report all cases of visa cancellation to Vietnam Immigration Department as per Law no.47/2014/QH13 about Entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners in Vietnam.
• If you fail to comply with the instruction above, which means you violate the law of Vietnam Immigration, you will legally take full responsibility from the immigration authorities, including strict penalties or your possibility of further entry.
• Please complete the Statement of Student Visa Responsibilities Form.

Please contact Student Connect should you have any further concerns or still require further information related to visa matters.