The passport is an important travel document, which certifies the identity and nationality of its holder for the purpose of international travel. The case in which your passport is lost or stolen when you travel aboard is not uncommon. It could make a lot of troubles and unhappy feelings for travelers when they visit Vietnam. So, ever wonder what to do if your passport is lost or stolen in Vietnam? The followings are really the helpful tips for you.
What to do if your passport is lost or stolen in Vietnam
Should your passport be lost or stolen, you must follow steps below:
- Report to the Vietnamese police office
- Apply for a new passport from your Embassy or Consulate-General
- Get a replacement visa
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Report to the Vietnamese police office
When you realize your passport is lost, you need to report to Vietnamese police office as soon as possible. To get a new passport, you have to report first to the closest local police office where and when your passport is lost or stolen. After finishing the report with detailed information about that, you will receive the confirmed document on your lost passport problem from the police. With this confirmed document, you will be easy to obtain the new passport from your Embassy or Consulate-General in step 2.
Apply for a new passport from your Embassy or Consulate-General
The next step you should take after reporting to the police office is to get to your closest embassy or consulate. To apply for the new passport, travelers bring identical passport-sized photos and as many personal identification documents having your signature and photo as possible. When you go to your Embassy or Consulate-General, they will help and show you procedures to apply for the new passport. The new passport may be issued within two working days and you are required to pay an additional fee to have the new passport replaced with the lost one.
Get a replacement visa
After your new passport has been issued, your Embassy or Consulate-General will give you a letter to the Vietnamese Immigration Department, which requests their assistance to issue a replacement visa in your new passport. Vietnamese authorities will not permit you to leave Vietnam until your replacement visa is issued. A fee will be payable to the relevant Immigration Department.
Vietnamese Immigration Department in Hanoi: 40A Hang Bai street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi.
Vietnamese Immigration Department in Da Nang: No. 7 Tran Quy Cap street, Da Nang city.
Vietnamese Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh city: No. 161 Nguyen Du, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
Some helpful tips when your passport is lost or stolen in Vietnam
Besides the above steps to deal with the case of lost passport, you need to take note of some tips to avoid complex procedures of applying for the new passport:
Contact your hotel or travel agency to ask for help in reporting to the local police when your passport is lost.
Bring copies of a recent passport photo with you in case you need a replacement passport while you are traveling abroad.
Take your passport information photos by camera, smartphone or tablet in case you forget passport copies.
Besides passport, the other travel documents are also important such as flight ticket, entry declaration form, entry visa. These documents will prove your entry to Vietnam is legal.
Before traveling to the other country, you should find and save addresses and contact information of your Embassy or Consulate-General in Vietnam.
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