Foreign tourists visit the Imperial Citadel in Huế City in February, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the country to close its borders.

HÀ NỘI — Foreigners entering the country under visa waiver programmes, e-visas or tourism visas after March 1 will be automatically given stay permit extension until June 30 free of charge.

The Immigration Department announced on Monday all stay permits for these people will be automatically extended and do not need to be renewed.

This means from now until June 30, they can stay or leave the country without doing any paperwork.

The move is aimed to help those stuck in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Foreigners who entered the country before March 1 will also be considered for this permit extension as long as they can prove they cannot leave the country due to the pandemic.

In these cases they need certification by their diplomatic mission in Việt Nam through an official diplomatic note with a translation in Vietnamese.

Those who obtained documents from the Vietnamese authorities certifying that they have undergone quarantine or treatment for COVID-19 or are stuck here due to reasons beyond their control are also eligible for the stay permit extension.

However, they have to show these documents when leaving the country.

Those given the automatic stay permit extension should declare their temporary stay to local police and complete health declarations.

Those who do not fall under these categories or have committed illegal actions have to abide with the existing laws on immigration.

People can contact the Immigration Department at 024 39387320 for any inquiries relating to the issue. — VNS