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VIETNAM GENERAL INFORMATION 

This information is provided to assist applicants in completing the visa application process in Vietnam. Applicants must also access the information regarding visiting or migrating to Australia on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) main website.
See: http://www.immi.gov.au   

LODGING APPLICATIONS

To provide the best service to our clients, visa applications may be lodged immediately at our Australian Visa Application Centres (AVACs) in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City:

For your convenience, the AVAC charges applicants a service fee in addition to any Visa Application Charges (VACs).

Please note changes to the Vietnamese Dong equivalents of AVAC (IOM) service fees as of 01 January 2012. Please be aware that the IOM service fees themselves have not changed but the Foreign Exchange Rate which has resulted in the change to the Vietnamese Dong equivalents. IOM service fees from 01 January 2012 are as follows:

Alternatively, clients may seek an appointment to lodge applications at the Visa and Citizenship Section (DIAC) of the Australian Embassy in Hanoi or Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City.

Clients will not be admitted to the Embassy or Consulate-General without a prior appointment.

Clients DO NOT need an appointment to access the services at our AVAC.

HOW DO I MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE EMBASSY OR CONSULATE-GENERAL?

For persons wishing to make an appointment to lodge an application, please ensure your application is complete and that you have all the necessary documentation. Incomplete applications may result in longer processing times.

When making an appointment, please advise the appointments officer of any special needs you may have. Please also advise your full name and the names of any other persons in your group applying, dates of birth and passport numbers.

Please note that we are unable to accept emails with a total file size larger than 5MB. Under current arrangements, no notification will be generated for emails exceeding 5MB which are not successfully received. If you need to send large emails, please consider sending these as several, smaller documents, and another email informing the relevant area that the emails have been sent.

APPLICATION CHARGES

Visa Application charges (VACs) are payable in cash in Vietnamese Dong only. VACs can be paid at the AVAC or at DIAC in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City by appointment. Information about how to make a prior appointment is available on the Australia in Vietnam website. 

See: http://www.vietnam.embassy.gov.au/hnoi/How%5fto%5fapply%5ffor%5fa%5fv.html

VACs may also be paid at a DIAC office in Australia. If charges are paid in Australia, an original receipt must accompany the application. Please reconfirm the appropriate application charge prior to lodging your application as charges are subject to change at short notice. 

STANDARD PROCESSING TIMES 

Processing times may vary depending on the office in which applications are assessed. We aim to finalise complete applications within the timeframes listed below, however lodgement in advance of these timeframes is strongly recommended.

Applicants who reside in Danang or from Danang to the South of Vietnam will be assessed by the DIAC Ho Chi Minh City. Applicants who reside from Hue to the North of Vietnam will have their application assessed by DIAC Hanoi.

(*) Since the positive change in the Assessment Levels for Vietnamese students this office has experienced a large increase of student visa applications. We strongly encourage lodgment at least 8 weeks in advance of the student's anticipated start date to ensure that the applicant does not miss the begining of their course.

(**) IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to the large volume of Tourist Visa applications lodged at present, the processing time may take up to 4 weeks. We encourage Tourist Visa applicants to consider early lodgment to allow sufficient processing time.

Further information about Visa Application Charges is available on DIAC website.  See: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/990i/vac.htm

FORMS AND BOOKLETS

All forms and Migration Booklets can be downloaded free of charge from the DIAC website. 

Please read thoroughly the checklist relating to the visa for which you are applying, to determine if you need to complete either the Consent to Obtain Personal Information and/or Details of Relatives Form. These forms are available from the Australia in Vietnam website. All forms are provided in PDF format which requires Adobe Reader on your computer.

See:
http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/index.htm
http://www.immi.gov.au/functional/pdf.htm
http://www.vietnam.embassy.gov.au/files/hnoi/consent.pdf   
http://www.vietnam.embassy.gov.au/files/hnoi/relativesform.pdf

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS

Under the Migration Act 1958 applications may be decided on the basis of available information. Therefore, it is important that applications are as complete as possible and all supporting documentation is provided at the time of lodgement. Incomplete or poorly documented applications are likely to be delayed or possibly refused. 

FRAUD OR MISREPRESENTATION

Any degree of fraud or misrepresentation is likely to result in your application being refused. Applicants should answer all questions fully and truthfully and disclose any information relevant to the question. All signatures on forms and in the applicant’s passport must be the applicants. 

CERTIFICATION OF DOCUMENTATION

All personal documents such as Birth Certificates, Household Registration Book, Curriculum Vitae (no more than 6 months old), etc. must be certified by the relevant local authorities. “Certified copies” are copies authorised or stamped as being true copies of originals, by a person or agency recognised by the laws of the person’s home country. In Vietnam, the State Public Notary and the local People’s Committees are authorised to certify copies of original documents as appropriate.

The Consular Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the Australian Embassy in Hanoi and the Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City can certify documents issued by Australian government organisations and/or other Australian agencies and witness signatures of Australian citizens and Australian permanent residents at their request. In Australia, copies may be certified by a Justice of the Peace, Commissioner for Declarations, or person before whom a statutory declaration may be made under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959. Please note: Photocopies of certified copies are NOT acceptable.

LOSS OF DOCUMENTATION

If you have lost your Birth Cetificate, please attend the local authorities in your location to obtain an Extract of the Birth Certificate.  In the instance where an extract cannot be produced due to the loss of the relevant master Register, you can apply for re-registration of your Birth Certificate.

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENTATION

Documents not in English are required to be accompanied by an English translation. In Vietnam, a legal office authorised to translate must undertake the translation. In Australia, translators must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). Evidence of relationship, such as personal letters, do not need to be translated. 

APPOINTMENT OF AN AUTHORISED RECIPIENT

Under the Privacy Act 1988, DIAC can only provide information about a visa application to the applicant, an authorised recipient or an appointed migration agent / exempt person.

You can use a new form 956A - Appointment or withdrawal of authorised recipient to notify DIAC:

• of the appointment of an authorised recipient to receive written communications that DIAC would otherwise have sent to you; or

• that the appointment of the authorised recipient to receive written communications has ceased.

The new form 956A is available on DIAC main website from 01 November 2010.

See: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/application-forms/forms_num2.htm

USING A MIGRATION AGENT

You are not required to use a migration agent. However, if you intend to use a migration agent, you are advised to use a registered migration agent. A list of registered migration agents is available from the Migration Agents Registration Authority website.

See: Migration Agents Registration Authority

You can authorised a migration agent / exempt person to act on your behalf. If you intend to do so, your migration agent / exempt person is to complete a new version of form 956 - Advice by a migration agent / exempt person of providing immigration assistance to notify DIAC:

• that they have been appointed by a client to provide immigration assistance in relation to a matter before DIAC, and confirm that they have also been appointed as the authorised recipient; or

• that their appointment by the client to provide immigration assistance has ceased.

A new version of form 956 is available on DIAC main website from 01 November 2010.

See: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/application-forms/forms_num2.htm  

Please follow this link to see more information about migration agents operating outside Australia.

MEDICAL CLEARANCE

Visa applicants may be required to undertake both a medical examination and a chest x-ray from approved panel doctors. These forms will be provided as required.
See: http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/panel-doctors/index.htm

Last updated 06 January 2012