Lost Passport in Ho Chi Minh City: Steps and Exit Visa
Report the loss at the police station closest to where the passport was lost or stolen, and keep the police report. Your embassy then issues a replacement or emergency travel document. Immigration must still put an exit visa stamp in it before you leave, so plan on 5-7 working days.
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A replacement passport from your embassy does not let you fly. Vietnam wants an exit visa stamp from Immigration in the new passport first. Plan the trip home around that stamp, not around the embassy appointment.
The three steps, in order
The order is fixed: a police report, then the replacement, then the exit visa.
- Report the loss at the police station closest to where the passport was lost or stolen.
- Apply to your embassy for an emergency travel document or a replacement passport.
- Take the new passport and the police report to Immigration for the exit visa stamp.
Step 1: the police report
Go to the police station closest to where you lost the passport or where it was stolen. You cannot apply for a police report in a different location. If it vanished in an area you have since left, go back to the station near that spot. Another station will not take the report.
The report is written in Vietnamese. Pay for an official translation if your insurer wants a copy. Immigration asks to see the police report when you apply for the exit stamp.
Report straight away. Not notifying the authority about a lost passport, as the law requires, carries a fine of VND 500,000 to 2,000,000. Giving false information when reporting a lost passport carries the same fine.
a) Không thông báo theo quy định của pháp luật cho cơ quan có thẩm quyền về việc mất hộ chiếu, giấy thông hành, giấy tờ có giá trị đi lại quốc tế, giấy tờ cấp cho người nước ngoài nhập cảnh, xuất cảnh, cư trú tại Việt Nam
Not notifying the competent authority, as the law requires, of the loss of a passport or of the papers issued to foreigners for entry, exit or residence is fined VND 500,000 to 2,000,000. Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP, Điều 21 khoản 2 điểm a
Steps 2 and 3: embassy first, then Immigration
Your embassy or consulate issues the replacement. That is either an emergency travel document or a replacement passport, and the time you have left in Vietnam decides which suits you. Embassy fees and appointment rules differ by country, so check your own embassy.
Once the replacement is issued, ask the embassy for a letter to the Immigration Department asking it to help with your exit visa. Bring it: Immigration may ask for an embassy letter to confirm your passport details.
Then go to Immigration. Vietnam requires the same passport to enter and exit, so the new passport needs an exit visa stamp before you leave. Vietnamese authorities will not permit you to depart until it is issued.
If you have an employer or sponsor in Vietnam, bring them: Immigration may want the application lodged through that organisation. A tourist has no sponsor and goes in person with the police report and the embassy letter.
Where to go
Go to the Ho Chi Minh City Immigration Office, 196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Xuan Hoa Ward. It handles foreigners staying or working in the city. The Immigration Department at 333 - 335 - 337 Nguyen Trai is the ministry’s office; go there only if the counter sends you.
Immigration does not answer visa enquiries by email or phone, so you attend in person. Plan on 8:00 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 16:00; the working day can run from 7:00 to 17:00. Saturday is mornings only.
196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Xuan Hoa, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
337 Nguyen Trai, Cau Ong Lanh, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
How long it takes
Plan on 5-7 working days for the exit visa stamp in Ho Chi Minh City. It can come sooner, as little as 3 days. Do not rebook your flight home until you hold the stamp.
If you overstayed before losing the passport, expect more waiting. Immigration investigates and settles the fine first.
Cost, overstay and what comes next
A reissued document costs the same as a new one. The embassy sets its own price for the replacement passport.
Fees for foreigners are paid in dong or US dollars. A single-entry visa costs US$25. Moving a still-valid visa to a new passport costs US$5.
| Item | Government fee |
|---|---|
| Single-entry visa | US$25 |
| Valid visa moved to a new passport | US$5 |
If you stay on after the replacement, your visa has to be transferred from the old passport to the new one at Immigration. A passport reported lost is refused at entry, so never carry the old one if it turns up.
An overstay while you wait is fined on a rising scale.
| Days past your permitted stay | Fine |
|---|---|
| Under 16 days | VND 500,000 to 2,000,000 |
| 16 to under 30 days | VND 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 |
| 30 to under 60 days | VND 10,000,000 to 15,000,000 |
| 60 to under 90 days | VND 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 |
| 90 to under 180 days | VND 20,000,000 to 25,000,000 |
| 180 days to under 1 year | VND 25,000,000 to 30,000,000 |
Deportation may be added for overstay of 16 days or more. See Vietnam overstay fines and how to extend your visa.
Until the new passport is in your hands, carry the police report and any copy of the old passport. A foreigner who does not present passport or residence papers when an authority asks is fined VND 500,000 to 2,000,000.
Photos and clips uploaded to Google Maps (HCMC immigration office on Google Maps (opens in a new tab)) by Google Maps contributor, Tri Nh.
Step by step
- Report the loss to the policeGo to the police station closest to where the passport was lost or stolen. Keep the police report.
- Get a replacement from your embassyApply for an emergency travel document or a replacement passport. Ask the embassy for its letter to Immigration.
- Go to Immigration for the exit visaThe new passport needs an exit visa stamp from Immigration. Show the police report.
- Wait for the stamp, then book the flightPlan on 5-7 working days. Do not book the flight until you hold the stamp.
Not confirmed: The deadline for a foreigner to report the loss: report the same day. The exit visa fee: ask the counter for the amount.
Common questions
What is the first thing to do when a passport is lost in Ho Chi Minh City?
Report it to the police station closest to where it was lost or stolen. The police report is shown later at Immigration for the exit stamp.
Can I report the loss at any police station?
No. You cannot apply for a police report in a different location to where the passport was lost or stolen.
Is the police report in English?
It is in Vietnamese, and an official translation is paid for if you need a copy for insurance.
Does my embassy replacement passport let me fly home?
Not by itself. The new passport or emergency travel document needs an exit visa stamp from Immigration to leave Vietnam. Vietnamese authorities will not permit you to depart until the exit visa is issued.
How long does the exit visa take?
Plan on 5-7 working days in Ho Chi Minh City. It can come sooner, as little as 3 days.
Where is the immigration office?
Go to the city Immigration Office at 196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Xuan Hoa Ward. It handles foreigners staying or working in the city.
What if I have overstayed my visa?
The exit visa can take longer, because an investigation and a decision on the fine take place first. Overstay fines start at VND 500,000 to 2,000,000.
Is there a fine for not reporting the loss?
Not notifying the competent authority of a lost passport, as the law requires, is fined VND 500,000 to 2,000,000.
Can I still use the old passport if I find it?
A passport that has been reported lost or stolen is refused at entry. Vietnam also requires the same passport for entry and exit.
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General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
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