Procedural steps for passengers entering and exiting Tan Son Nhat International Airport

Travelers undertaking exiting formalities at Tan Son Nhat International Airport

Regarding the tasks of each unit, Immigration Police are in charge of checking passports, issuing and stamping visas; examining temporary residence card details, inspecting persons (excluding luggage, imports and exports).

The Customs Branch of Tan Son Nhat International Airport does customs procedures, examination and supervision (as regulated in the Article 6, Decree No. 08/2015/NĐ-CP dated January 25, 2015 by the Government) for: Imports, exports and transit goods; effects in means of transports entering, exiting or transiting; foreign currencies, VN dong, transferring means, gold, jewelry, cultural products, relics, antiques, precious items, postal articles, post parcels of import and export; travelers’ personal effects; other imported, exported and transited articles in Customs operation areas;

Means of transports entering, exiting and transiting by land, by railway, by air, by sea, by internal water, by river.

The Aviation Security Center at Tan Son Nhat International Airport is responsible for examining travelers and their luggage to ensure aviation safety, security and airport security (weapons, explosives, chemicals or other goods and articles that may harm flights’ safety).

Dangerous articles (including all types of knives, swords of all kinds, clubs, fighting sticks or similar objects, any ordinary items that may be used as dangerous objects for harmful purposes such as ice picks, razors, scissors, hammers, nail clippers…) must be transported in the form of luggage (not carry on baggage) (if the airlines agree to transport them) except for things that are bought from duty free shops at the airport. Each passenger is allowed to carry less than 1 liter of liquid, each container must not exceed 100ml of liquid and be put in a transparent plastic bag for opening and checking or scanning at the security portals of the airport (stipulated in Annex XV: List of dangerous articles attached to the Circular No. 30/2012/TT-BGTVT dated August 1st, 2012 by Minister of Transport).

Tan Son Nhat International Airport Services (TIAGs) and Saigon Ground Services (SAGs) have tasks of performing aviation formalities: check in, luggage weighing, issuing boarding pass, luggage transport from the band conveyors up to airplanes and vice versa…finding lost luggage, compensating for damaged or lost luggage…

Note: There are no Immigration Police and Customs at domestic terminals

For exiting passengers, they must follow the steps:

Step 1: Present their passport, ticket, invoice or ticket codes to security forces at the gate of the exiting international terminal.

Travelers doing exiting formalities under Step 1

Step 2: Undertaking aviation formalities : check in, luggage weighing, receiving boarding pass, luggage coupons (the number of coupons is equivalent to the number of luggage) …at the check in sections. The amount of luggage is regulated by the airlines, e.g. a traveller of economy class can have carry on baggage less than 7 kilos. In case the baggage weighs over the provided amount, he must pay a fee to the airlines. The airlines are authorized to solve the luggage and carry-on baggage exceeding the stipulated weight.

Exiting

Step 3: Put luggage on the band conveyor for Customs and Aviation Security Force to scan in a synchronous manner. If any violation is detected, the forces will make statement and settle the case.

Exiting

Step 4: Travelers must present personal documents (passports, green cards… and boarding pass for Aviation Security Force’s checking.

Exiting

Travelers must forward luggage to the x-ray scanning section for Customs and Aviation Security Force to scan and inspect synchronously.

Customs inspect goods / articles under provisions. If they detect any breaches, they will establish statement and treat each case or collect duties/ taxes.

The Aviation Security Force will inspect and prevent dangerous objects (knives, scissors, nail clippers…) liquid (perfume, Soya sauce, fish sauce…) smelly foodstuff and fruits (durian, fried shrimp, bacon, sausage …)

Passengers must go through the magnetic portal so that the Aviation Security Force can inspect them.

Step 5: Travelers present passports, boarding pass, declaration of temporary residence period at the exiting formalities section of immigration police for checking and stamping visas…

Step 6: Travellers enter the concourse where they wait for presenting boarding pass, passports before the airlines’ staff to embark the plane.

Step 7: (applied to flights from Vietnam to Australia): travelers present boarding pass, passports, carry-on baggage before the Aviation Security Force to have one more visual inspection, examination by metal detectors at the embarking gate.

Agencies Diagram at the exit area

For passengers entering Vietnam, they must undergo the following steps:

Step 1: Conduct medical examination of passengers coming from the epidemic areas (if any).

Passengers make medical declaration

Step 2: Present passports, declare places and times for residence in Vietnam so that Immigration Police can check and stamp visas or grant visas on arrival. This activity must be carried out right after travelers come in the airport from the plane.

Step 2: Travelers entering

Step 3: After the visas are stamped, the travelers come to the band conveyors for collecting their luggage.

Step 3: entering

Step 4: Travellers forward their luggage from the conveyors to the scanning section managed by Customs (the entering formalities team under the Customs Branch of Tan Son Nhat International Airport). Customs will collect duties (if any); make statement and settle violation in case of any breach detected.

Step 4: Passengers entering

Step 5: Go through the portal managed by the Aviation Security Force to exit the airport and enter Vietnam.

Step 5: Passengers entering

Agencies Diagram at the Entry Area

For the lost luggage: The airlines are responsible for finding lost and mislaid luggage to return to entering and exiting travellers; receiving appeals by travellers, handling and compensating for lost and damaged luggage…