These days, a significant increase in the number of Panamanians going on trips to other countries may be observed. Panamanians regularly cite Vietnam as one of their most memorable travel experiences. When planning a trip to Vietnam, Panamanian visitors, on the other hand, need to be aware of the visa requirements. Does a visa need to be obtained before to going to Vietnam for Panama Nationals? Is there a policy that exempts Panamanian citizens from the need to get a visa to enter Vietnam? Have a look at the solution down below.
1/ Are Citizens of Panama Exempt From Needing to Obtain a Vietnam Visa in 2024?
When traveling to Vietnam with a certain nationality’s passport, you may or may not be required to get a visa in advance. To this day, nationals of twenty-four different countries are free from needing a visa in order to enter Vietnam. The majority of them are eligible for a visa exemption scheme that allows them to stay in Vietnam for up to 15 days. On the other hand, Panama Nationals is not included on this list. Even in 2024, Panamanian nationals will be need to apply for a Vietnam visa in order to enter the country.
Before boarding a flight to Vietnam, citizens of Panama are obligated to get the necessary paperwork for a Vietnam visa. Before allowing any passengers to board, the employees of the airline will do a visa check on each passenger. Flights to Vietnam from Panama will be denied to anyone who does not have a valid visa for Vietnam.
Even though Panama Nationals is not on the list of nationalities exempt from requiring a visa to enter Vietnam, Panama residents can still simply apply for a visa to enter Vietnam online. People from Panama can apply for one of two different types of visas to Vietnam online: an e-visa or a visa to be obtained upon arrival.
For Panamanians to be eligible for a visa for Vietnam, their passports need to have a minimum of six months left on their expiration dates at the time of application.
2/ How to apply for a visa to Vietnam online if you are a national of Panama in 2024?
Online applications for visas to Vietnam can be readily submitted by Panamanian citizens using any device with internet connectivity. People from Panama can remain in their homes while submitting their visa applications online; the results of their applications will then be emailed to them.
Visa on Arrival (VOA) and Vietnam e-visa are the two options available to Panamanian citizens who wish to apply for a visa to Vietnam online.
2.1/ How to apply for an electronic visa to Vietnam if you are a national of Panama in 2024
Vietnam will continue to accept electronic visa applications from nationals of 80 different countries, including Panama, until 2024. When filing for a Vietnam E-visa, this step must be completed before the traveler arrives in Vietnam from Panama. As a result, Panamanian citizens are required to apply for and get a Vietnam e-visa prior to the boarding time.
To submit an application for an electronic visa to enter Vietnam, citizens of Panama can go to the following website: https://www.vietnamimmigration.com/apply-vietnam-visa/ .
On February 1, 2017, Vietnam began using an electronic visa application system. Despite the fact that E-visa was put on hold for a period of time, the online application system is back up and running and accessible to all applicants as of right now.
Citizens of Panama are required to provide a scan or digital photo of their passport in addition to a current digital photo of themselves against a white backdrop (no hats or glasses). The electronic visa application of Panamanian citizens will be handled after all required information has been provided and photographs have been uploaded. Panamanian citizens will receive an email with an electronic visa linked to it three days later. Get this printed out and bring it with you to Vietnam along with your passport!
2.2/ How to Apply for a Visa on Arrival to Vietnam if You Are a National of Panama in 2024?
Before the implementation of the e-visa system, the visa on arrival procedure was the most prevalent route for Panamanian tourists to get a Vietnam visa. In point of fact, citizens of Panama will be able to obtain a visa upon arrival in Vietnam if they fly into one of the country’s airports. People from Panama are needed to apply for a visa acceptance letter in order to be able to board a flight to Vietnam.
This formal letter is issued by the Vietnam immigration department, and it may be applied for online. The Visa Approval Letter is not to be confused with the e-visa in any way, shape, or form.
Only travelers landing in one of Vietnam’s main international cities (Saigon (HCMC), Hanoi, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hai Phong, or Phu Quoc) are eligible to get a visa upon arrival in Vietnam. People from Panama are required to apply for a Vietnam E-visa if they intend to enter the nation through land from a country that is a neighbor to Vietnam.
The procedure for obtaining a Vietnam visa upon arrival at a Vietnamese airport for nationals of Panama in 2024
The following is a rundown of the steps required to get a visa upon arriving in Vietnam:
Step 1: Apply visa acceptance letter online
You may submit your application for a visa acceptance letter to Vietnam online by going to this website, which can be found at https://www.vietnamimmigration.com/apply-vietnam-visa/ .
There is no need to hand in any physical documentation; all that is required of Panamanian nationals is to click and fill out the appropriate information.
The processing time for a visa acceptance letter to Vietnam for Panamanian citizens is around three full business days.
Step 2: Print out visa clearance letter
After it has been granted, a letter of visa approval will be sent to the email address that was recorded in the visa application form. People from Panama should have a physical copy of it printed up and bring it with them when they travel to Vietnam.
Step 3: Make your flight reservations.
After getting the visa acceptance letter, Panamanian nationals who have not yet booked their travel to Vietnam should do so as soon as possible. Flights can be booked without the requirement to provide evidence of a valid visa; however, Panamanian citizens will be required to present either an e-visa or a visa approval letter in order to be permitted to board the aircraft.
Step 4: Make your way to Vietnam
Nationals of Panama should inquire about the visa application form at the counter that processes visas upon arrival and should approach that counter. In order to grant a visa, the immigration officer will ask for the applicant’s passport, as well as a Visa Approval Letter and pictures. On the application form for the visa, you will need to fill down crucial information such as your passport number, the date it was issued, and the date it will expire.
Officially, you are needed to provide two personal photographs, but the office may only ask for one. The dimensions of the photograph should be about equivalent to the official size of 4 cm by 6 centimeters. Some airports provide kiosks where Panamanian nationals may get their photographs taken for a nominal cost if they do not already have photographs on hand that satisfy the requirements.
People from Panama will receive their passports returned with a Vietnam visa sticker already affixed to it after a short delay, at which point the application process for the visa will be complete.
To summarize, Panamanian citizens are expected to be in possession of a valid visa before to visiting Vietnam. Tourists from Panama who wish to apply for a Vietnam visa no longer have to make direct contact with Vietnamese embassies and consulates as they did in the past. This process, which was often more expensive and time-consuming, has been made obsolete by advances in technology. Both the Vietnam e-visa and the Vietnam visa on arrival are now accessible for Panamanian citizens; therefore, Panamanians have the option of selecting the Vietnam visa application processing method that is most suitable to their needs. Please get in touch with us or send an email to info@vietnamimmigration.com if you have any questions regarding the process of applying for a Vietnam visa online if you are a national of Panama in the year 2024.
