All visitors who are looking for a short trip to Vietnam always want to know what kind of visa they should apply, and how to apply that kind of visa. …
As we all know, visa is one of the most important documents which visitors need to prepare in advance. For those who intend to come to Vietnam for traveling, a tourist visa is the first condition that you need to apply when planning for Vietnam trip. This article will clearly show the Vietnam tourist visa in varied aspects including visa exemptions, visas on arrival, electronic visas, visa procedures and transit visas. The visa policy changes day by day, so we hope that it will bring to you the latest updates about visa information.
Based on the unilateral and bilateral agreements between Vietnam and other countries about Vietnam visa exemption policy, there are 24 countries eligible for single entry visa exemption regardless of type of passport – ordinary, diplomatic, official passport.
are you exempted from Vietnam visa?
Note: Visa exemption policy is applicable for single entry with tourism purpose. Therefore:
To ease these barriers of the visa exemption policy, you can apply for an appropriate visa prior to your arrival via the Vietnam embassy or consulate in your country. A better way is arranging a visa approval letter and get visa on arrival at Vietnamese airport.
Vietnam tourist visa is used for those who enter Vietnam with tourism purpose with the validity up to 3 months (single or multiple entry). It can be renewed or extended after arrival, so you can apply Vietnam tourist visa as many times as you want. However, you must check to make sure that your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you arrive in Vietnam and has at least two blank pages so that visa and stamp can be pasted in.
Vietnam 1-month tourist visa
Vietnam tourist visa is normally divided into 4 types for almost every country: 1-month single entry, 1-month multiple entry, 3-month single entry and 3-month multiple entry. Basing on your demand, you can determine exactly the type of visa which is appropriate for your trip. The visa requirements vary among nationalities. Normally you don’t need to submit any documents to apply, however, in some special case, you may need to present your flight tickets, hotel reservations, passport copy, tour itinerary, etc.
You can click here to check visa requirement for your nationality.
If you are not exempt from Vietnam visa, you must obtain a visa to enter Vietnam. There are three ways to do it, you can consider and choose the most suitable for your case: Apply visa at Vietnam embassy or consulate in your country, Apply approval letter and then get visa at Vietnamese airports or apply an electronic visa.
Vietnam embassies and consulates are in more than 70 countries in the world. Before your trip, you must visit a Vietnam embassy at your location to apply a visa directly. This type of visa will allow you to enter Vietnam through airports, land border crossings or seaports. However, you will see the administrative procedures take a lot of time and cost.
Click here to see if there is a Vietnam embassy near you.
Not all countries have Vietnam embassy. For those who live in country without Vietnam embassy or consulate, you also have another option: visa on arrival
Visa on arrival is the visa that you will pick up at the Vietnam international airport when you arrive Vietnam. Vietnam Visa on arrival is the fastest and easiest way to get your Vietnam entry visa with both purpose of tourism or business. Moreover, visa on arrival is also used for those who need to stay longer than the granted free-visa duration.
Visa on arrival counter at Da Nang airport
Visa on arrival is very easy to get, and it is provided by many visa services. However, you should obtain visa via an authorized Vietnam travel agency.
Time of processing: The visa online application procedure takes only 2 – 3 minutes to do, and the visa approval letter will be sent to your email after 2 working days processing. The fastest time to receive the approval letter is 1 working hour (working time on weekday – GMT+7) if you request urgent service. At the weekend, the fastest process is 4 working hours.
Documents: You do not need to submit any documents to process visa approval letter online. As long as you have the passport information of the applicants, email, and valid credit card in hand, you can apply online any time.
Fees: Visa on arrival fee is divided into service fee and stamp feeThe fee you pay online for visa on arrival is visa service fee and does not include the stamping fee which must be paid in cash at the airport (USD25/person for single entry or USD 50/person for multiple entry). Before going to apply you can freely check visa service fee, which vary by nationality and depends on the type of visa you acquire. Click here to check visa service fee for your case.
Procedures: The process to get visa on arrival is described in 4 main steps:
– Step 1: Fill out the online application form with the type of visa you need and your personal information exactly as in your passport. Click here to see visa online application form.
– Step 2: Review information and make online payment for service fee via trusted payment gate.
– Step 3: Get Visa Approval Letter via email after 2 working days. You will then prepare the necessary documents such as a passport valid for at least 6 months, filled–in visa application form, two passport size photos and cash for visa stamp.
– Step 4: Show above documents and Visa Approval Letter to the immigration officers when you arrive Vietnam airport (at visa on arrival counter). you will do the customs clearance and get your visa stamped.
In order to get visa on arrival, you must apply an approval letter in advance
When arriving at Vietnam airport, you will see the “visa on arrival counter” near the customs passport control. Visa on arrival counters are available 24/7 at 7 interntional airports: Noi Bai (Ha Noi), Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh), Da Nang (Da Nang), Cam Ranh (Nha Trang), Cat Bi (Hai Phong), Lien Khuong (Da Lat) and Phu Quoc (Phu Quoc island). At there, you submit the documents to the visa officer then pay USD 25 for single entry or USD 50 for multiple entry regardless of length of stay. It is recommended that you should print the application form and fill it in advance to save time at the airport. If you forget to do, the blank form is also available at the immigration desk. Photos also can be taken at the airport with about USD 5.
When it is approved, the officer will call your name to hand back your passport which will already have your visa pasted and stamped. Remember to carefully check all the information and report to a customs officer immediately if there are any mistakes.
Total time spending on waiting visa on arrival process at the airport can be 20 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on the number of people doing visa process at the same time with you. In order to save time at the airport and get priority to do visa process (recommended when you travel with the older, pregnant women or a big group), you can book a fast track service when applying visa approval letter online. It helps you to do all procedures for getting visa stamp and check in VIP date within 5 – 10 minutes.
Vietnam electronic visa is type of visa issued by Vietnamese Immigration Department via electronic system. It is valid for a consecutive 30 days with only single entry. With Evisa, you don’t need to queue at “visa on arrival counter” to get stamp. Moreover, it allows you to enter Vietnam through airports, land borders and seaports. However, Evisa is limited to 80 countries and 2 territories only.
You can visit the Vietnam e-visa official website on the national web portal for government to apply. The process requires filling in an application form and paying a fee by credit card. Only negative of E-visa is that if your application is rejected you will not receive any refund. The processing time on government website takes 3 – 4 working days, urgent visa is unavailable.
Applying Vietnam Evisa online is simple
If you are in rush, you have another option: apply through travel agent’s website. It takes 1 – 2 working days to complete evisa, and your visa fee will be fully refunded if being rejected.
In case you plan to stay longer than the visa exemption duration or your visa has just expired you need to apply for a visa renewal/ visa extension which is available at either the Immigration Department in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh or Danang.
+ Immigration Department in Hanoi:
Address: 44 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
Phone number: 024 3825 7941
Open time: 08:00 AM – 11:30 AM; 01:30 PM – 4:30 PM from Monday to Friday and Saturday morning
+ Immigration Department in Danang:
Address: 7 Tran Quy Cap, Danang City
Phone number: 0236 3822 381
Open time: 08:00 AM – 11:30 AM; 01:30 PM – 4:00 PM from Monday to Friday and Saturday morning
+ Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh city:
Address: 196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai
Phone number: 028 3829 9398
Open time: 08:00 AM – 11:30 AM; 01:30 PM – 4:30 PM from Monday to Friday and Saturday morning
Visa extension stamp
You can directly come to these addresses to submit visa extension. In case you have trouble with language barrier and procedures, you can ask a travel agency to help you.
If you are just stopping over in Vietnam for a few hours and plan to stay inside the transit area to wait for the next flight, you do not need a Vietnam transit visa.
However, if you stopover in Vietnam for a long connecting flight and want to visit the country for a short trip, you must apply for a transit visa. The most suitable visa you can choose is 1-month single entry visa. Normally it takes 2 working days to process from the moment you apply for the visa online.
In case you have a transit flight to Phu Quoc, which transited through other Vietnamese domestic, you also need a transit visa. Before continuing the connecting flight to Phu Quoc, you must enter Vietnam, then transfer to domestic gate. So, it is required visa.
In summary, Vietnam visa is not difficult to get. Just follow the guidance above and you will easily apply a visa to Vietnam. Whenever you have any question, just feel fee to send us an email to: info@vietnamimmigration.com
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