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One of the most annoying things of people who travel around the world is Visa. Some visas are easy to obtain, but some are very difficult to get. Many people choose a country for visiting in stead of another country just because of visa. Some countries close the door for entering, and the visa policy of these countries is very strict. Vietnam visa in the past also has the barrier which limits many foreigners to come to Vietnam. However, it has rapidly been changed in recent years. Tourists now can get Vietnam visa easily.
This article is about helping you to get Vietnam visa effectively and easily. When you search Vietnam visa on google or other search engine, It seems that you jump into a jungle of information that many travel agents lead you into. Please note that we are also a travel agent which do visa for foreigners, but the information we provide to you is not for selling any products purpose. It is the information to help you to travel Vietnam easily.
Nowadays, there are 24 countries whose citizens can enter Vietnam without visa. Most of them are in the South-East Asia and Europe. Some countries’ citizens are allowed to travel to Vietnam for free visa up to 30 days (eg. Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, etc.). Some countries’ citizens can enter for free visa up to 15 days, such as Belarus, Denmark, Finland, etc. See the picture as below.
visa exemption list
Note that with this visa exemption, you are maybe asked to show the onward ticket (ticket to prove that you exit Vietnam before the deadline you are allowed to stay) upon arrival.
If you do not belong to exemption’s countries, you can apply visa online.
There are 80 countries + 2 territories can apply e-Visa in 2023. All EU countries, some Eastern EU countries, USA, Canada, Australia, India, UAE, New Zealand, Hong Kong, etc. are eligible for e-Visa.
Click here to see full 82 countries + 2 territories.
The eligible countries for e-Visa
To apply a e-Visa, simply access the web page and apply online. There are two web pages you can apply for:
1/ Official Government Website: On the website, you will see the instruction to apply. You just follow the instruction, upload passport photo and digital photo, pay visa fee 25 USD, wait for 3-5 working days to get back the result. Click here to access the official government website.
2/ Travel Agent website: There are some travel agents can arrange e-Visa. What you need to do is apply online via their website as well. The process for application is also easy. Please note that the fee when applying with travel agent is a bit higher than applying with official government website. The reason is that you have to pay service fee to travel agent. This service fee likes guaranteed fee, which guarantees that you will be granted for e-Visa 100% successfully within 2 working days. There are some Travel Agent having money back guaranteed policy. If you do not get e-Visa, do not get before deadline, or do not satisfy with any services, you can get your money back. But for Government website, if you are refused to get visa, you cannot get your money back.
After applying online for a e-Visa, you wait for the result. It takes normally from 2 -5 working days depending on the travel agent/government web page that you choose to apply. Then you will receive the e-Visa via email. You just print it out and go to Immigration check when arriving Vietnam (no additional fee on arrival).
Vietnam e-Visa
Note:
e-Visa applicants are permitted to enter and exit Vietnam only in some indicated ports. When you apply e-Visa online, you are required to choose entry port and exit port. Please carefully learn about where the port is located in. If the entry port you choose is Tan Son Nhat airport (Ho Chi Minh city), you are allowed to enter Vietnam through Tan Son Nhat airport only. You cannot enter through Noi Bai airport (Ha Noi) or some other ports.
For your reference, learn how to apply e-Visa online on our website.
If you are eligible for e-Visa, you should apply e-Visa. The e-Visa is cheaper and less hassle than visa on arrival. However, in these below cases you must choose visa on arrival instead of e-Visa:
To start with visa on arrival (VOA), you need to know some terms:
1/ Visa approval letter: This is the letter issued by Vietnam Immigration Department which states that the people in the letter is granted to obtain visa on arrival at the international airports. Note that with this letter, you are able to board the aircraft, but not allowed to enter Vietnam. You still have to get the visa (by using this letter) on arrival. And you still have to pay visa fee on arrival, which is called visa stamp fee.
2/ Vietnamese visa application form: The form containing some basic information about yourself and your trip. This form is available at the counter where to get visa on arrival. You can also download and fill in it in advance here.
3/ Visa stamp fee: Before coming to Vietnam, you only pay the fee for getting visa on arrival letter. When you arrive Vietnam, you should pay a fee called visa stamp fee to get visa on your passport. This fee varies depending on the type of visa. For example, visa stamp fee for one month single entry is 25 USD; stamp fee for one month multiple entries is 50 USD.
Vietnam visa stamp fee
As I said before, you must obtain a visa approval letter before coming to Vietnam. For VOA, you cannot apply this letter with Vietnam Immigration Department directly. You have to apply through the third party, which is called a sponsor (or travel agent) in Vietnam. This sponsor will help you arrange visa approval letter within 2 working days.
You can click here to learn how to apply visa approval letter online.
After receiving visa approval letter via email, you print it out. You also need to prepare 2 photos (size 4x6cm).
Visa approval letter
Some Airlines require your Vietnam visa before allowing you to get in the airplane. When you use visa on arrival, it means that you do not have visa on your passport at that moment, so you just show them your approval letter for boarding.
When you arrive the Vietnam airports (please note that you can get visa on arrival at some international airports only), you follow the sign “Visa On Arrival” and get to the counter. Please note that the name is different in different airports. For example, the name in Tan Son Nhat airport (Ho Chi Minh city) is “landing visa”. The name in Noi Bai airport (Ha Noi) is “Visa upon arrival”.
Landing visa counter in Tan Son Nhat Airport (Ho Chi Minh city)
Once you come to this counter, you need to fill in the Vietnamese application form and attach the photo you prepared in advance. There are many blank forms with pens at the desk in front of the counter. You can pick one and fill in. However, it is sometimes out of stock, so I recommend you fill in it before coming to Vietnam.
Application form
Finishing to fill in the form, you get in line with your original passport + visa approval letter + Vietnamese visa application form + photo. You submit these documents and then the Immigration Officer will tell you to wait for a while. After about 10 – 30 minutes (depending on how many people waiting for VOA there), your name will be called.
Cashier counter
You come to the cashier counter, pay the stamp fee and get your passport back with the Vietnam visa inside. At that moment, you are officially allowed to enter Vietnam. You just go to the immigration check control and enter Vietnam.
A Vietnam Visa On Arrival on passport
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