A visa is necessary for anyone wishing to travel to Vietnam, except for some nationalities that enjoy visa exemption for a specific period. If you require a visa to enter and stay in Vietnam, you can apply for the visa online, at an embassy/consulate, or the airport.
Vietnam will grant e-visa to citizens of 80 countries from July 1, 2020 as per Resolution No. 79/NQ-CP. Details on the list of countries can be accessed here Vietnam Evisa Eligible Countries.
For e-Visa, citizens of 80 eligible countries are able to apply for Vietnam visa online. Check out the list of countries eligible to apply for e-Visa online.
If you belong to any of the following countries, you do not need a visa to enter Vietnam. Citizens of these countries can stay in Vietnam without a visa for 14 to 90 days. Check out the list of countries eligible for a visa-free stay.
For a Vietnam e-visa and visa on arrival, several documents are required, including the following:
To obtain a visa online, the applicant is required to provide his/her valid passport. Remember that your passport must be valid for at least another 6 months.
The scanned copy of the passport you uploaded on your application for Vietnam Visa Online (Vietnam e-Visa) must meet certain specifications that Vietnam Visa passport requirements are met. These are:
The traveler will provide passport-sized photos. Make sure the image is recent and features your current appearance. Here are other passport-size photograph specifications:
Minimum allowable size
Minimum allowable size
Maximum allowable size
There are three ways of applying for a Vietnam visa, which include:
If you are from an eligible country, you are entitled to apply for a Vietnam electronic visa or e-Visa. Here are the details of how to apply for the visa online.
You have to wait for up to 3-5 business days to receive the visa. After the approved visa is sent to your email inbox, please get its printout and take it along when you depart for Vietnam.
Remember that an e-Visa is valid for a single entry, and you can stay for a maximum of 30 days starting from the date of your arrival in the country.
If you are eligible for a visa on arrival, you can enter Vietnam through any designated ports of entry mentioned below and obtain the visa accordingly.
But, you have to meet certain conditions before applying for the visa on arrival formally. Firstly, you must obtain an approval letter issued by the Vietnamese Immigration Department. You may apply for this letter through your travel agent, visa application agencies, or this website.
Fill out the Vietnam visa application form, providing the following information:
Apply and wait for the approval of the visa. It may take between 2 and 4 business days. Your visa will be sent to your email inbox. One copy will be sent to the Immigration Officer at your desired port of entry as mentioned in the application.
Please take a printout of the visa approval letter before traveling to Vietnam. You will also need four passport-sized photographs of yourself (size- 4cmx6cm), your passport, and sufficient cash to pay the visa stamping fee.
When you reach the airport, queue up at the dedicated Visa on Arrival counter and get your visa stamp on your passport. You will have to pay the visa on arrival fee of USD$$ for a single-entry and USD$$ for a multiple-entry visa.
Depending on the country you are applying from, it is possible to download the application form from this website or get it from a Vietnam embassy or consulate.
The following types of Vietnam visas are issued by the Immigration Department:
You can easily apply for a Vietnam visa through a diplomatic mission like an Embassy or Consulate.
Here is what you need to do to apply for a Vietnam visa through an embassy or consulate.
Step 1: Make an appointment by contacting the embassy/consulate. Take the information about the required documents.
Step 2: Visit the embassy/consulate with the required documents. Pay the visa fee, fill out the application form, and submit all the documents.
Step 3: Wait for notification from the embassy/consulate regarding your visa.
Step 4: When you receive a call from the embassy/consulate, please visit the facility, and collect your passport and visa (if approved).
A Vietnam electronic visa is generally processed within 3 -5 business days.
The Visa on Arrival processing takes 2 to 4 business days for the Letter of Approval. However, the time may exceed this depending on the company you used to make the request.
For a Vietnam Paper Visa through an Embassy or Consulate, the concerned agency will inform about the expected date of visa approval.
Vietnam visas are issued for the following durations:
Visa Type | Issued For |
Single-Entry Visa | 1 or 3 months |
Multiple-Entry Visa | 1, 3 or 6 months or 1 year |
The visa validity depends on several factors, the most important being your purpose of travel. A tourist visa is usually a single-entry travel permit. On the other hand, a business visa is a multiple-entry travel permit issued for up to a year. If you have a work visa, you can also receive a Temporary Residence Card valid for up to two years. The investor visa is valid for up to five years.
The cost of a Vietnam e-visa depends on the applicant's country and the type of visa. and it takes 3-5 business days to process. p>
The cost of this visa varies as per the Embassy or Consulate policy.
If you are worried about the expiry of your Vietnam visa and want to extend your stay in the country, you need to apply at one of the immigration offices. Here are your options:
For a visa extension, please specify how long you can stay in Vietnam on your existing visa because the extension depends on your visa type. This means that holders of a one-month Vietnam visa can seek an extension in visa validity for another month. However, certain nationalities or visas cannot receive an extension. Please confirm from the Immigration Office in Vietnam about your visa extension possibilities.
This should be your preferred option if you want your visa category to be changed or if you entered the country under the visa exemption scheme.
Please note that the visa extension policy is subject to change without prior notice. Therefore, contact the local Immigration Department in the Vietnam office.
However, the rules for visa extensions change constantly, and as such, you should always contact the local office of the Immigration Department in Vietnam. Sometimes, they will not issue extensions for certain visa types or certain nationals.
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