BREAKING NEWS ABOUT 1 YEAR VIETNAM TOURIST VISA FOR US CITIZENS

UPDATE: Effective 15th December 2016, the Vietnamese immigration department implements re-issuing short stay visa to U.S citizen. In details, the citizens from U.S.A can apply for 1 month and 3 months for short stays, and 6 months or 1 year multiple for long stay. Please visit Vietnam visa fee to check price for each visa type. 

What’s the hottest discussions recently on popular world’s travel forums these days like Tripadvisor, Lonelyplanet or Travelfish ? It is no doubt to say that the hot topic now is about the new visa regulations for the U.S citizens to Vietnam or 1 year  Vietnam tourist visa for US citizens.

Following a degree approved by the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on 9^th April, 2015, starting from 30^th August, all travelers from U.S will be issued 1 year Vietnam tourist visa regardless their wish of stay. There are certain things that I think U.S travelers should be aware of planning a trip to this country.

OK, let's brief again how it worked before so that it's easier to see the differences.

1. In the few days ago, The U.S citizens had several choices of the length for their visa to Vietnam, accordingly, different prices.  In particular, the choices were: 1 or 3 month – visa, single or multiple entries, depending on your personal traveling plan. Also, the visa types were either for tourism purpose or business purpose. For business visa type, it can be up to 1 year and for multiple entries only.

2.  But now,  the short-term visas for 1 month and 3 months (with options for single and multiple entries) are no longer available for U.S citizens. Every American travelers entering Vietnam for tourism or business will receive 1 year multiple tourist entry visa. This means you would have to get 1 year visa to Vietnam even if you just plan to stay here for 1 month or even less. Obviously, this is great news to businessmen, freelancers or retired people who travel to Vietnam frequently or would like to stay in Vietnam for long. It will make good conditions for U.S enterprises to seek for business opportunities in the S-shaped country. On the other hand, many U.S travelers who just go to Vietnam for a short trip, are not really happy the rules as they are requested to pay more for the useless duration.

 Also, very important to know, that even when you have 1 year visa to Vietnam, you are entitled to stay in the country for a maximum of 3 months at a time; which is not a problem for frequent travelers, but definitely an issue for those who want to stay longer than 3 months.Please take note that there is big difference between tourist and business purpose here. With 1 year BUSINESS visa, there is no restriction on  length of stay for each entry. You can stay continuously in the country for 12 months if you like. You are not required to exit Vietnam after 90 days as tourist visa. So 1 year BUSINESS multiple entries is absolutely recommended in case you don’t want to do visa run every 3 month. 

Alright, Let's move to the next important interesting part. Currently, the U.S citizens may obtain the visa for Vietnam before arrival (at embassy) or on arrival (at airport). Both options are legal and secure but if you would like to save time, energy and money, it’s highly recommended to apply for the visa on arrival.

1 Year Tourist Visa on arrival

How it works this way?You register online in advance for visa approval and then use the letter to pick up visa stamp at landing airport. Please be aware of that the airlines will request you to show the letter to check in flight. Without the letter or full visa, you may be refused boarding plane or be sent back to the departure place on the next flight. Here are some steps for you to do this:

Step 1:  Complete application form online. You  can click on this link  to watch our how-to video showing you how easy it is to apply for your visa online

Step 2: Make payment online as instructed. Once the payment is verified, your application will be immediately forwarded to immigration department for processing. At the same time, we will confirm delivery date of approval by email.

Step 3: Receive visa approval by email within two business days. For urgent visa request, the letter will be granted within one, four, or twenty-four business hours according to kind of service you selected at time of application. The faster processing time is, the higher the charge is.

Step 4: Fly to Vietnam and get your visa stamp upon arrival. At “Landing Visa” Counter, you are requested to submit the passport, print copy of approval, 01 passport-sized photo, ONE completed entry-exit form and US$135 in cash for stamping fee.

There are plenty of companies offering visa on arrival service today so you have more than one option to submit application.  We, Vietnam Visa Easy have been working closely with Immigration Department for almost 8 years. We are committed that our customers will be offered the best service at the most reasonable price

1 Year Tourist Visa before arrival

How it works? You submit required documents to embassy (in person/by post) and receive the passport back with visa stamp after 5 business days for normal service or 2 business days for express service. An application usually includes the following requirements:

• Origin passport: valid for at least 1 month after visa expiry date
• Application form: complete online at this link and print it out
• 01 passport-sized photo: in color, taken in front of white background
• Visa fees (around $240 including stamping fee): must be in the form of money order, cashier’s check or company check payable to “embassy of Vietnam”
• Prepaid return envelope: must be enclosed if you request to get passport back by post. To protect documents from loss or damage, you are advised to use USPS Express Mail or Fedex with the tracking number. People applying together may submit in one envelope.