New Vietnam visa on arrival in 2015

Foreigners entering Vietnam are expected to obtain an entry visa prior to the journey. Thanks to a so-called Vietnam visa on arrival program, getting the visa is not a challenge to travelers anymore.  Accordingly, the citizens of 163 countries, including India and South Africa, can now pick up the visa upon arrival, cutting out the need to visit Vietnam embassy/consulate.

While it is called “Visa on arrival”, the application must be made and approved online in advance. This causes a lot of confusion to foreigners so they often call it “pre-arranged visa” or “Vietnam visa online” for easier to understand.

How to apply for Vietnam visa on arrival?

There is no official government website for application of visa on arrival. You are supposed to apply through website of third-party travel at least 2 days prior to your estimated date of arrival. The last-minute application is accepted but the extra cost for urgent processing is very high and it’s a bit risky.

Because the application is approved online, it is not necessary to submit an original passport or other documents for processing, though you must have a valid passport. You simply complete a visa application form online and pay application fee with credit/debit card. The fee ranges from USD 16 to USD 45 for tourist visa and from USD 75 to USD 125 for business visa. Please refer to this page if you are interested in long-term visa valid from 6 months to one year. As soon as the payment is done, you will receive a confirmation email stating the successful submission of application and informing the issuance date of your visa. 

In less than 2 business days, the agent will email you a PDF of approval letter. On this letter, you will find your name, date of birth, nationality, passport number and length of your authorized stay in Vietnam.  Don’t be panic if you see name and information of other people in your letter. The agents often put people into groups and a group is usually everyone applied for the same visa in the same day. If you worry about security and privacy, just leave the agent your message telling that you want a private approval letter.

(See more Rush Vietnam visa on the same day)

On arrival stamping process

Once you got the letter, print it out and present upon arrival to get visa stamp onthe passport. Please be noted that the approval letter is good for entry at all Vietnam international airports but can’t be used at border gate. The foreigners crossing overland into Vietnam should apply for a traditional visa, not the visa on arrival.  The following are other documents that you must present with the letter at arrival airport:

·   Original passport: should be valid for at least 6 months. If there is no empty page left on your passport for the new visa stamp, you will be issued loose-leaf visa on arrival.

·   Entry-exit form: is usually sent along with visa approval by the agent. Print the form and complete it as instructions at here.

·   01 passport photo: must be taken against a white background within the last 6 months to reflect your current look. The size of photo must be 4 x 6 cm or 2 x 2 inches.

·   Stamping fee:  must be paid in cash (USD or VND). The credit payment is unacceptable. It costs USD 25 for single entry and USD 50 for multiple entry. 

The stamping process at the airport may be slow, especially when there are several international flights landing off at the same time. If you cannot wait in line for 15 minutes for the visa stamp, it’s best to use stamping assistance service. Almost the agents do provide this service to support their clients at the airport. You just provide the agent with flight information and pay $22 service fee to request assistance. The agent then will do the needful to help you get visa stamp just in the blink of an eye.

The invoce of payment on arrival

How long is the visa valid for?

The visa on arrival is applicable for stays of up to 1 year. The validity starts from proposed date of entry in application form until the visa expires.

What’s new in 2015?

Regulations for Vietnam visa change frequently. Previously, many foreigners apply for tourist visa to enter Vietnam and then switch to work visa from within Vietnam. This is not permitted any more since 2015. Also, the government has restricted the visa extension, which makes the visa extension fee is much higher than it used to be.

How often can you apply for visa to Vietnam?

There is no restriction on the number of times you are permitted to visit Vietnam. Therefore, you can apply for Vietnam visa on arrival as many times as you want.

 Need help with your application?

Call +84 966 53 93 663 or email to support@vietnamvisa-easy.com