How to get a vietnam visa

Vietnam visa is known as a good country not only for travelers but also for foreign investors. Each year, there are hundreds of thousands of people visiting Vietnam for many purposes. Some of them had painful experience in getting a visa to Vietnam just because they were not knowledgeable about how to get a Vietnam visa. Therefore, we were writing this article with a hope that it will help you obtain Vietnam visa with minimum stress.

Before reading the instructions on visa application, you should check Vietnam visa requirement first to see if you need a visa to Vietnam.

Welcome back! So you are required a Vietnam visa. Let’s figure out how to get a Vietnamese visa at embassy and on arrival.

Visit Vietnam Embassy/Consulate

Applicable to arrivals by air, land and sea

What documents required?

•  Original passport: must be valid for at least 06 months prior to travel date
•  Vietnam visa application form: be available at office of embassy. Or you can download it from official website of embassy you will apply at. The form must be completed and signed.
•  01 recent passport-sized photograph: taken in color on white background
•  Visa approval from Immigration Department: is required for business visa by some embassies. The letter should be obtained by your business partner in Vietnam. If you have no partner or sponsor, contact with the consular office for further assistance. Some embassies, such as Vietnam embassy in Bangkok, require visa approval for even tourist visa.
•  Vietnam visa fee: is dependent on type of visa you select. It may vary slightly from embassy to embassy.
All of the above is general requirements to apply for a Vietnam visa. Each embassy may require some other supporting documents (if necessary). Thus, you should contact with embassy you will apply at to know details about the requirements and fees to avoid possible processing delays.

How long will processing take?

The processing time may be 3 or 5 business days. If you cannot wait so long to get your visa, select expedited service (extra cost required) to speed up the processing. Please take note that the processing gets started only after the embassy/consulate receive your complete application.

See address of Vietnam embassies in the world.

Vietnam visa on arrival

  Applicable to visitors entering Vietnam by plane

How Vietnam visa on arrival works?

Vietnam visa on arrival does not mean you fly to Vietnam, apply for the visa and get it right away at the airport. The procedure itself is more involved but easy to follow. In order to pick up visa for Vietnam upon arrival, you will have to obtain an approval letter prior to departure. Here are 2 steps for you to get it:

•  Fill out Vietnam visa application form online: just enter your full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, and expected arrival date.
•  Finish payment for your visa application with a credit or debit card. (See Vietnam visa cost)
Then you can relax and wait for the letter of approval to come into your email within 2 business days (including weekend). In particular, you are able to receive an urgent letter in a few hours with urgent Vietnam visa on arrival service.

On-arrival procedure at airport for visa stamp

At arrival airport, you are asked to present the following requirements to customs officer:
•  Original passport with minimum of 06 months validity
•  Print copy of approval letter
•  Completed entry-exit form (download here)
•  01 recent passport photograph
•  Stamping fee: paid in cash either in US Dollars or VN Dong

It takes about 15 minutes for the stamping process to be completed. if your passport has no empty page left for visa stamp, you will be issued a loose-leaf visa on arrival.

Now they’ve known all necessary information about How to get a Vietnam visa. If you have any concerns regarding visa for Vietnam, we are willing to offer help. Please do not hesitate to contact us.