VIETNAM VISA ON ARRIVAL
This Visa On Arrival is a paid service, not to be included as a promotion or free service, or any kind of discount. In reality, the letter is issued by the Department of Immigration for a fee. Honestly, this is the easiest, cheapest, and most secure way to get a visa for Vietnam. For example, a standard 30-day tourist visa costs 40$US in total.
Update
Due to Covid-19 (Coronavirus), there was no tourist visa between March 2020 and March 15th 2022. You can still apply for a business or work visa or a residence card. Luckily, Vietnam resumed issuing tourist visas on March 15th 2022.
From August 15th 2023, Vietnam updated free visas (extended duration of stay to 45 days) and everyone can apply for an e-visa (duration of stay: 90 days) online. Therefore, this visa approval service isn’t necessary anymore. Please visit this official link for more details.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Only citizens of certain countries can visit Vietnam without an entry visa (valid for a visit from 14 to 30 days). Please see more details in the Free visa section below. However, all other citizens are required to get an entry visa before departure or a pre-approved entry visa (visa is issued on arrival at Vietnam’s International Airports). Some nationalities might be refused or charged a lot of money in case the sponsorship is required, typically people from Muslim countries or from Africa (except South Africans).
Free visa
Citizens of the following countries do not require a visa (single entry) to visit Vietnam for 30 days: ASEAN countries like Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. However, as an exception, people from the Philippines do not require a visa (single entry) to visit Vietnam for only 21 days.
Citizens from Belarus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K. will be allowed to visit Vietnam for up to 15 days without a visa regardless of passport type and entry purpose.
Visa requirement
We recommend that you obtain your entry visa prior to your departure by applying at the nearest Vietnam Embassies and/or Consulates. However, if your particular city does not have a Vietnamese embassy, and/or you wish to avoid procedural delays (anywhere from 4 to 10 days) which sometimes happens with visa approvals at embassies outside Vietnam, we can make this requirement a fairly easy exercise. We provide a list of information the Immigration Department needs below. You fill it out and return it to us by email. We will then arrange to obtain the visa approval letter for you.
This is most likely the easiest way to obtain your visa without having to chase down embassies, consulates, and the like prior to your trip, and is a valid alternative when applying for a tourist visa. The entry visa will be stamped on your passport as you pass through the immigration checkpoint at one of the three international airports: Hanoi’s Noi Bai or Saigon’s Tan Son Nhat or Danang’s Danang airport. Though valid for thirty days, it can be extended once you enter Vietnam. With this type of visa, you only can enter the country by air, not by land, waterways, or train.
INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE
We offer this visa on arrival service to the customers who book our guided tours and/or services only, we obtain what is called a “pre-approval visa letter” for you from the Vietnam Immigration Department in Hanoi and then forward you a copy by email.
To get a visa approval letter for you, we need the following information and a copy of your passport page where your photo is on (use a scanner or a digital camera to get it), the purpose is to make sure that the information matches what you sent to avoid any potential mistyping.
1. Your title (Mr./Mrs./Ms.):
2. Your name exactly as it appears in your passport:
3. Date of birth (dd/mm/yy):
4. Nationality:
5. Passport number:
6. Date of issue of your passport (dd/mm/yy):
7. Date of passport expiration (dd/mm/yy):
8. Proposed date of arrival (dd/mm/yy):
9. Flight details (dd/mm/yy):
10. The airport of arrival:
11. The purpose of your visit (Vacation/Business/Family visit):
After we have your details, please allow three working days before we can send a copy of the letter. If you want an express one-day service then add 10$US/person. When you have a copy of the letter please see below for how to get a visa on arrival.
Note about visa on arrival
The letter usually comes with more people. In reality, the details of full name, date of birth, nationality, and passport number will be printed. In case you care about your privacy and really want a private letter then let us know so we could advise an additional charge. Normally, our customers don’t complain about this but it’s always good to mention here.
HOW TO GET A VISA ON ARRIVAL
Print out the copy of the letter we send you (colour or black & white both good) and show the Immigration officers at the airport on arrival. Copies of the same document will be forwarded by us to Vietnam immigration checkpoints at three international airports, so when you arrive in Vietnam, the Immigration officers have those documents handy and will be able to issue your entry visa shortly.
Download the current Vietnam visa application form here. Get one 4×6 cm passport photo. Then fill in both pages and give to the border police officer on arrival. In fact, this saves you time when you land in Vietnam.
Bring 2 extra passport photos 4×6 cm (for boarding the airplane) just in case the form you fill in has typos. On arrival, you will see the “Landing Visa” sign. Kindly go to the Landing Visa Counter to present the visa letter and the application form.
Pay in cash for the stamp fee, then get your Vietnamese visa. In fact, this is best in VND or USD and by cash. In case you use credit cards, you have to walk to the far side.
PRICES
The costs of the pre-approved visa letter depend on the type of visa you apply for. For example, a normal 30-day tourist visa stamp costs 25$US.
Pre-approval visa letter
You pay Offroad Vietnam when we meet in Hanoi
One month single entry: 15$US
One-month multiple entries: 20$US
Three-month single entry: 20$US
Three-month multiple entries: 25$US
People from the USA will pay 30$US cost for a one-year multiple-entry visa. Each stay is up to three months. This was effective from September 2016 per request from the US government. However, we recently received an unofficial update that this will void soon (fall in tourists from the USA?). Stay tuned for a future update.
Visa stamp
You pay at the airport to the border police officers
Up to three months, single entry: 25$US
Up to three months, multiple entries: 50$US
People from the USA will pay 135$US for a one-year multiple-entry visa. Each stay is up to three months. This was effective from September 2016 per request from the US government.
Cheaper visa for US citizens at the Embassy of Vietnam
This was updated by Samuel in December 2016. However, please contact the Embassy for current rates as this may change often.
First of all, the Embassy of Vietnam does not issue a visa approval letter and strongly recommends you have the visa before you depart for Vietnam.
I. Total visa fee (no other fee will be required upon arrival)
A. 30 days, single entry: $80 per person
B. 30 days, multiple entries: $135 per person
C. 90 days, single entry: $110 per person
D. 90 days, multiple entries: $160 per person
E. 6 months, multiple entries: $180 per person
E. 1 year multiple entry visa (US passport holders only): $220
II. Processing time
A. Normal processing time: 2-3 working days after receiving a complete application (7-10 working days for non-US passports).
B. Expedited processing fee and time: $30 per visa; 24 hours after receiving a complete application.
III. What to submit
A. Passport (copy of the information page of the passport if applying for loose-leaf visa) with at least one month validity prior to the date of exit from Vietnam (Airlines may require longer validity).
B. Application form: 01 for each passport holders and to be filled online and downloaded at http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/consular/visa-application-process or PDF form downloaded from http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/sites/default/files/visaform.pdf
C. 01 Passport size photos of the applicant (02 photos for loose-leaf visa).
D. Fee, in form Money order, Cashier’s check, or Company’s check, payable to “Embassy of Vietnam”. Applicants applying together may submit in one combined money order/check.
* If submitted directly at the Embassy (walk-in, no appointment needed), the fee can be paid with Visa or MasterCard. One person can submit the applications for the whole group.
E. A self-addressed prepaid return envelope for the Embassy to send back visas once issued. For the safety of your documents, please use mailing services that provide Tracking numbers such as USPS, FedEx, UPS (no DHL). No envelope is required if you plan to submit the application and collect the visa at the Embassy in Washington DC. All applicants applying together can send in one package.
F. For non-American passport holders please submit a copy of Green Card or Resident Card (if possessed), a copy of Flight ticket (Reservation or Itinerary), and a copy of Hotel booking.
IV. Where to submit
Consular Section- Embassy of Vietnam
1233 20th Street, NW
Suite 400
Washington DC, 20036
Tel: 202 861 0737 ext 121, 122, 123, 129
Working hours: 9:30-12:30 and 2:30pm-5:00pm Monday-Friday except holidays.
Website: www.vietnamembassy.us
UPDATE ON GETTING VISA ON ARRIVAL
(by Daniel Brewster from the U.S.A in September 2009): At Hanoi’s Noi Bai International airport, you have to go over to the area at the bottom of the escalators that has a huge red sign that says “Visa Pre-Approvals” *before* you go stand in line at customs. Otherwise, you’ll end up standing in line at customs twice if you don’t.
You simply present your pre-approval letter, 25 – 135$US cash depending on the type of visa mentioned above, a passport photo, and a very brief application that you complete. Boom, you’re done. Finally, you get a visa in your passport.
(by Jacek Dubiel who is based in Singapore as of October 2015):
– Follow the sign “Visa on arrival.”
– Go to the “Visa Application” counter.
– Give the officer your passport, visa on arrival letter, and also one picture.
– Sit in the waiting area in front of the Visa counter. (If little traffic, it might be about 15 minutes.)
– Approach the “Visa fee and passport return” counter when you hear Steve Hawkins’ voice call your name.
– Pay US$25 – US$135 in cash. (If you use a credit card you have to go to the far side and withdraw cash in VN Dongs. In reality, cash is king here)
– Get your passport and also a receipt.
– Proceed to the passport control booth.
Note
You need to bring two passport photos with you. In addition, your passport should be valid for at least six months.
In case you still have questions or have any suggestions regarding the Vietnam visa on arrival (VOA) for tourists, please follow this link to contact us.
E-VISA
You can now apply an e-visa for some countries online directly with the Department of Immigration and for more details please copy and paste this link to your browser: https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/trang-chu-ttdt
More Add-ons Offroad Vietnam Adventure Travel Provides
– Hotel room booking in Hanoi
– Airport transfers
– Support truck on a motorbike tour
– Motorbiking riding lesson in Hanoi
– Travel insurance
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