Vietnam Visa | Work Permit Vietnam | Residence Card Services

All visits must apply for a tourist visa to enter Vietnam for tourism purpose except they come from countries that not require visa for Vietnam. If you think you are in the Vietnam visa exemption list, you may need you check the list below to find out how long you are allowed to stay in the country. No matter who you are and where you are from you do not need to obtain a visa when having a transit flight at Vietnam’s international airports and not leaving the transit zone. The maximum validity of a tourist visa for Vietnam is up to 03 months, and depending on your plan you could apply for 1 month or 3 months, all with single/multiple entry. This type of visa allows you to obtain the Vietnam tourist visa through 3 ways: e-visa, visa on arrival at Vietnam’s international airports and Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in your country.

WHO DO NOT NEED A TOURIST VISA FOR VIETNAM - VIETNAM VISA EXEMPTION 2019

Visitors to Vietnam must obtain a business visa, or tourist visa to Vietnam in advance from one of the Vietnamese Embassies/ Consulates or via agencies with Vietnam visa on arrival unless they come from one of the visa-exempting countries. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.

Important note that the citizens of Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Finland, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Belarus are granted unilateral tourist visa-free entry no more than 15 days, after 15 days visa exemption they must extend their stay or leave Vietnam for their home or another country and it takes at least 30 days since the latest exit from Vietnam to enter again without Vietnam visa.

Citizens of Brunei and Myanmar are granted bilateral visa-free entry no more than 14 days;
Citizens of Philippines are granted bilateral visa-free entry no more than 21 days;
Citizens of Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are granted bilateral visa-free entry no more than 30 days;
Citizens of Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Finland, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Belarus are granted unilateral visa-free entry no more than 15 days
Citizens with APEC business cards from member economies of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are granted visa-free entry with no more than 60 days of residence;
For tourists to Phu Quoc, Vietnam: Foreigners and abroad residing Vietnamese citizens entering Vietnam through an international border and travelling to Phu Quoc island, then residing under 15 days are granted Vietnam visa free entry. Passport are required at least 45 days validity. After entering Phu Quoc, in case travelers want to have a visit to other destinations or reside in the island more than 15 days, they will be offered Vietnam visa by the Immigration department right in the island;

PROCEDURE TO OBTAIN A TOURIST VISA FOR VIETNAM

If you're planning to get the tourist visa for Vietnam, you could apply yourself in person at Vietnamese Embassy/ Consulate or E-visa portal, or Vietnam visa on arrival via a travel company in Vietnam. The whole procedure for the tourist visa must go through 2 steps:

<1> - First steps: Obtaining a tourist approval letter from Vietnam Immigration Department

The required documents need to provide both the applicant and Vietnam’s sponsor company

A scanned copy of the applicant’s passport;
Providing the proposed date of arrival (this is the date you want your visa to start from. The start date of the visa itself will be the day you arrive - you can enter Vietnam at a later date (up to your exit date) but not before that date, so be sure to take time zone differences into account);
Providing the place of picking up the visa (the visa can be picked up at either the Vietnamese Embassies/ Consulates in your own or another country, or Vietnam’s international airports, or international crossing borders);
The visa duration for tourist visa is from 1 to 3 months with single or multiple entries (Only United States nationals are able to arrange one-year visas)
Normal processing time for tourist visa: 4 working days, 1 day for urgent process

<2> - Second step: Pick up the Vietnam tourist visa

After receiving the tourist approval letter from the travel agent, foreigner visitor prepares required documents for picking up the Tourist Visa

Applicant’s original passport must be valid for six months from your intended arrival date, and must have at least one blank visa page;
2 passport sized photographs (4 x 6 cm);
The copy of visa approval letter;
Complete the entry and exit application form;
Visa stamping fee depending on the visa single or multiple entry and visa validity ($25 for 1 and 3 month single, $50 for 1 and 3 month multiple, $95 for 6 month multiple and $135 for 1 year multiple entry) must be paid in cash at the place of visa picking up

WHERE TO OBTAIN A TOURIST VISA FOR VIETNAM
All foreigners coming to Vietnam for travel, visiting relatives, friend purpose recommend to apply for a Vietnam tourist visa under sponsored by a travel company in Vietnam. There are three ways of obtaining the tourist visa for Vietnam as the following:

Obtain the tourist visa for Vietnam in person or by post through your nearest Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate;
Obtain the tourist visa for Vietnam via Vietnam Visa on Arrival at the Vietnam’s international airports (VOA) or;
Obtain the tourist visa for Vietnam via an e-visa online system

While there are advantages and disadvantages associated with each of these, we recommend the tourist visa for Vietnam via Visa on Arrival as the best option for the purposes of tourist, business and work considering a trip to Vietnam.

<> Option 1: Obtain tourist visa for Vietnam via Overseas Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate
The advantage of applying this way is that you already have the Vietnam tourist visa stamped in your passport before leaving for Vietnam, which means you do not need to queue on arrival for your passport to get stamped. The tourist visa application process is not the most convenient, however, especially for people who do not live near a Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate. Moreover, the fees vary depending on the Embassy or Consulate, and the processing time is longer.

Key Features:

Traditional approach to getting a tourist visa for Vietnam
The tourist visa for Vietnam can be done in person or by post
Can be used to apply for the tourist visa for Vietnam or any type of visa
The fee is uncertain as it depends on the consulate/ embassy
Can be used for any entrance point, whether by land, air, or sea
The tourist visa for Vietnam takes about 5 working days to process, but can be sped up to 1- 2 days for urgent service.
Vietnam tourist Visa is stamped before departure.

You can apply for a tourist visa to Vietnam through the local Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate either in person or by mail. To do this, you need to fill out and sign an application form, sending it along with your passport and a passport photo.

<> Option 2: Obtain tourist visa for Vietnam via Visa on Arrival at any Vietnam’s international airports

Obtaining the tourist visa for Vietnam via Visa on Arrival is a viable option with various advantages. With Visa on Arrival, you can apply for longer-term and multiple-entry visas, and you do not need to go in person to the Embassy, or apply by post. You just need to fill out an entry and exit application, pre-visa approval letter, passport, a passport photos and visa stamping fee.

Key Features:

Obtaining the tourist visa on arrival is convenient, as it can be done by completing an entry and exit application form in 30 minutes
Can be used to apply for the Vietnam tourist visa from 1 to 3 month with single or multiple entries
You will need to pay two fees for Vietnam tourist visa: Service fee for visa approval letter and visa stamping fee.
The tourist visa service fee is paid online to the service provider. The amount depends on the visa type (number of months and number of entries), nationality, and normal or urgent process service.
The tourist visa stamping fee is paid at the arrival airport when the tourist visa which is categorized as DL is stamped. The fee starts at $25 for 1 month and 3 month single entry, $50 for 1 and 3 month multiple-entry visas. The stamping fee must be paid in cash (USD or VND).
The Vietnam tourist visa can only be obtained at Vietnam’s international airports in Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh, Cam Ranh or Phu Quoc Airport, and Vietnam’s international crossing borders.
For tourist approval letter takes about 2 working days to process and can be sped up to 1 day or 4 hours for an extra charge. While the business approval letter takes 7 working days to process

<> Option 3: Obtain tourist visa for Vietnam via E-Visa online system

Applying for tourist visa to Vietnam via the e-visa online system is our recommended option for tourists as it is most convenient and cost-effective. However, please note that this visa is only for visitors visiting for less than 30 days. Longer-term visitors will need to consider the other two options.

Key Features:

Very recent, was only launched on 1 February 2017
Convenient, as it can be done by completing an online application form
Only costs USD 25, which is non-refundable if the visa is declined.
May be used for any entrance point, whether by land, air, or sea. (There are 28 entrance points, including 8 international airports, 13 international border gates, and 7 seaports.)
Vietnam tourist visa only issues for 1 month single-entry.
Takes about 3 working days to process, and you’ll know quickly whether the application was accepted or not.
The tourist visa does not need to be stamped on your passport; hence there is no stamping fee and no need to queue for your passport to be stamped on arrival.
Only available to citizens of 46 countries (including the UK and the USA).

Please Note that the arrival port must be the same on the documents issued by Immigration Department. If you are to change the arrival port after receiving your tourist E-visa, you should contact them to amend the information on the documents to avoid any issue on the ground.

As this kind of visa is very new, we suggest that visitors contact with Vietnamese Immigration Department via electronic system before processing the visa application.

OTHER INFORMATION RELATED TO VIETNAM'S WORK PERMIT, VISAS AND TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CARD

Vietnam Visa Application

How can we help?

FAQs