Jun 22, 2014, 10:21 am
Last edit by: stephem
Moderator note: this Wikipost provides general visa guidelines and summarizes the information provided by FT members throughout this thread. Businesses mentioned in this wiki are in no way endorsed or recommended by FlyerTalk, and advertising is prohibited. FlyerTalk's commercial post rule is strictly enforced in this thread, and all spam-like posts will be immediately removed.
Vietnam Visa Information
Transit Without Visa
Vietnam permits foreigners to transit without a visa (TWOV) provided they remain inside the airport transit areas while awaiting an onward flight out of the country within 24 hours of arrival. Travelers are not allowed to leave the airport without a visa.
Visa Exemption for Phu Quoc Island
If you are only visiting Phu Quoc Island, guess what, you probably don't need a visa at all! There is a 30 day visa exception for Phu Quoc visits, and many people report being able to transit in HAN or SGN en route to PQC. But there are now direct flights to PQC and that allows you to avoid having to get a visa at all. Worth considering...
Regular Visa in Advance of Travel
Foreigners may obtain a visa at the nearest Vietnamese embassy or consulate. Prices are not published and appear to vary from location to location. Most recent reports suggest a typical fee of approximately USD 100.
ONLINE APPLICATION LOOSE LEAF VISA
Vietnam Visa Online Application and instructions:
http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/consul...cation-process
From what I've learned, you attach the three (3) files listed below to an email along with your credit card number and the visa section will mail back a loose leaf visa.
As of December, 2015, the fees are $80 = 1 month visa, $20 = overnight USPS, $10 priority mail. Multiple entry visas are available.
Fill out the online application form.
http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/consul...cation-process
Follow "online form" link. Choose language top right.
Including uploading to the application a correctly sized photo, 2x2 inches (website will check and confirm) that will propagate into the application.
Print out the application form, sign, scan as .pdf file. Attach the .pdf to your email.
Attach a correctly sized photo (2x2 inches).
Attach a scanned a copy of your passport (photo, personal detail pages and signature page).
Include your credit card number. The visa section will charge your card for visa type and USPS Express return a loose leaf visa.
Ask politely for the tracking number and total charges.
Call Embassy Visa to double check the above details and current email address: 202. 861. 0737, x118/121/122/123/125
As of December, 2015, the email address to send the application is: [email protected].
Visa Exemption
Those traveling on passports issued by the following nations are generally exempt from visa requirements for varying durations of stay: Belarus, Brunei, Cambodia, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and UK. See the entry visa exemption list at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for duration of stay info.
eVisa
https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/en...trang-chu-ttdt
List of countries eligible for eVisa: https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/do...b-91595a4f5867 (link updated 2017-12-19, note new list can be published with different link) 35 more countries were announced as eligible for e-visa on Feb 20, 2019. Total is now 81 countries. See post 1561 for new additions (government website is down currently, will update with link here when possible).
Remember to print out the e-visa form they give you, as they will request it on arrival and on departure!
Some ports of entry require the evisa to be validated on arrival. In particular DAD has been cited in the thread as requiring the evisa holder to be processed at the VOA desk. Takes about 15 mins.
Visa On Arrival (VOA) at Airport Border Entries
Travelers planning to obtain a VOA should arrive with the following documents:
VOA stamp fees for Non-USA passport holders (as of December 2019) are US$25 for a single entry of 1 or 3 months validity, US$50 for multiple entry of 1 or 3 months validity or US$100 for multiple entry 1 year validity.
For USA passport holders, there was a temporary increase from September to December of 2016, up to $135. However Effective December 15, 2016 the $135 stamping fee for US citizens has been dropped, and there are reports US passport holders can be issued VOA letters for single entry 30 day visas again AND that US citizens should only have to pay a $25 stamp fee at on collection of VOA. In late December, there were reports are that the desks in HAN and DAD did not receive the memo, so YMMV until the airport desks "get the memo."
This fee must be paid at the VOA counter on arrival , and is in addition to whatever fees you have paid the VOA service provider for the invitation letter. Payments are accepted in Vietnamese Dong, USD or Euros.
Visa on arrival (VOA) is permitted for one of the following purposes:
There are countless service providers on the internet that offer VOA approval letters for a fee. Legitimate providers are licensed travel agencies, thus meeting the highlighted criterion above. Those planning to obtain a VOA approval letter are advised to take steps to ensure they are working with a licensed Vietnam travel agency or tour operator. Some Vietnam hotels are also able to provide this service.
Some VOA service providers offer expedited processing for same day or 30 minutes turnaround on issuance of VOA letter and priority processing upon arrival at the airport in Vietnam for an additional fee.
Advantages of VOA include lower cost than embassy-issued visa, eliminates the need to visit an embassy or mail passport for advance visa, and faster receipt of VOA approval letter (sent via email).
Disadvantages of VOA include longer immigration processing upon arrival, with potentially long waits for receipt of visa (usually 10-20 min., but longer waits do occur); privacy concerns due to inclusion of personal data for multiple unrelated travelers on one approval letter; and risk of scams by unauthorized VOA service providers.
VOA Process at the Airport in SGN
Removed by poster
VOA Service Providers Recommended By FTers
The following are a few of the VOA service providers that have been used and discussed in the thread by active FlyerTalk members. These providers publish sufficient information on their websites to suggest that they are authorized operators (e.g., provide physical business address, state actual travel company name, display tour operator license number, etc.). Members should verify these basic criteria before adding providers this list; simply having had successful transactions is not sufficient:
External Sources
26th-April
Edited to note that some ports of entry require the e-visa to be validated on arrival.
8 December 2019- Edited to add note about Phu Quoc being exempt from visa for 30 day visit and add info about 1 year multiple entry Visa which is now available via VoA process too.
FlyerTalkers with at least 90 days of membership and a minimum of 90 posts are invited to make corrections and update the information in this Wikipost.
Vietnam Visa Information
Main source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam - Visa Application and Information - includes fillable application (external website)
Transit Without Visa
Vietnam permits foreigners to transit without a visa (TWOV) provided they remain inside the airport transit areas while awaiting an onward flight out of the country within 24 hours of arrival. Travelers are not allowed to leave the airport without a visa.
Visa Exemption for Phu Quoc Island
If you are only visiting Phu Quoc Island, guess what, you probably don't need a visa at all! There is a 30 day visa exception for Phu Quoc visits, and many people report being able to transit in HAN or SGN en route to PQC. But there are now direct flights to PQC and that allows you to avoid having to get a visa at all. Worth considering...
Regular Visa in Advance of Travel
Foreigners may obtain a visa at the nearest Vietnamese embassy or consulate. Prices are not published and appear to vary from location to location. Most recent reports suggest a typical fee of approximately USD 100.
ONLINE APPLICATION LOOSE LEAF VISA
Vietnam Visa Online Application and instructions:
http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/consul...cation-process
From what I've learned, you attach the three (3) files listed below to an email along with your credit card number and the visa section will mail back a loose leaf visa.
As of December, 2015, the fees are $80 = 1 month visa, $20 = overnight USPS, $10 priority mail. Multiple entry visas are available.
Fill out the online application form.
http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/consul...cation-process
Follow "online form" link. Choose language top right.
Including uploading to the application a correctly sized photo, 2x2 inches (website will check and confirm) that will propagate into the application.
Print out the application form, sign, scan as .pdf file. Attach the .pdf to your email.
Attach a correctly sized photo (2x2 inches).
Attach a scanned a copy of your passport (photo, personal detail pages and signature page).
Include your credit card number. The visa section will charge your card for visa type and USPS Express return a loose leaf visa.
Ask politely for the tracking number and total charges.
Call Embassy Visa to double check the above details and current email address: 202. 861. 0737, x118/121/122/123/125
As of December, 2015, the email address to send the application is: [email protected].
Visa Exemption
Those traveling on passports issued by the following nations are generally exempt from visa requirements for varying durations of stay: Belarus, Brunei, Cambodia, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and UK. See the entry visa exemption list at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for duration of stay info.
eVisa
https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/en...trang-chu-ttdt
List of countries eligible for eVisa: https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/do...b-91595a4f5867 (link updated 2017-12-19, note new list can be published with different link) 35 more countries were announced as eligible for e-visa on Feb 20, 2019. Total is now 81 countries. See post 1561 for new additions (government website is down currently, will update with link here when possible).
Remember to print out the e-visa form they give you, as they will request it on arrival and on departure!
Some ports of entry require the evisa to be validated on arrival. In particular DAD has been cited in the thread as requiring the evisa holder to be processed at the VOA desk. Takes about 15 mins.
Visa On Arrival (VOA) at Airport Border Entries
Travelers planning to obtain a VOA should arrive with the following documents:
- VOA approval letter
- Completed VISA APPLICATION which can be downloaded from most VOA service provider websites (travelers are advised to print the form on A4-size paper as there have been reports of US letter-size paper being refused)
- One passport-type photo
- Cash for visa stamp fee (see below)
VOA stamp fees for Non-USA passport holders (as of December 2019) are US$25 for a single entry of 1 or 3 months validity, US$50 for multiple entry of 1 or 3 months validity or US$100 for multiple entry 1 year validity.
For USA passport holders, there was a temporary increase from September to December of 2016, up to $135. However Effective December 15, 2016 the $135 stamping fee for US citizens has been dropped, and there are reports US passport holders can be issued VOA letters for single entry 30 day visas again AND that US citizens should only have to pay a $25 stamp fee at on collection of VOA. In late December, there were reports are that the desks in HAN and DAD did not receive the memo, so YMMV until the airport desks "get the memo."
This fee must be paid at the VOA counter on arrival , and is in addition to whatever fees you have paid the VOA service provider for the invitation letter. Payments are accepted in Vietnamese Dong, USD or Euros.
Visa on arrival (VOA) is permitted for one of the following purposes:
- Attend the funeral of family member or visit a family member in critical condition;
- Arrival from a country where there is no Vietnamese diplomatic mission/consular office;
- Visit Vietnam on tours organized by Vietnamese international travel agencies;
- Provide emergency technical assistance for construction works, projects; emergency treatment for critical patients or accident victims; emergency relief in cases of natural disasters or epidemics in Vietnam;
- For other urgent reasons.
- Provide emergency technical assistance for construction works, projects; emergency treatment for critical patients or accident victims; emergency relief in cases of natural disasters or epidemics in Vietnam;
- Visit Vietnam on tours organized by Vietnamese international travel agencies;
- Arrival from a country where there is no Vietnamese diplomatic mission/consular office;
There are countless service providers on the internet that offer VOA approval letters for a fee. Legitimate providers are licensed travel agencies, thus meeting the highlighted criterion above. Those planning to obtain a VOA approval letter are advised to take steps to ensure they are working with a licensed Vietnam travel agency or tour operator. Some Vietnam hotels are also able to provide this service.
Some VOA service providers offer expedited processing for same day or 30 minutes turnaround on issuance of VOA letter and priority processing upon arrival at the airport in Vietnam for an additional fee.
Advantages of VOA include lower cost than embassy-issued visa, eliminates the need to visit an embassy or mail passport for advance visa, and faster receipt of VOA approval letter (sent via email).
Disadvantages of VOA include longer immigration processing upon arrival, with potentially long waits for receipt of visa (usually 10-20 min., but longer waits do occur); privacy concerns due to inclusion of personal data for multiple unrelated travelers on one approval letter; and risk of scams by unauthorized VOA service providers.
VOA Process at the Airport in SGN
Removed by poster
VOA Service Providers Recommended By FTers
The following are a few of the VOA service providers that have been used and discussed in the thread by active FlyerTalk members. These providers publish sufficient information on their websites to suggest that they are authorized operators (e.g., provide physical business address, state actual travel company name, display tour operator license number, etc.). Members should verify these basic criteria before adding providers this list; simply having had successful transactions is not sufficient:
- Hotels-in-Vietnam.com - part of Tun Travel, international tour operator license 0738/2007/TCDL-GP LHQT
- VietnamStay.com - multi-office tour operator, no license info found on website, multiple physical addresses provided
***Link not working - VietnamVisaCorp.com - part of Song Thu Travel, international tour operator license 79-411/2013/TCDL-GP LHQT
- Visa4Vietnam.com - part of Sense of Indochina, company license 0103103092
- Cheapvietnamvisa.net - data references on this thread Sep/08 & Sep/24 & Oct/07 & Dec/02 - 2015
External Sources
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam - Visa Application and Information - includes fillable application
- Ordinance on Entry, Exit and Residence of Foreigners - Vietnam Ministry of Justice
26th-April
Edited to note that some ports of entry require the e-visa to be validated on arrival.
8 December 2019- Edited to add note about Phu Quoc being exempt from visa for 30 day visit and add info about 1 year multiple entry Visa which is now available via VoA process too.
FlyerTalkers with at least 90 days of membership and a minimum of 90 posts are invited to make corrections and update the information in this Wikipost.
Prior to 2022: Visa / VOA Info for Vietnam
Feb 16, 2017, 1:50 pm
#1276
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Tri-State Area
Posts: 4,728
Feb 16, 2017, 8:40 pm
#1277
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 3,097
The big change is that it can be used at land entry points: e.g., arriving from China or Cambodia. No more running back and forth to consulates/embassies in neighboring countries.
Google shows 14 border crossing into Vietnam, while the application lists 13, so perhaps one crossing isn't included or perhaps Google is wrong, I don't know.
Google shows 14 border crossing into Vietnam, while the application lists 13, so perhaps one crossing isn't included or perhaps Google is wrong, I don't know.
Feb 16, 2017, 11:26 pm
#1278
Join Date: Apr 2012
Programs: AA EXP, UA Gold, SPG Plat
Posts: 386
Last edited by caimaster; Feb 18, 2017 at 2:30 am
Feb 17, 2017, 8:25 am
#1279
formerly known as Tad's Broiled Steaks
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,412
The big change is that it can be used at land entry points: e.g., arriving from China or Cambodia. No more running back and forth to consulates/embassies in neighboring countries.
Google shows 14 border crossing into Vietnam, while the application lists 13, so perhaps one crossing isn't included or perhaps Google is wrong, I don't know.
Google shows 14 border crossing into Vietnam, while the application lists 13, so perhaps one crossing isn't included or perhaps Google is wrong, I don't know.
Feb 17, 2017, 4:17 pm
#1280
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
Flew into SGN today around 11:00am. The VOA arrival line was a mad house. No single file lines. You just have to fight through to submit your passport. It took about 10 mins to submit your passport and paperwork to the agent. The wait for your name to be call was another 45mins. In all, it took about an hour to secure my VOA. I have a USA passport and the stamp fee was $25 for single entry. I paid $6 for the letter from http://www.vietnamvisapro.com/
Feb 19, 2017, 7:52 pm
#1282
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 19
Updated: A number of travelers confirm that they still have to go to the VOA zone even they got EVisa. The reason is that evisa is new thing to all of the officer at the immigration control and they need confirmation from visa officer. Hopefully the process will be faster next month.
Feb 20, 2017, 12:06 am
#1283
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Fll/mia/bkk
Programs: AA explt, 5 million miler
Posts: 206
Just FYI. I got a 30 day visa today at the Vietnam Embassy in Bangkok for $65 US . Leave passport, pick up in 3 days. This is the same as last year.
Feb 20, 2017, 9:30 am
#1284
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO/SMF
Programs: Holder of six "persona non-grata" awards
Posts: 1,914
I applied for for and received my e-visa on-line in less than 24 hours at a cost of $27USD. I'm not going until December 2017, so hopefully, the authorities will have it figured out by then and entry will be a breeze. FYI, this is a single-entry visa.
Updated: A number of travelers confirm that they still have to go to the VOA zone even they got EVisa. The reason is that evisa is new thing to all of the officer at the immigration control and they need confirmation from visa officer. Hopefully the process will be faster next month.
Feb 21, 2017, 3:10 am
#1285
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
Feb 21, 2017, 4:15 am
#1286
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 19
BTW, it's not a bad thing after all. It's just like priority service provided by airline for priority check-in, boarding, etc.
People are happy to pay extra for that, especially when the extra amount is not too much.
Feb 21, 2017, 5:05 pm
#1287
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
I agree. However it's the waiting time that you could save, not the processing time. The processing time is always around 5-10 minutes meanwhile the waiting time may up to hour.
BTW, it's not a bad thing after all. It's just like priority service provided by airline for priority check-in, boarding, etc.
People are happy to pay extra for that, especially when the extra amount is not too much.
BTW, it's not a bad thing after all. It's just like priority service provided by airline for priority check-in, boarding, etc.
People are happy to pay extra for that, especially when the extra amount is not too much.
And the poster's observation are correct. If you hit VOA at the wrong time, it can take a while. 45 minutes is probably worst case, but it is almost never as quick as 5 to 10 minutes.....15 to 20 minutes is very typical.
And... the line to submit rarely takes more than a minute or two so the expedited service usually saves you almost no time. It's a complete ripoff and a scam IMHO.
Feb 22, 2017, 3:32 am
#1288
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 19
Not true. Read the post that I was responding to. Poster said it took 10 minutes submit and then it took 45 minutes to process the application. So using the priority service would save at most 10 minutes.
And the poster's observation are correct. If you hit VOA at the wrong time, it can take a while. 45 minutes is probably worst case, but it is almost never as quick as 5 to 10 minutes.....15 to 20 minutes is very typical.
And... the line to submit rarely takes more than a minute or two so the expedited service usually saves you almost no time. It's a complete ripoff and a scam IMHO.
And the poster's observation are correct. If you hit VOA at the wrong time, it can take a while. 45 minutes is probably worst case, but it is almost never as quick as 5 to 10 minutes.....15 to 20 minutes is very typical.
And... the line to submit rarely takes more than a minute or two so the expedited service usually saves you almost no time. It's a complete ripoff and a scam IMHO.
But I still agree with you, sometimes the fast track service is not worth
Feb 22, 2017, 9:39 am
#1289
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
I will repeat again, Fast Track has no impact on the processing time (from submission to get their visa stamp). All it does is shorten the time to submission and that's just because the agents are cutting in line.
Feb 22, 2017, 1:58 pm
#1290
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 1,215
I did VOA at HAN last week. The line was long, but it moved very quickly. Even with the very long line, we were issued visas and through to the exit within 30 minutes.