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
Jan 18, 2019, 11:20 pm
#1547
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: SEA
Programs: UA 1P 1MM, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 625
Yes. I put our arrival date a few days ahead of planned arrival date just in case we ended up changing plans by a couple of days. No issues or questions on arrival. The only issue may arise if you arrive after the 30 day validity period (IIRC) from the intended arrival date.
Jan 20, 2019, 8:39 am
#1548
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
Yes. I put our arrival date a few days ahead of planned arrival date just in case we ended up changing plans by a couple of days. No issues or questions on arrival. The only issue may arise if you arrive after the 30 day validity period (IIRC) from the intended arrival date.
Jan 20, 2019, 8:05 pm
#1549
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: LHR
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 159
Likely paranoid question regarding arrival date for VOA: mine is valid from Feb 5th...I board my JAL flight in the US on Feb 4th and transit thru NRT to HAN arriving on Feb 5th. I know this is probably worrying unnecessarily, but will my VOA be ok to board my flight in the US? I assume airlines are accustomed to this time zone/date discrepancy.
Thanks for any peace of mind!
Thanks for any peace of mind!
Jan 20, 2019, 9:59 pm
#1550
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Truth or Consequences, NM
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, UA Silver, Mobile Passport Unobtanium
Posts: 6,192
Likely paranoid question regarding arrival date for VOA: mine is valid from Feb 5th...I board my JAL flight in the US on Feb 4th and transit thru NRT to HAN arriving on Feb 5th. I know this is probably worrying unnecessarily, but will my VOA be ok to board my flight in the US? I assume airlines are accustomed to this time zone/date discrepancy.
Thanks for any peace of mind!
Thanks for any peace of mind!
Jan 24, 2019, 3:15 am
#1553
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bangkok, Thailand. No longer Palm Coast, FL though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,153
My recent entry into Vietnam at DAD with an evisa required a little time in the VOA line as apparently they need to "verify" the evisa and can't seem to do that at the regular passport control exit, so an officer walked me over to VOA and cut the line, but still needed to wait for an officer to "sign-off" on the printout, and then get back into the regular exit line.
Jan 28, 2019, 8:46 am
#1554
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: AA EXP, DL-Plat, WN-CP | Hotels: Choice-Gld, IHG-Plt, Rad-Gld, HH-Dia, Hyatt-Glob, Marriott-LtPlt
Posts: 2,889
Edit: My e-visa has been approved. It took just about 8 days. So, I have my own answer to below.
___________________________________
Original: Does anyone have experience with longer-than expected "in processing" periods after applying for a Vietnam e-visa? I'm a US passport holder and I'm sitting at just over a week.
Mrs. FindAWay's e-visa application was submitted 15 minutes before mine and she received her approval after only a day or two. However, mine remains "in processing."
Sorry to hijack an existing thread, but, the title seemed appropriate and I'm not sure my question merited a new thread.
___________________________________
Original: Does anyone have experience with longer-than expected "in processing" periods after applying for a Vietnam e-visa? I'm a US passport holder and I'm sitting at just over a week.
Mrs. FindAWay's e-visa application was submitted 15 minutes before mine and she received her approval after only a day or two. However, mine remains "in processing."
Sorry to hijack an existing thread, but, the title seemed appropriate and I'm not sure my question merited a new thread.
Last edited by FindAWay; Jan 29, 2019 at 8:38 am
Jan 30, 2019, 1:16 pm
#1555
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DFW
Posts: 1,145
It seems like the 30 min VOA line wouldn't be a big deal if you're just going to go sit in the departure terminal? Or you're getting a hotel for 4 hours? If you're just sitting around anyway, might as well get the voa.
As for the actual question, not too many come back and share about using the e-visa. Unfortunately you might have to be the one to try it if you want that answer.
beachboy I don't see any posts in this thread by you asking that question. But see above. We just got our first data point about getting back in within 15 days. But no comments yet on holding 2 at once.
As for the actual question, not too many come back and share about using the e-visa. Unfortunately you might have to be the one to try it if you want that answer.
beachboy I don't see any posts in this thread by you asking that question. But see above. We just got our first data point about getting back in within 15 days. But no comments yet on holding 2 at once.
Jan 30, 2019, 7:13 pm
#1556
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: TLL
Programs: AY Platinum
Posts: 66
So I got back last week and figured I would update everybody on my experience...and if you can hold two Evisa's....the verdict is...maybe, or yes..or not sure. LOL. I applied for an Evisa a good week before my initial trip and got it back in 3 days. I was leaving on a Wednesday from the US and on my stopover in Hong Kong (Thursday local time) I applied for a second Evisa. I arrived into Vietnam Friday very early morning and used my first Evisa. I checked my emails and online quite a bit starting on Monday but nothing ever came...nor on Tuesday..I didn't see anything on Wednesday when I arrived so I just used my VOA (waited about 40 mins and another 10 to get through immigration). This was Wednesday around 7pm local time. I flew Thursday (24th at 4:40am local time ) to Hong Kong and when I got up to catch my flight I had an email for my second evisa that was approved starting on 1/22, which is a Tuesday and the day I had put on my application. In theory, I would say yes you can hold two Evisa's and I was just a victim of them taking longer than 3 days (which others have stated can happen). But can't say 100% that it would work.
So I now have two (2) issued E-Visa's and will be entering HAN on Feb 11 / exiting Feb 13 and re-entering HAN Feb 16 / exiting Feb 18. As a back-up have a VOA invitation letter in case one of the E-Visa's has somehow been invalidated.
Will update how I go....
Jan 31, 2019, 6:27 pm
#1557
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AA LT PLT; HH Diamond; AS 75K
Posts: 2,879
I used a travel photo where my face was about 80% of the area and the Drakensburg mountains in the rest. There are a number of online sites that area free where you can crop a photo to passport size.
Also note, you need both the info page and signature page in the area for the passport photo.
Also note, you need both the info page and signature page in the area for the passport photo.
Feb 2, 2019, 2:14 am
#1558
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: CO Platinum/1K, SPG Platinum/Ambassador
Posts: 1,705
What’s the processing time for evisas lately?
cambodia is officially 3 days but I got mine in 2 hours.
Reason I ask is as we get closer to and then deeper into Tet, I imagine their speed will slow down.
cambodia is officially 3 days but I got mine in 2 hours.
Reason I ask is as we get closer to and then deeper into Tet, I imagine their speed will slow down.
Feb 2, 2019, 2:42 pm
#1560
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 50
I had a similar experience, my husband got his the next day and mine took a full 3 business days and went over a weekend so I think about 5 days total. Applied for both of us the same time. Two weeks is probably safe, one probably is too but if it's last minute or you don't get it in time you can get a VOA letter really quickly.