If
you are planning to arrive in Vietnam by AIR at Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi or
Da Nang airport, an alternative to obtaining a full visa stamp from the
Vietnamese Embassy in your own or another country is to opt for a very simple
and cheaper visa on arrival (VOA). Once issued, this visa is exactly the same
as a visa issued by an embassy/consulate, with the same limitations and
conditions attached to its use.
The VISA
ON ARRIVAL paperwork is not a full visa,
rather you employ an agent (before you arrive) in Vietnam to obtain an
official letter of approval that you present at the VISA ON ARRIVAL counter when you land. Upon payment of a visa
processing fee at the airport (U.S.$45 for a one month (30 day) or 3
month (90 day) single entry visa, U.S. $65 for a less than 30 day multi-entry,
U.S.$95 for a 30 day or more multi) you will receive your passport back with a
full visa inside. Most agents ask you to state your present nationality as part
of the application process and provided you qualify you can apply for a one or
three month visa, single or multiple entry. The fees charged by VISA ON ARRIVAL
agents for their service varies from $9
and upwards, depending on the type of visa and the agent in question. Some tour
operators and travel agents may even offer cut-price VISA ON ARRIVAL s approval
letter fees in the hope that you will book tours with them. Do be aware that 3
month multi entry visa are still subject to restrictions, such that before
firming your plans (regarding entry and exits from Vietnam), it would be
prudent to check if you can get a visa for the required dates.
One
disadvantage of the VISA ON ARRIVAL system is that the process at the airport can
be slow. HCMC airport (Tan Son Nhat) in particular, where things can become
pretty chaotic if people do not form an orderly queue. HCMC airport is
Vietnam's busiest and handles far more traffic than the other two airports. In
the high season, it is not uncommon to have to wait for an hour or two, even
more so if you are stuck behind a large tour group. In Hanoi and Da Nang, and even
in HCMC in the low season and during quiet times of the day, it can take less
than 15 minutes to get your visa and pass through immigration - indeed you are
likely to arrive at the baggage carousel before your bags do.
How
to obtain your letter of approval.
Applying
for a VISA ON ARRIVAL letter of approval
on-line is very easy and there are many reputable agents (use a search engine -
Google, Yahoo etc. - to search for 'visa on arrival Vietnam'). They
accept all major credit cards and with some you can pay through PayPal.
Important
money saving tip: ** One Month Multiple Entry Fee - the one month multiple entry fee
can be either $65 or $95 depending on the number of days determined by the
valid date range stated on the visa stamped. If the days calculated to be
30 or over, you will pay $95, otherwise you pay $65. If you won't be
needing 30 days, you will want to apply your approval letter as follows.
For example, if you will be travelling say from April 5 to April 25, instead of
applying for a VISA ON ARRIVAL approval
letter starting on April 5, you want to apply for one starting on say March
27. This makes your VISA ON ARRIVAL valid from March 27 to April 27 (more than 29
days) but when you enter on April 5. the visa will state April 5 to April 27
(less than 30 days), you will need only to pay $65. -- based from a real
experience in March 2013
On
the agent's web site or by email you may be asked for the following
information:
1.
Your full name (some agents specifically require the names to be in the exact
order they appear in the passport, so surname first)
2.
Present nationality
3.
Date of birth
4.
Occupation
5.
Passport number
6.
Passport date of issue
7.
Passport expiry date
8.
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 that you arrive - you may
enter Vietnam at a later date - up to your exit date - but not before this
date, so be sure to take time zone differences into account)
9.
Flight reference
10.
Arrival time
11.
Airport of arrival
12.
Purpose of visit
What
your approval letter should look like.
After
entering the information on-line or following confirmation by email you will be
directed to a secure web site to pay the agency fee. In 2-3 days the agent will
email you the approval letter (see image). Don't be alarmed if there are
other people's names on the letter (it is common for agents to make bulk
applications for up to 30 persons and all applicants' names are printed
on one letter, consisting of one or more pages), together with their
nationalities, dates of birth and passport numbers, but if you have concerns
about privacy or security you should instead consider applying to an
embassy/consulate for your visa. Alternatively you can ask your agent for a
private approval letter that bears only your name, and if applicable the names
of family members or friends who are travelling with you. If an agency does not
mention a 'private' or 'separate' service on its site, then it will be
processing the applications in bulk.
Please
make sure that your surname, given names and required entry / exit dates are
100% correct. If you have applied for a multi-entry visa that it does state 'Is
permitted to enter and exit Vietnam multiple times'. You will not be allowed to
enter Vietnam before the entry date shown.The approval letter is valid at any
of the three named airports but cannot be used at any land border
crossing. If entering via a land crossing you must already be in possession
of a valid visa.
Print
out the entire letter of approval (colour preferred but not essential) and
don't forget to take it with you! Some airlines will ask to see the letter
before they allow you to check in or board the aircraft and you will need it at
the VISA ON ARRIVAL desk when you arrive
at the airport in Vietnam. The agent might also send you an Application for
Entry and Exit Visa form ( this form is available upon arrival but you will
have to queue to obtain it ). Some agents also have this form available for
download on their websites. It is recommended that you fill in this form in
advance (ignore the instructions about printing out two copies - only ONE
is needed).
Airport
Visa Procedure and Payment Process (Ho
Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang).
VISA
ON ARRIVAL is handled by the immigration
service at the airports and as such, if the airport is operating so is the VISA
ON ARRIVAL department. It is absolutely
vital that you have your visa processing fee(s) on you, in cash.
There are no money machines (ATMs), money changers or any other way of
withdrawing money in the immigration hall and the authorities do not take
plastic. Until you can pay in cash you won't get into the country and
you could end up having a wonderful holiday camped on the wrong side of the
barrier until your return flight leaves. If you have a bank card, an
immigration officer might offer to escort you to an ATM to withdraw some money.
Meanwhile you might starve to death (slight exaggeration, but you get the
point) as it might be many hours before that happens. They have been known to
accept payment in currencies other than US Dollars but are not obligated to do
so. If they choose not to, you will have a problem if you haven't brought US
Dollars with you.
At
Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat International Airport) the VISA ON
ARRIVAL window is situated over to the
left as you enter the immigration hall, at the far end. The counter is
sign-posted - LANDING VISA. Do not join any queues for
Immigration Control. When you get to the Landing Visa (VISA ON ARRIVAL )
window, hand over your passport, one completed copy of the Entry
and Exit form, the entire letter of approval and one passport
size photo (the officer will staple your photo to the form if not already
attached). You should then go and sit down. Even with few people being
processed do not expect passports (with the visa attached) to be returned in
the order that they were presented at the window.
When
your visa is ready, your name will be called and at the same time your passport
held up to the window with the photo page showing. You then pay the processing
visa fee - U.S.$45 for single entry, 1 or 3 month. up to U.S.$95 (**see
above) for a One Month Multiple Entry. Vietnamese Dong or U.S. Dollars are the
preferred currencies. The notes should be in good condition (no marks, nicks or
tears) but it is not necessary for them to be brand new. At HCMC, people have
also had Australian Dollars, GB Pounds and Euros accepted as payment instead of
U.S. Dollars but no change is given for currencies other than U.S. dollars or
Dong. However, to avoid payment problems, U.S. Dollars are preferable as there
have been occasional reports of other currencies not being accepted. Once you
have paid, your passport will be returned to you, along with a receipt for your
payment. Be sure to check the newly issued visa for any errors while still at
the window. You then go to the immigration control posts to be processed in the
normal way. Baggage reclaim and Customs are downstairs.
At Hanoi
(Noi Bai International Airport) the procedure differs slightly. The VISA
ON ARRIVAL office is situated to the
left as you leave the corridor and enter the immigration hall. Hand in
your passport and VISA ON ARRIVAL approval
letter at the counter, and pick up an Entry and Exit Form if you haven't
downloaded and completed one beforehand. If necessary there are desks where you
can fill in the form. Then walk along the right-hand side of the office to the
counter at the opposite end and wait for your name to be called. Because
foreign names can be difficult for the immigration officers to pronounce they
usually also hold up the passport with the bearer's photo facing outwards.
When
you have handed your payment (see above for the required condition of the
dollar notes), completed Entry and Exit form and passport photo to the
immigration officer he or she will give you a receipt and return your passport
to you, complete with the visa stamp. Check that the the exit date on the visa
is correct (that is, in one month's or three months' time), then retrace your
steps along the side of the office and proceed to Immigration Control. Turn
right for baggage reclaim and Customs.
At Da
Nang follow the exit signs. As soon as you enter the huge hall it is
very easy to find the VISA ON ARRIVAL window - it is on the left hand side and is
clearly visible. The process is reasonably quick (approximately 15 minutes with
all necessary paperwork completed before landing) but do bear in mind there is
no guarantee it will be always be the same. After receiving visas / passports
back, progress onwards to immigration control. Immigration Control can be slow,
sometimes 3 or 4 long lines. Everyone queues up together going through the same
check-points and there are no separate checkpoints for Vietnamese passengers
and other nationalities.
Tip.
If there are two or more of you obtaining VISA ON ARRIVAL it would be prudent that once you've handed in
your paperwork, that one of you stands in line for immigration control. That
way you won't be at the back of a long queue.
If
you are thinking about applying for a Vietnamese driving license - you will need a 3 month visa as part
of the application process.
A
caution: If you apply for a 3 month VISA ON ARRIVAL visa with a driving license in mind, do make
sure you enter Vietnam on the original date that you asked for and what is
shown on your approval letter. Any VISA ON ARRIVAL issued visa starts from your actual arrival
date. If you arrive any day(s) later than you originally intended you will end
up with a visa with X number of days on it - not a full 3 month (90 day) visa.
Your exit date is fixed and that is what limits the number of days the visa is
valid for, e.g. you could end up with a visa valid for say 2 months 25 days
etc. This can create problems when applying for the license. Therefore it's a
case of turning up when you said you would or alternatively going the embassy
route, where the issued visa IS for a full 3 months (90 days), irrespective of
when you arrive.
Note:
Public holidays in Vietnam, e.g. Tet (Vietnam's New Year), can seriously delay
not only VISA ON ARRIVAL applications
but also embassy issued visas as well. Apply for either in good time.
Additional
Notes:
Citizens
of some countries do not need a visa for short visits but do please
check that the following information is still valid:
1.
Stays of
not more than 30 days: citizens of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia,
Cambodia and Laos.
2.
Stays of
not more than 21 days: citizens of Phillippines.
3.
Stays of
not more than 15 days: citizens of Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark,
Finland, Russian Federation.
4.
Stays of
not more than 14 days: citizens of Brunei.
There
has never been a Visa Exemption for travel to Phu Quoc island,
any info you find on some internet web site are false.
Extending
a visa is a simple
process. However you will need to do it through an agent because there are many
rules and the passport will have to be sent to HCMC or Hanoi. In general, all
extended visas are single entry (they will be cancelled on departure) and the
duration can be for 1 month or 3 months (1 month visas are not usually eligible
for a 3 month extension). The cost ranges from $20 to $40 depending on the
number of months and the distance from the immigration office. The application
can only be processed during the last week of the current visa's validity and
it usually takes 3 to 10 days.
Note:
Citizens of the following countries are not eligible to obtain a VISA ON
ARRIVAL . NB: The list is not exhaustive.
The
various agents advertising on-line applications for VISA ON ARRIVAL cannot process visa applications from citizens
of the countries listed below. These citizens must obtain a visa prior to
travel either from a Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate located in their country
or via the Vietnam Immigration Department direct. Any approval letters issued
will be declined on arrival.
Source: Trip Advisor
-
Hang Dao,
