To prevent you from getting troubles when apply for Vietnam visa on arrival, we have listed some common mistakes that so many travelers usually make. We truly hope everything will be easier for you after you have a look at the 6 common mistakes as below:
1. Getting visa on arrival without pre-arrange approval letter:
The reality is that many travelers believe they can get a Vietnam visa directly at the airports in Vietnam without having to apply online for getting approval letter. No good can come from this since it is not true at all. You may be ended up with the delaying or cancelling of your flights or you have to wait at the airport until the visa is approved. Therefore we strongly suggest that you should apply for Vietnam visa online and get a visa approval letter before departure.
2. Get visa on arrival at the border gate on land:
We would like to stress the point that visa on arrival is only applicable for those who travel Vietnam by air. In other words, there will be NO visa on arrival at the border gate on land will be issued. So if you travel by any other means of transport like bus, train or cruise ship… you can’t get visa on arrival. In this case, a traditional visa issued by the Vietnam Embassy or Consulates is required.
3. Spelling or typo mistakes:
Many applicants fill in the visa application form with incorrect details. It can be the applicant’s full name, date of birth, passport number or date of entry. Normally, no serious problems come from this however, you might get trouble at the departure airport if the information on your approval letter doesn’t match those in your passport. Therefore, you must check the visa information carefully before submitting to prevent you from getting unexpected problems.
4. Arrival date:
Many other travelers think that the visa validity starts from the date travelers actually enters Vietnam, not the date of entry which they entered when applying for a visa (it is also the date of entry stated in the approval letter). However, it is not true! Please note that your visa validity commences from the date you provided earlier, not the date you will enter Vietnam. We highly suggest that you should make a clear plan about the date you will enter Vietnam before applying for a visa to Vietnam for your convenience.
5. Visa extension:
Most travelers have the belief that it is easy to extend a visa so they don’t pay much attention about which kind of visa they must choose. For example, in case the travelers are not sure about how long they will stay in Vietnam, they can apply for a 1 month visa first then have it extended later. However, please note that it is not as easy as you think it is supposed to be. In fact, extending a visa may be costly and time-consuming. So, if possible, just apply for a 3 month visa in advance instead of applying for a 1 month one so that you can save your money and time on visa extension.
6. No visa exemption for 2 continuous entries for some nations:
Some nations including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom are exempted from Vietnam visa for 15 days. However, it they return to Vietnam within 30 days from the last entry, they are not exempted from Vietnam visa this time. In this case, a Vietnam entry visa is required.