Vietnam evisa was first time introduced by the Vietnam Immigration Department in February 2017. During COVID 19 pandemic, it has been paused and then officially resumed on August 15th, 2023. Vietnam e-visa is now eligible for all the foreigners who expect to travel Vietnam for 30 – 90 days with single or multiple entry
This type of visa promises to be an innovation in Vietnam immigration and residence as it can be done online entirely with simple process and totally secured.
In order apply for a Vietnam e-visa, you will need an image of passport and a passport photo those are taken in a good quality. The processing time will take 3 – 5 working days but sometime it will take longer if the visa application need further verification. You are strong recommended to apply a visa early and get it done before buying the flight ticket.
There are some issues may happen to your e-visa application:
1. You filled out the application form with incorrect data and the visa application is denied. You then have to amend the information and it may be late for your flight;
2. The image of passport and the passport photo quality are poor then you have to update the visa application with better photos. This will cause delays in getting your e-visa;
3. You get the e-visa done but it contains the typos, errors or mistakes in the full name, date of birth, passport number or passport date of expiration that you can not use it to board the plane and of course, you are not allowed to enter Vietnam;
4. You received the e-visa with the incorrect date of arrival. Please note that you are allowed to travel Vietnam after the start date mentioned on e-visa, but not before;
5. You applied for an e-visa but it needs further verification by the Vietnam Immigration Department so that it could not be completed in time. The visa application returns the “in processing” status after 3 working days that you may miss your flight at the last minutes;
As the above mentioned typical issues may affect to your trip, you will need to apply for the Vietnam e-visa as soon as possible. It is ideally to get the visa done before you buying the flight ticket 2 weeks to 1 month before your flight time
Applying for Vietnam visa is quite simple, but you are suggested to learn about the Vietnam immigration regulations and policies carefully before departure for Vietnam. Mistakes do happen and it will be a costly mistake if it occurs during Vietnamese public holidays or at weekend. To apply for a visa successfully without paying extra fee, you should follow the instructions below:
First,
Always double check the Vietnam visa requirements for your nations. Some countries whose citizens are exempted from Vietnam visa for 30 days; some have 15 days and the others are limited from getting Vietnam visa on arrival.
Second,
Making a plan how long you will stay in Vietnam. If it is 15 days or less you may receive a 15 days days visa free, you can just turn up with your passport. The 15 days start from the day you enter and that day is day 1. You must leave on or before day 15. For instance, if you arrive on March 2nd, you must leave before midnight on March 16th, remembering to count March 2nd as day 1. For overstaying 1 – 2 days, you can pay the fine fee at the airport when you leave the country.
The countries whose citizens can stay in Vietnam with visa free:
1. Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Laos passport holders have 30 days visa waiver;
2. Philippines passport holders have 21 days visa exemption;
3. Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Finland, Belarus, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom citizens can stay in the country 45 days with visa free;
4. Brunei passport holders can stay 14 days at the maximum.
Third,
Decide if you want to re-enter the country (fly into Vietnam more than once). For instance (and the most popular) you’ll fly into Vietnam first and then visit Cambodia. After finishing your Cambodia trip, you return to Vietnam for the flight back to your home. In this case you travel Vietnam twice and you will need a MULTIPLE entry visa, which does cost slightly more than a single entry visa.
Forth,
Decide if you want to purchase a VOA (visa on arrival) or an e-visa. Visa on arrival is beneficial for those whose e-visa application is pending or being amended. Here is further details on the three options:
VOA, visa on arrival: This is done in two stages. Firstly go online in your own country at www.visumvietnamonline.com, you can apply for a VOA and you will be sent a letter of approval issued by the Vietnam Immigration Department which you will show with your passport on arrival in Vietnam. The advantage of this is it is cheap, the disadvantage is you do have to queue on arrival with all the others arriving applying for VOA. You must get your letter and passport checked, pay the stamping fee and a stamp is then added to your passport. It is usual to take about 30 to 40 minutes; it can take less, but it can take more.
A common mistake is to think you can turn up in Vietnam and think you can arrange VOA by yourself directly at arrival airport. No, you can’t! You must follow the two stage VOA procedure. It is pretty unlikely you would even get on to a flight if you turned up without a visa stamp or a visa VOA letter.
Vietnam Embassy visa: You will have to locate the Vietnam Embassy in the country that you are applying from. You can send or take your passport to the Vietnam Embassy to get your visa stamped. This is quite a lot more expensive, but you do not have to queue on arrival. In UK in normal conditions, it takes about 6 to 8 days sent by registered post.
How to apply for e-visa for Vietnam:
- The foreigners go online at https://www.visumvietnamonline.com/e-visa/ and fill in the form with required information and submit photos;
- After filling the form, you will receive a registration code and be redirected to the payment page;
- Once the payment complete, the foreigners will receive e-visa within 3 – 5 working days (if approved)