Visa Information

Our guide to Visa Information by our Vietnam local expert.

Vietnamese Government approved Resolutions 82/2015/NĐ-CP on 24/9/2015 on visa exemption for overseas Vietnamese, foreign spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese. Start 15/11/2015, Overseas Vietnamese, foreign spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese are eligible for entry visa exemption if fully meeting the following conditions: Having foreign passports or valid international travel document which remain valid for at least 1 year from the date of entry. Foreign spouses or children of overseas Vietnamese or Vietnamese citizens are required to present papers proving their spouse or child relationship with overseas Vietnamese or Vietnamese citizens (marriage certificate, birth certificate, paper certifying parental or child relationship or other valid papers as provided for by Vietnamese law).
 
UPDATE: Start in 1/1/2015 the residents of other ASIAN countries and all foreign passport holders who stay no more than 30 days on Phu Quoc Island off mainland Kien Giang Province are not required to obtain a Vietnam Visa.  The Government has issued a decision extending unilateral visa exemptions for tourists from Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia for another five years starting from January 1.  The Travel Department of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourist (VNAT) said nationals of those seven countries will not have to apply for a visa when they visit Vietnam for no more than 15 days. Start 1/7/2015 the travelers from Belarus, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain will not require a vissa to Vietnam for trips up to 15 days. As of August 30, 2016, the Vietnamese government have implemented a new visa regulation for US citizens who plan on visiting Vietnam. This new policy introduces a 1-year multiple entry visa and replaces all previous types of visa (30-day tourism/business, single entry/multiple entry).

Vietnamese Government approved Resolutions 82/2015/NĐ-CP on 24/9/2015 on visa exemption for overseas Vietnamese, foreign spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese. Start 15/11/2015, Overseas Vietnamese, foreign spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese are eligible for entry visa exemption if fully meeting the following conditions: Having foreign passports or valid international travel document which remain valid for at least 1 year from the date of entry. Foreign spouses or children of overseas Vietnamese or Vietnamese citizens are required to present papers proving their spouse or child relationship with overseas Vietnamese or Vietnamese citizens (marriage certificate, birth certificate, paper certifying parental or child relationship or other valid papers as provided for by Vietnamese law).

IMPORTANT: For those arriving by land - not an airport - please complete your visa at a Vietnamese Embassy in your or another country before you arrive to Vietnam land. This VOA process will not be an option for you.

If you arrive in Vietnam by air at Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, or Da Nang airport, the most used, legitimate alternative to obtaining a full visa stamp from the Vietnamese Embassy in your own (or another) country, is to use an online service to obtain a Letter of Approval, and then pay the Stamp Fee to finish your visa on arrival (VOA). Yes, it is a two - step process this way, with two separate fees, but once issued, this visa is exactly the same as a visa issued by any Vietnamese embassy/consulate, having the exact same conditions.

False warning: You may not be aware yet, because it is kind of strange, but the Vietnamese Embassy website posts a warning against using these online processed VOA. They claim that the websites aren’t legitimate or that the online agents are unreliable - but this isn't true! They do this to direct travelers to purchasing the believed “only option, legal” visa at a Vietnamese Embassy, and they charge more and make a lot of income from this. Unless you are a citizen that isn’t available for a VOA, please do not believe that you cannot use a website to process your VOA.

How to obtain your letter of approval: The process online is very easy and there are many reputable agents. Most accept all major credit cards and with some you can even pay through PayPal. 

The processing price that each company charges varies, and some tour operators/ travel agents may even offer cut - price VOAs approval letter fees, hoping that you will book tours with them. Use your discretion here. Usually the price is between 10 -  45 USD.

After entering your information or maybe following a confirmation by email, you will be directed to a secure web site to pay the agency fee. It usually takes about 2 - 3 working days to receive the email with your approval letter. Urgent processing may be possible, but costs extra depending on your processor.

Note about the letter: Don't be alarmed if there are other people's names on the letter, along with their passport numbers, date of birth and nationalities. This is common for almost all of the agencies to do. It must be easier for them, as they make bulk applications for up to 20+ persons and all applicants' names are printed on one letter, so you have to page through to find your name on the list. It sounds somewhat strange, but it hasn’t caused any known issues. If you have concerns about privacy or security, you can ask your agent for a private approval letter with only your name and info, or also the names of family members or friends you are travelling with, if applicable. But this may only be an option if agency mentions ‘private’ service. If you want to avoid this entirely, you should consider applying to an embassy/consulate for your full visa stamp instead of the VOA process.

When you do receive the letter: Print out all of the pages and take it with you. Some airlines ask to see the letter when you are checking in, and you will of course need it at the VOA station when you arrive at a Vietnam airport. ****Another thing to print out: If your agent can supply it, print out the Application for Entry and Exit, which is the form that they will have for you to fill out at the VOA station. If you have it ready ahead of time, it will help the chaos of the line and will definitely help you finish the process there more quickly! Please note that some websites will recommend that you print and fill out TWO copies - but this is NOT necessary. Each person only needs ONE, no matter which visa is being applied for.

When applying for the letter you will need to choose between the Visa options:

*Your Letter of Approval will indicate your Visa type choice, and it is NOT easy or fun to ask the guys at the Visa On Arrival station at the airport to change this - so know your travel dates and which option is right for your plans.

- 1 or 3 months, each with the option for: single* or multiple* entry.

- Business or tourist.

- Non - airport visas (must be acquired @ the check in points if you enter by road or sea).

*Single entry means once you leave, this visa is done and you will need another visa to return.

*Multiple entries mean you may leave and re-enter Vietnam as much as you want during your visa’s period (of either 1 or 3 months). This is of course the best option for travelers planning to visit Laos or Cambodia while visiting Vietnam.

And then, the second fee you will pay is the stamping fee at the airport, and they are as follows:

Single Entry (1 and 3 months)                  45 USD

Multiple Entry (1 month)                             73 USD

Multiple Entry (3 months)                      95 USD

One disadvantage of the VOA System:  The process at the airport’s Visa on Arrival station can be really slow. The Ho Chi Minh City's airport, Tan Son Nhat, can be the slowest! Chaotic even, because there isn’t much for signage or direction, unless the cue assistant aid is keeping order and helping explain the process to people waiting. The Tan Son Nhat airport is Vietnam's busiest and simply handles far more traffic than the other two airports, and while they could definitely use an improvement in the way they handle this process, it doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon. So just prepare to be patient - even though it may be the last thing you feel, especially after an international flight or previous tiring days of backpacking travel!

In the high season of between December and May, it is not uncommon to have to wait for an hour or two to finish your VOA. In Hanoi and Da Nang, (or in Ho Chi Minh City in the low season or random slow times at the airport), it can take less than 15 minutes to get your visa stamp and pass through immigration and beat your bags to the baggage carousel. These are the mysteries of traveling  

**MAJOR Local Tip: Did your online agency remind you that you will need a passport size photo to go with your Letter of Approval, when you arrive at the VOA station at the airport? If you have one ready, it will help you get processing more quickly. However, don’t panic if you don’t have one, they will take one for you for a cheap fee of a couple of bucks. It just may slow down the process for you a bit.

Visa Extensions

You can extend your visa for up to 30 days after it expires for about 30 USD. You do this through a travel agency, of which there are many in District 1.

094 - 355 - 1155

Exemptions

Citizens of these countries are exempt from needing a Vietnam visa, but only for the number of days indicated. Important: They all require an on-going plane ticket though!

30 days maximum—Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, and Cambodia.

21 days—Phillippines.

15 days—Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, and Finland.

14 days maximum—Brunei and Myanmar

Business Visa/ Work Permit/ Vietnamese lineage 5 year visa exemption

If you plan to work in Vietnam for a short period of time, 3 months or less, you (with the help of your employer) can apply for a business visa which allows you to visit Vietnam in a business capacity.

If you want work in Vietnam for longer than three months, you and your employer will have to apply for a work permit for you. It requires many original and authenticated documents to prove your skills and qualifications, essentially explaining why you specially qualify for a position over a Vietnamese National. Note that the healthcare industry has extensive requirements for applications.

Although many expats end up working in Vietnam for a very long amount of time, many even retiring, Vietnam currently does not offer a long term or retirement visa system.

The only way to work or stay here long term is to renew a work permit or tourist/ business visa continually. And currently, the maximum length of a temporary resident permit (which is issued after applying for a work permit) is 3 years. The longest tourist visa available is for 3 months, although some agents claim to be able to arrange 6 month or 1 year tourist visas, there is no legitimate information regarding this.

For people whose parents were born in Vietnam or are married to a Vietnamese citizen, you may apply for a 5 year visa exemption.