Vietnam visa on arrival

Like other countries as Cambodia, India, Indonesia, China... Vietnam has allowed visa agencies to arrange visa for their customers on their behalf. Previously, only travellers booking a tour to Vietnam can have their visa arranged by tour company which must possess an international tour operator license. Since 2005, the new law has changed the format of visa on arrival - making it easier to obtain than before.

Visa on arrival (so called pre-arranged visa, e-visa, landing visa or online visa) is one of the fastest and cheapest way to get a visa for Vietnam. People just need to fill in a online application secured form, pay the service fee and wait to get the "Visa approval letter" within 2 working days (normal processing) or 2 hours (emergency processing), in working days or at weekend or holidays then pick up a visa at destination airports in Vietnam (Hanoi airport, Ho Chi Minh city airport or Danang airport). It helps to avoid applying visa at local Vietnamese Embassy/Consulates which can take days.

A visa on arrival can be a tourist visa (30 days stay) or business visa (90 days stay) provided that you have arranged everything in advance and you get an authorised approval letter from the Vietnam Immigration Department.

1. Legitimacy

Vietnam visa on arrival is regulated in Vietnam immigration laws hence it is endorsed by the Vietnamese Government. This is a legitimate process and your visa is issued by the Vietnam Immigration Department. As indicated in the Ordinance on Entry, Exit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam (No. 24/2000/PL- UBTVQH 10 of April 28,2000), Chapter III, Article 6, foreigners are granted entry at International Border gate point under the following conditions:

a) They enter for funerals of their relatives, for visits to their seriously ill relatives;

b) They depart from countries where Vietnamese diplomatic missions and/or Consulates are not available.

c) They enter for visit under programs organized by international tour enterprises of Vietnam;

d) They enter to provide urgent technical support for programs, projects, to give first- aid to seriously ill person, accident victims, to provide rescue for victims of natural disasters and epidemics in Vietnam.

e) For other urgent reasons.

Except for condition C, in which customers will have to deal with a visa agency who will forward the applications over to the immigration office, the rest of conditions need to be verified and pre-approved by Vietnamese embassies and consulates abroad.

2. How does Vietnam visa on arrival work?

Before getting on board

Good news is that the application for Vietnam visa on arrival is done 100% online. What you need is a computer or mobile phone connected to the Internet. Then you will spend a couple of minutes to fill in the application form, make a payment as the guidance and receive your Vietnam visa approval letter after 2 working days (normal processing) or 1 day (urgent processing) or 4 hours, 2 hours (emergency processing) as from your payment completion onwards.

It should be noticed that you must have a Vietnam visa (or visa approval letter) to get on board. Your boarding may be denied by the airlines if you have no visa (or visa approval letter) in hand. Many people have to employ an emergency visa service in this case and of course, the processing fee is much higher, especially at weekend or holidays.

Upon arrival airport

On arrival in Vietnam, the applicants will get their visa stamped on the passport after doing some following steps:

• Filling out the Vietnam entry and exit form at arrival airport in Vietnam
• Submitting a valid passport, 2 passport-sized photos, a legal approval letter from Vietnam Immigration Department and pay the stamping fee directly in cash (USD or VND) to the Vietnam Immigration Officer
• Get their visa stamped into passport by the Vietnam Immigration Officer at the Immigration Desk

Learn more about how Vietnam visa on arrival works

3. Why choose visa on arrival?

Vietnam visa on arrival is legitimate and getting more and more popular on account of its outstanding advantage.

• Secure and convenient application procedure (applicants can easily submit their visa application online within couple of minutes)
• Money and time saving: no postal fee, no time and fee for embassy transportation; no driving, parking and standing in line at an embassy
• Quick online payment with almost major credit cards supported through the most reliable International money transfer network PayPal or Western Union
• Dedicated online supporters and expert help

4. Requirements for a valid visa on arrival

Vietnam visa on arrival can be arranged with the conditions below:

• The applicants must obtain a visa approval letter beforehand by submit the visa application online
• The visa information must be exactly the same as stated in the passport
• The passport must be of at least 6 months validity.
• Vietnam visa on arrival can be ONLY picked up at one of the three international airports in Vietnam, which are Noi Bai airport (Hanoi), Danang airport (Danang), and Tan Son Nhat airport (Ho Chi Minh City).

5. Common mistake with visa on arrival to avoid

• Getting visa on arrival right at the arrival airport in Vietnam:
  Many people think that they can get a visa directly at Vietnam airport without applying online. That is NOT true, you may end up with delaying/ canceling your flights or waiting at the airport until the visa is approved or even if you can get board, you can be expelled. Thus, you need to apply for visa on arrival online prior to your trip in order to pick up your visa at the arrival airport in Vietnam.
• Visa on arrival at the border:
  Visa on arrival works for air travel only, it means there is NO on arrival visa for overland/ border crossing or sea/water entry. Therefore, in case you DO NOT enter Vietnam by air, we highly recommend you to apply for visa at Vietnam Embassies/Consulates where you are living or staying in advance.
• Spelling/ Typo mistakes:
  Many applicants fill in the Application form with WRONG details: full name on passport, passport number or date of birth, passport expiration date. Normally, that may not be a big problem, however, in some cases; they will be refused by airlines at the departure airport since the information on your visa approval letter does not match those in your passport. So, make sure you submit everything correctly and carefully.
• Visa validity:
  Many people think that the visa validity will start from the date they enter Vietnam, not from the date they submitted, however, it is not. The visa validity will commence from the date of entry printed in your visa approval letter, not from the date you will enter the country. Thus, please make sure that you make a clear plan of when to enter before ordering a visa to Vietnam.
• Visa extensions:
  Many people think that it is easy to extend a visa once they are in Vietnam, however, in fact, it is not that easy, and extending a visa may be a costly and time consuming process. So, if possible, just apply for a 3 month visa in advance instead of a 1 month one to save money on visa extension.

If you’re unsure about any Vietnam visa requirements, take our online supports by calling +84 912 685 141 or emailing us vietnamvisabooking@gmail.com or chatting with us on Y!M vietnamvisabooking. Our visa experts will be able to match up your qualifications to find the right answers for you. So if you want your Vietnam visa done right now, click the apply button below and start your Vietnam visa journey today.

Find further information on our Vietnam visa FAQs page.

Related information

• Is this visa on arrival legitimate?
• How to get Vietnam visa on arrival?
• Can people use visa on arrival when entering Vietnam by land?
• What is visa approval letter (or visa pre-approved letter in other word)?
• What is the processing time for visa approval letter?
• How do I receive my visa approval letter?
• What is normal processing and urgent processing?
• Urgent Vietnam visa processing
• Vietnam visa exemption
• Advantage and disadvantage of visa on arrival