What is Vietnam visa on arrival?
Visa on arrival is an alternative way to obtain a visa for Vietnam in addition to the traditional way of getting a visa at Vietnam Embassy.
With this kind of visa, you – the visa applicant is required to submit an online application for a visa approval letter which functions as an official permission allowing you to board the flight and have visa stamped at the arrival airport in Vietnam. To get visa stamped, you need to submit your Vietnam approval letter together with your passport (at least 6 months validity), two passport-sized photos, Vietnamese visa application form and stamping fee to Immigration Officers at the airport.
There is a basic difference between visa on arrival and visa at Vietnam embassies. With visa on arrival, the Vietnam Immigration Department will issue a visa approval letter with your name on it stating that you are allowed to enter Vietnam on a specified date. Then, you will have the visa stamped onto your passport at the arrival airport in Vietnam. But for visa applied at the Vietnam embassies, the visa stamp will be on your passport when they send it back to you.
What is Vietnam Visa approval letter?
Vietnam Visa approval letter” is a document issued by Vietnam Immigration Department (Vietnam Ministry of Public Security). It functions as an official permission allowing its owner(s) to board the flight to Vietnam and get visa stamped onto the passport upon arrival at Vietnam airport.
See sample, how to get, processing time and cost of Vietnam visa approval letter
How long does it take to get the “approval letter”?
In normal cases, you will receive the approval letter after 2 working days (for tourist visa) or 5-7 working days (for business visa) via email (excluding Saturday, Sunday, and National Holidays).
In urgent cases, you will receive the approval letter (for tourist visa) within the time frame below:
Same Day Processing: if you submit your visa application form and pay the service fee before 12:00 PM (Vietnam time) on a working day (from Monday to Friday), you will receive the approval letter by 18:00 PM on the same working day.
Next Day Processing: If you submit your visa application form and pay the fee after 12:00 PM (Vietnam time) on a working day (from Monday to Friday), you will receive the approval letter by 18:00 PM on the next working day.
or 2-3 working days for business visa.
Notes: The mentioned-above processing time is applied for working days, not Saturday, and Sunday and public holidays. Thus, please check the difference of time zones between Vietnam and your country.
Since Visa Counter at Vietnam international airports work 24/7 so if you already have the visa approval letter, you can get visa stamped regardless of your landing dates.
For a 3-month Vietnam visa, it probably takes up to 4 working days to get the approval letter these days.
How can I receive my Vietnam visa approval letter?
You will receive a colored scanned copy of the approval letter via email, so do ensure that you provide us with your correct email address.
Note: The approval letter is available in PDF format, so kindly make sure that you update the latest Adobe Acrobat reader version so as to open the file.
Can diplomatic passport holders apply for Vietnam Visa on Arrival?
No. We’re sorry to confirm that Vietnam Visa on Arrival don’t support this type of passport.
The only way for Diplomatic Passport Holders to get a visa for Vietnam is through Vietnam Embassy Visa. Please select your country’s name to know the exact location & contact of Vietnam Embassy/Consulate in your home country.
What information do I need to provide to apply for my Vietnam visa approval letter?
To complete the online application for a Vietnam visa approval letter, the visa applicants need to provide the following information exactly as shown in their passports (as once issued, the approval letter could not be amended in any way).
Full name (exactly as in your passport)
Date of birth (DOB)
Nationality
Passport Number
Proposed arrival date
Proposed exit date
Purpose of visit
Here is full Vietnam visa application form.
Do I need to provide you with my exact arrival date to apply for visa on arrival?
You do not have to provide us with your exact arrival date, but the earliest date that you plan to arrive in Vietnam. You can totally arrive after that date. However, please note that you need to leave Vietnam prior to the expiry date mentioned on the approval letter.
For instance: If you wish to get a 1-month Vietnam visa and submit the arrival date as Feb 1, 2019, the visa approval letter will be valid from Feb 1, 2019 – Mar 1, 2019. You could arrive in Vietnam at any time between Feb 1 and Mar 1, yet must leave the country by Mar 1, 2019.
Note: The approval letter could not be changed after being issued; hence, if you wish to arrive earlier than the date mentioned on the letter, you have to apply for a new approval letter in order to update the arrival date.
Should I apply the approval letter soon?
You can apply for a Vietnam visa approval letter as soon as you wish, but it is advised to wait until a close date (about 1-2 months prior to departure) to apply for one so as to avoid any change in plan schedule.
Can I use Vietnam visa on arrival for my entry by land or sea?
No, you cannot. Vietnam visa on arrival is applicable to air travel only since the visa applicants must get visa stamped at the arrival airport in Vietnam. If this is the case, you are recommended to contact the most convenient Vietnam Embassy/Consulate to apply for a visa.
What if I forget to bring photos or print out Arrival Letter when arriving Vietnam Airport?
Along with Vietnam Visa Application Form, Photos and Arrival Letter are compulsory documents to get proper Vietnam Visa when being in Vietnam Airport.
Therefore; if you forget to bring photos or Arrival Letter before arriving Vietnam Airport, you may have to pay extra money (around 2 – 5 USD) for being taken photos by Immigration Officers & a lot of money to print out Arrival Letter right there.
We recommend you use Fast Track Service to make sure that you always can receive immediate & effective support from us through Hotline +84. 356.396.392 when you face unexpected difficulty when entering Vietnam Airport.
Can I use the approval letter code to get Vietnam visa at embassy?
Nowadays, it is quite easy and simple to get a Vietnam visa. You have two methods to get a visa to Vietnam, including contacting Vietnam embassy/consulate directly and arranging pre-approved letter code through a travel agency for visa pickup at Vietnam embassy/consulate. The 2nd method can allow you to get your visa stamped at the nearby Vietnam embassy/consulate.
We highly recommend you selecting visa on arrival, because the process of getting visa stamped at the airport is very easy, simple without failure and extra cost. Vietnam visa on arrival is legal because Vietnam is now open for attracting more tourists as well as business people from all over the world. Please visit here to get the approval letter with Vietnam-visa.com. However, as usual, we process Vietnam visa on arrival automatically unless there is special request. If you wish to get your visa stamped at Vietnam embassy/consulate or at other check-in points by sea or road, please let us know.
What if my arrival airport changes?
Be kindly informed that there will be no problem if you change your arrival airport. Since the visa approval letter works at 08 international airports of Vietnam (Noi Bai in Hanoi, Cat Bi in Hai Phong, Da nang in Da Nang, Cam Ranh in Khanh Hoa, Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City, Lien Khuong in Da Lat, Can Tho in Can Tho city and Phu Quoc in Phu Quoc island), you still get the visa stamped onto your passport at any of these three airport regardless of which you put in your visa application.
Can I enter Vietnam earlier than my granted arrival date in the visa approval letter?
No, you cannot. A later entry is allowed but an earlier entry is not. In case you change your plan and want to enter Vietnam earlier than the granted arrival date, you are recommended to apply for a new visa approval letter.
What is difference between a single entry visa and a multiple entry visa?
There is a big difference between a single entry visa and a multiple entry visa to Vietnam which lies in number of entries:
Single entry visa: You are permitted to enter Vietnam ONCE during your visa validity. After you exit Vietnam, your visa will automatically become invalid. If you would like to re-enter you need to apply for multiple entry visa.
Multiple entry visa: You can enter and exit Vietnam many times as you want during your visa validity.
Can I exit Vietnam later than the exit date granted in my visa approval letter?
No, you cannot. An earlier exit is allowed but a later exit is not. In case you wish to stay longer than your visa expiry date, you are recommended to apply for a visa extension.
In order to assist you at the best, Vietnam-visa.com also provides Vietnam visa extension service. For more information, please access to detailed guidelines on Vietnam visa extension.
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