The Vietnam Visa on Arrival is one type of visa that you can apply for when you want to travel to Vietnam. Unlike the e-Visa, which is an electronic travel authorization that only 81 countries are eligible to apply for, the Visa on Arrival (VOA) is available for citizens from all countries. Applicants may apply for the Vietnam Visa on Arrival if they intend to stay for 1 month up to 1 year. They can apply for either a single or multiple-entry visa.
You must apply for the visa approval letter in advance before arriving to one of Vietnam’s international airports. You fill out the application online and wait for the letter to be approved by the Vietnamese immigration.
Do note that you cannot board the flight to Vietnam if you do not have the visa approval letter in your hand. You must have everything sorted beforehand so you can present the approval letter to the border control in Vietnam.
Upon arrival, you will be asked to show the visa approval letter again at the Visa on Arrival counter and get a stamp in your passport.
The Vietnam Visa approval letter is a letter that has been approved, signed and sealed by the Vietnamese Immigration Department (Vietnamese Government). The approval letter will allow you to board the airplane and pick up your visa on arrival at Vietnam’s international airport.
Applicants on the visa approval letter are granted permission to enter Vietnam and can pick up their visa on arrival at one of the international airports.
Notes for the visa approval letter
All nationalities are welcome to apply for a visa on arrival. However, fees and documents for processing may vary depending on nationality.
It is important to know that the Vietnam visa on arrival is only available if you travel to Vietnam by airplane. There are currently 6 international airports you can enter with the Visa on Arrival. They are:
– Noi Bai (HAN) international airport – Hanoi city.
– Tan Son Nhat (SGN) international airport – Ho Chi Minh city.
– Cam Ranh (CXR) international airport – Nha Trang city.
– Da Nang (DAD) international airport – Da Nang city.
– Cat Bi (HPH) international airport – Hai Phong city.
– Phu Quoc (PQC) international airport – Phu Quoc island.
– Lien Khuong (DLI) international airport – Da Lat city
Please note that there are many airports in Vietnam, but the above are the ones who accepts a Visa on Arrival. Therefore, you must enter Vietnam through one of these airports. This type of visa is also only available for international airports, meaning you cannot enter by sea ports or border checkpoints with the Visa on Arrival. If you wish to enter via land or sea port, consider applying for the Vietnam e-Visa instead. You can exit through any port you wish, including land and sea ports. There is no need to exit at any of the above international airports.
TYPES OF VIETNAM VISA ON ARRIVAL
| TYPE OF VIETNAM VISA ON ARRIVAL AND PROCESSING TIME | |||
| Visa Type | Tourist Purpose | Business Purpose | Notes |
| 1 month single entry | 1-2 working days | 2-3 working days | Allowed to enter and exit Vietnam 1 (one) time.
Allowed to stay maximum 30 days. Visa will expire immediately when leaving the country. |
| 1 month multiple entries | 1-2 working days | 2-3 working days | Within 30 days from the entry date you applied, you are allowed to enter and exit Vietnam multiple times.
Allowed to stay for maximum 30 days. |
| 3 month single entry | 4-5 working days | 2-4 working days | Allowed to enter and exit Vietnam 1 (one) time.
Allowed to stay for a maximum of 85 to 90 days. Visa will expire immediately when leaving the country. |
| 3 months multiple entries | 4-5 working days | 2-4 working days | Within 3 months from the entry date you applied, you are allowed to enter and exit Vietnam multiple times.
Allowed to stay for a maximum of 85 – 90 days. |
| 6 months multiple entries | 4-5 working days.
Applied for US citizens only |
Applied for US citizens only
4-5 working days |
Within 6 months from the entry date you applied, you are allowed to enter and exit Vietnam multiple times.
Tourist Visa: Can stay in Vietnam for maximum 3 months per entry Business Visa: 5 months and 25 days or 6 months – NO need to leave Vietnam every 3 months. |
| 1 year multiple entries | 4-5 working days.
Applied for US citizens only |
Applied for US citizens only
4-5 working days |
Within 1 year from the entry date you applied, you are allowed to enter and exit Vietnam multiple times.
Tourist Visa: Can stay in Vietnam for maximum 3 months per entry. Business Visa: 11 months and 25 days or 1 year – NO need to leave Vietnam every 3 months. |
Notes:
You do not need any documents in order to apply for the visa on arrival. All you need to do is to apply online and state some basic information about yourself such as date of birth, name, passport number, etc. It will not be necessary to submit passport scans or photos like for the e-Visa. However, in some special cases, applicants will have to attach these following documents:
– Hotel booking confirmation
– Round-trip air ticket confirmation
– Passport copy
Their visa will be approved according to hotel booking and round-trip air ticket.
There are two types of fees for the visa on arrival: service fee and stamp fee.
| STAMP FEE APPLIED FOR VIETNAM VISA ON ARRIVAL 2020 | ||
| Visa type | Amount to pay | Notes |
| 1 month single entry | 25.00 USD | Cash is accepted for the stamping fee at the airport. Visa card is not available. Please prepare cash in advance to avoid any trouble.
USD is recommended to pay for the stamp fee. You can pay by VND as well or another strong currency. But you may get a bad currency exchange rate. |
| 1 month multiple entries | 50.00 USD | |
| 3 months single entry | 25.00 USD | |
| Less than 3 months with multiple entries | 50.00 USD | |
| Less than 6 months with multiple entries | 95.00 USD | |
| 1 year multiple entries | 135.00 USD | |
The entire process is very simple. All you need to do is fill out an online application form in our website and fill in some basic information about yourself such as name, gender, date of birth, passport number, etc.
– In case you do not want to complete the form online, you can also send us an email with this information:
– Full name: As in your passport
– Gender: Male / Female
– Date of birth: dd/mm/yyyy
– Nationality: As in your passport
– Passport number: Must be exactly like in your passport
Visa information:
– Type of Visa: 1 month or 3 months Visa with Single or Multiple entries
– Purpose of entry: Tourist or Business
– Entry date Vietnam: dd/mm/yyyy
– Airport of arrival: The first airport you arrive in Vietnam. The Visa will be issued into your passport here.
After we have received your email, we will send an invoice so you can pay for your visa application.
When you have landed in one of Vietnam’s international airports, you will see a sign saying “landing visa counter” or “visa upon arrival”. The office is located in front of the passport control counter. Please go to the office and submit some documents in order to collect the visa. This is what you should bring to the office:
– Your printed visa approval letter
– The Visa application form – Form NA1 – information and photo is completed.
– Your original passport.
– Stamping fee.
After submitting these documents, you may have to wait for a few minutes. The officer will call your name when it is finished and you can then collect your passport.
* Note: Please check your visa carefully and ask for correction immediately because you will have no chance to correct the mistake after exiting the passport control counter.
Please note that in order to get the Visa on Arrival, applicants must have the visa approval letter from the Immigration Department of Vietnam, which will allow you to pick up your visa on arrival. The Visa on Arrival is only valid for those who travel to Vietnam by air.
There are a lot of question about the new Vietnam Immigration law regarding Vietnam visa on arrival. We receive huge of questions from travelers asking about “Is Vietnam Visa on arrival still available or not?” Asked by loyal customers.
Legal basis for Vietnam visa on arrival at the international airports of Vietnam : ORDINANCE ON ENTRY, EXIT AND RESIDENCE OF FOREIGNERS IN VIETNAM (No. 24/2000/PL-UBTVQH10 of April 28, 2000) approved & singed on April 28, 2000 by Mr Nong Duc Manh – Chairman of Vietnam National Assembly saying that Article 2.
