VISA ISSUES

Passport


When traveling to Vietnam, travelers must have their original passport (not a copied one or any other kind of papers such as Travel document, Refugee Travel Document, Resident permit, Laissez-passer, APEC Business Travel Card, ... )


The passport must be valid more than 6 months prior to their arrival date in Vietnam. For those who will have Cambodia trip, the validity of the passport should be counted from the arrival date back to Vietnam (their second entry into Vietnam).


The Immigration officers or the airlines staffs have the right to refuse those, whose passport is valid less than 6 months, to enter Vietnam or to check-in onboard.

 

How to apply visa


The travelers must have a valid visa to enter Vietnam (except for some visa-exemption nationals). For those who will have trip out of Vietnam must have a multi-entry visa


  • Tourist visas can be applied at Vietnam Embassy/Consulate in their country or through Vietnamese Travel Agencies in Vietnam (Saigontourist Travel Services Co.). Documents required for visa application are hotel confirmation, air ticket booking and invitation letter (if any).

  • Request for visa authorized letter should be given by writing no later than 30 working-days upon arrival date. After 15 working days, the applicant will receive a faxed letter of visa confirmation from Saigontourist. Each applicant must fill out 2 application forms and present his/her valid passport, 2 passport (4x6) photos and the letter of visa confirmation upon collecting his/her visa at the Vietnamese diplomatic mission concerned.

  • Fee for approval letter is 30USD nett/ person. For document applied later than 29-working days upon arrival date upon arrival date and not less than 15 working days, 50USD nett/person is charged. For documents submitted less than 15 working days which is considered as urgent cases, 80USD will be applied. Besides, the guests have to pay visa fee themselves (25USD/single visa/person or 65USD/multi – visa/person upon arrival at the airport or more (or even less) at the Embassy in their country.

  • In emergency cases, Saigontourist can arrange collection of visas on arrival at international airports, seaports and border crossings. Apart from the information above, please provide us with your arrival / departure date and flight details.

 

Types of visa


  • Tourist Visa: For people who travel to Vietnam within 30 days. Therefore, all of the participants who attend any congress or conference for 5-7 days, they just need a tourist visa.

  • Business Visa: For people who would like to work in Vietnam for 3-6 months or more, they will need a business visa and a working permit.

  • Transit Visa: For transit purposes, a transit visa is granted to enter and depart Vietnam at the same checkpoint (at international airports and sea ports only). Changes of purpose are not allowed. The transit visa is valid for direct transit only for a maximum period of 5 days. A confirmed airline ticket for the onward journey is required. For a stay of more than 5 days, an appropriate visa should be obtained.

  • Landing visa or visa upon-arrival: For those who decide to go to Vietnam at the last minute, they can get the visa at the international airport of Vietnam (such as Noi Bai in Hanoi, Tan Son Nhat in HCMC, Danang airport in Danang,..). This visa is called visa-upon-arrival. What they need is a Visa Authorized letter (attached is the sample). Contact us if any participant needs our assistance for this service (with some fee)


Citizens of countries, which are granted visa exemptions including:

Below list is for those whose nationalities are not required visa into Vietnam: • Citizens of the following countries may enter Vietnam without a visa for not more than 45 days: Japan, South Korea (ROK), Belarus, Denmark, Italy, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, The United Kingdom

• Citizens of the following countries may enter Vietnam without a visa for not more than 30 days: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan

• Citizens of the following countries may enter Vietnam without a visa for not more than 21 days: the Philippines

• Citizens of the following countries may enter Vietnam without a visa for not more than 14 days: Brunei, Myanmar

 

Documents required for visa arrangement:


  • 1. Copy of passport
  • 2. Arrival/departure date with flight details (planned)
  • 3. The first and the last entry city of Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi)
  • 4. The number of your entry into Vietnam (to get single-entry or multi-entry visa)
  • 5. The place you will get the visa (upon-arrival at the airport in Vietnam or at the Vietnam Embassy)