Phu Quoc Island has long been a paradise for leisure travelers owing to its beauty fringed with white-sand beaches and large tracts cloaked in dense, tropical jungle, so the number of travelers visiting this island is increasing day by day. And if you are planning a visit to this beautiful please, you should spend around 5 minutes to read through this post as it is about Vietnam visa for Phu Quoc island. This post will cover:
Do I need a visa to travel to Phu Quoc island?
If you need another destination before moving to Phu Quoc, you should check your Vietnam visa requirements here.
In case Phu Quoc is your first destination in Vietnam, you are eligible for a 30-day Vietnam visa exemption on Phu Quoc no matter you are a foreigner or a Vietnamese holding foreign passport. In simple words, all visitors from foreign countries do not need a Vietnam visa if they stay in Phu Quoc for no more than 30 days.
Requirements for Phu Quoc Visa Exemption
To enter Phu Quoc with no visa, visitors must meet the requirements below:
- Your passport must be valid for 6 months since your arrival date or else you should renew it prior to taking the trip to Phu Quoc.
- You must fly from an international country to Phu Quoc via the Phu Quoc International Airport. This applies to direct, indirect and layover flights, where your final destination along the route is Phu Quoc. The onward destination could be any country, except Vietnam.
- Your stay on the island must be less than 30 days. You must provide proof (return airplane ticket, cruise ship departure date, etc.) that you will be leaving Phu Quoc Island within 30 days in order to be granted a “Visa Exemption Stamp”.
- You have not been extradited from Vietnam in the past.
- You are not on the wanted person list of Interpol.
- You travel to Phu Quoc by sea (ship or cruise) or by air (airplane), not by land border.
What Does Phu Quoc Visa Exemption Look Like?
Here is the sample of how Phu Quoc visa exemption looks like in a passport:
Sample of Phu Quoc visa exemption stamp in the passport
How to get Phu Quoc visa
In case you plan to visit other destinations in Vietnam after Phu Quoc or want to stay there for more than 30 days, getting a Vietnam visa is a must. There are three (03) ways to obtain a visa to Vietnam in this case:
- Get Vietnam visa at a Vietnam embassy/consulate for your whole trip before departure (also known as pre-arranged visa).
- Get visa on arrival to Vietnam (also known as Vietnam visa at airport) for your whole trip through a travel agent; OR
- Travel to Phu Quoc Island with Vietnam visa exemption and then go in person to the Vietnam Immigration Department there to get a visa.
Note: The 1st and 2nd options are for those who are planning a trip to Phu Quoc and have not entered the island yet. The 3rd one is for those who have entered the island already.
Here comes a summary of those ways to get Vietnam visa for Phu Quoc island:
1. Getting embassy visa
In this way, the travelers will need to contact a Vietnam embassy/consulate for guidance about what to prepare and procedures to follow. And then they need to prepare the required documents and follow the procedures guided to submit the visa application documents and then pick up the visa.
This option is quite convenient for those living near the embassy/consulate. But what if your residence is far from such an office. In case you are reaching Phu Quoc via the international airport, the following option is highly recommended.
2. Getting visa on arrival
It’s very convenient to get a Phu Quoc visa on arrival as it requires NEITHER preparation of documents NOR travel for visa application BUT only an internet-access device.
To get it, the travelers only need:
- Complete the online form with some information, including:
- travel dates
- visa types
- full name
- nationality
- gender
- date of birth
- passport number
- passport expiry date
- get the visa approval letter via email within 02 working days (for tourist visas)
- get visa stamped upon landing at Phu Quoc international airport
Visa Extension in Phu Quoc
If you are on Phu Quoc and want to extend your Vietnam visa, the majority of travel agencies will do it for you with a certain fee. The process will take about 12 working days (rather long) because your passport needs to be taken to Ho Chi Minh City for processing.
Once your visa has been extended, you can either get the passport in Ho Chi Minh City by traveling there through bus or ferry or get the travel agent to ship it back to you in Phu Quoc.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I enjoy Phu Quoc visa exemption if I enter the island through Tan Son Nhat International Airport without leaving the transit area?
Yes, you can. Phu Quoc visa exemption is also applied to those visitors who enter Phu Quoc through other Vietnam International Airports like Noi Bai airport (in Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat airport (in Ho Chi Minh City), etc. and they do not leave the transit area. In other words, if a visitor flies to other international airports in Vietnam and stay in the transit lounge to take another flight to Phu Quoc Island, they are also exempted from Vietnam visa. So, it is better to check with the airlines to see if you have to leave the Immigration Area (also known as transit area) upon arriving in Tan Son Nhat International Airport or not to make sure that you can enjoy visa waiver.
2. My passport is set to expire, so what to do to enjoy Phu Quoc visa free?
You should renew it first prior to traveling to Phu Quoc so as to be eligible for Phu Quoc visa exemption.
3. I’m a backpacker and planning to cross the river border from Laos to Vietnam, and then head to Phu Quoc. Am I exempted from Vietnam visa for Phu Quoc Island?
No, it is because 30-day visa exemption to Phu Quoc is applied if you go directly to Phu Quoc. You are at the land/river border means that you are in different parts of Vietnam, so Vietnam visa is required. So, if you do not apply for one, do not be surprised when you get refused at the border for it.
4. Can I visit Phu Quoc within 15 days without visa?
Q: I am from a country where its citizens are eligible for a 15 day Vietnam Visa exemption. Can I visit Phu Quoc within the 15 days without getting a visa?
A: Yes. Phu Quoc is part of Vietnam and your 15 day exemption is applicable to all parts of Vietnam.
5. How could I get the 30 day Vietnam Visa exemption for Phu Quoc?
You are eligible for a 30 day visa waiver, specifically for Phu Quoc if you are going to visit Phu Quoc only and no other place in Vietnam. Your last destination must be Phu Quoc and you must leave Phu Quoc within 30 days to any foreign country by air. Upon arrival to Vietnam you must show the Immigration officers your itinerary as proof.
6. Vietnam visa for foreigners staying in Vietnam and going to Phu Quoc
Q: I am in Vietnam now and my Vietnam Visa is about to expire and/or my current Vietnam Visa Exemption is about to expire. Am I eligible for a 30 day Phu Quoc Visa Exemption while I am in Vietnam?
A: No. The 30 day Phu Quoc Visa Exemption is just applicable to those travelers who are planning to visit Phu Quoc directly (or via transit) from a foreign country. If you are in Vietnam at this moment, you do not qualify for the 30 day Phu Quoc Visa Exemption.
7. How to extend visa in Phu Quoc?
Q: I entered Phu Quoc using 1 month tourist visa, stayed in for 28 days and now I want to stay in for one more week. I. What should I do if I want to extend my Vietnam visa in Phu Quoc?
A: Please contact with the Immigration Department or call us at +84.946.583.583 for visa extension.
8. How to get mainland visa in Phu Quoc?
Q: I got visa exemption upon arrived in Phu Quoc Island. Now I want to fly to Ho Chi Minh City and they require mainland visa in Phu Quoc because it is domestic flight. I have visa invitation letter for Ho Chi Minh City but it’s not valid. It is possible to get mainland visa from travel agents in Phu Quoc airport within just 30 minutes but it costs a lot. Is there any other way to get mainland visa when I already have Phu Quoc visa exemption?
A: There is only one way for you in this case: you need to contact with either the Immigration Officer in Phu Quoc or the travel agent to get them process Vietnam visa for you. You can save money by getting Visa on arrival for Vietnam (with cheaper price) before departure to Vietnam, but once you enter Vietnam, you cannot use that method.
9. Do I need a visa to Vietnam when traveling to Phu Quoc?
Q: Hi, I’m an American living in Bangkok. I plan to go to Phu Quoc from here for 5 days, but direct flights from here are expensive, so I’m going to book an Air Asia flight to Ho Chi Minh City, and then a same day VietJet flight from HCMC to Phu Quoc. Do I need a Vietnam visa to visit Phu Quoc? (Xeeca)
A: Hi. In this case, you are still required to have a Vietnam visa in order to visit Phu Quoc Island. You will be switching from the international terminal to the domestic terminal in HCMC, so you will have to go through the Immigration Area that requires you to have a visa to do so.
