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What is Vietnam Visa on Arrival?
Vietnam visa on arrival (also known as Vietnam landing visa, or Vietnam airport visa) is a convenient alternative way to obtain valid permission to visit Vietnam. It can be picked up at one of Vietnam international airports upon arrival.
To obtain the visa on arrival for Vietnam, you need to get a visa approval letter in advance. First, you fill out the online application form. Second, you show it at Vietnam airports to get visa stamped onto your passports. No passport sendoff, no document is required to apply for this type of visa for Vietnam.
NOTICE (March 14, 2020): Due to the recent outbreak of COVID 19, the Visa on arrival program has been temporarily suspended from March 15, 2020. You are highly recommended reading updates on Temporary regulator change on entry and exit of foreigners before planning a trip to Vietnam during this time and contact a local embassy/consulate of Vietnam for further information.
Is Vietnam Visa on Arrival Legitimate?
Yes, it is.
Getting a Vietnamese visa on arrival is a 100% legal process. The authorized visa approval letter is granted by Vietnam Immigration Department. It acts as official permission that allows you to board the airplane and get visa stamped onto passports at Vietnam international airports.
Legal basis:
- Ordinance on entry, exit, and residence of foreigners in Vietnam
- Government’s Decree No. 21/2001/ND-CP
- Joint Circular No. 04/2002/TTLT/BCA-BNG
Many centers supply this service to simplify travelers’ arrival and save their time.
Types of Vietnam Visa at the airport
In general, the most popular types of Vietnam visa include tourist visa (DL), business visa (DN), working visa (LĐ), and student/internship visa (DH). But a visa on arrival is available for only:
Can I get a visa on arrival in Vietnam
Most visitors are required to have a valid visa to enter Vietnam and eligible to apply for a Vietnam visa on arrival as long as they travel to Vietnam by air and arrive at one of the international airports in Vietnam.
If you are not sure, please select your nationality here and check.
List of Applicable Airports
- Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi)
- Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City)
- Cat Bi International Airport (Hai Phong)
- Da Nang International Airport (Da Nang)
- Cam Ranh International Airport (Khanh Hoa)
- Can Tho International Airport (Can Tho)
- Lien Khuong International Airport (Da Lat)
- Phu Quoc International Airport (Phu Quoc)
Why Vietnam Visa upon Arrival?
Getting Vietnam visa on arrival is:
- Fast: For cases of emergency visa, you can get the approval letter for a Vietnam tourist visa on arrival within 02 – 04 working hours or a business visa on arrival within 2 -3 working days.
- Convenient: No hard documents and passports sent off. Just minimal information required. Things will be done online.
- Low cost: It is rather cheap compared with other forms of getting a visa for Vietnam.
Vietnam Visa on Arrival Fees
When it comes to the cost of Vietnam visa on arrival, there are two types of fee you need to pay:
- Service fee: paid online to the agency to obtain the Visa approval letter.
- Stamping fee: paid in cash at Vietnam International Airport to get visa stamped.
The fee will depend on the type of visa that you are applying. To see more details, check out our Vietnam visa fee page.
Here is a sample fee board for Vietnam tourist visa provided by Vietnam-visa.com:
Service Fee is quoted in US $/paxType of visa 1 pax 2 pax 3+ pax Stamping fee 1 month single entry $21 $18.25 $17.25 $25 3 months single entry $34 $30.25 $28.25 $25 1 month multiple entry $26 $23.25 $22.25 $50 3 months multiple entry $55 $52.25 $46.75 $50
How to Apply
The above are brief steps for VOA application. See the full guide on how to apply for Vietnam visa on arrival.
Visa on Arrival Processing Time
The duration of processing an approval visa letter is from one (01) working hour to two (02) working days (excluding Saturday, Sunday, and national or international holidays), depending on your selected visa processing time.
Extra Notes
- Vietnam visa on arrival is unlike its counterpart in Cambodia, Thailand or Laos which can be obtained right at the entry border gate. Applicants only need to complete. Visa on arrival requires travelers to obtain a visa approval letter beforehand to get visa stamped at Vietnam international airport.
- Vietnam visa on arrival is used for air travel only. If you travel to Vietnam by cruise or land, you are required to get a full authorized visa before your arrival.
- Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months at your entry time in Vietnam.
- Children having their own passports are charged with the same fee as adults.
- Up to now, there is NO OFFICIAL website for Vietnam visa on arrival service. All sites supplying the service of getting the approval letter are private agencies. Thus, you should not be confused by a variety of websites with organizational internet domain TLDs (org, gov, etc.)
Frequently Asked Questions
It does not matter at all.
As the Visa approval letter (to pick up visa on arrival) works at all 8 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, Phu Quoc in Phu Quoc island, Lien Khuong in Da Lat and Can Tho in Can Tho city), you can switch your arrival airports among them and get the visa stamped without problems.
It does not matter at all. In case you are still not sure about your travel dates, you can provide planned ones when you fill in the online VOA Vietnam application form.
But please be kindly informed that you cannot enter Vietnam sooner than your provided arrival dates but later. So, please carefully consider before putting your dates into the form.
You can apply for the letter whenever you wish as it becomes valid from the arrival date granted, not from the date you apply for visa or the date you receive the letter.
The latest time to apply for visa approval letter for Vietnam should be 2 working days (for tourist visa) or 7 working days (for business visa) to avoid urgent processing cost.
No. When using Vietnam visa on arrival (or VOA Vietnam), you have nothing to work with the Vietnam embassy regarding your visa for Vietnam.
After getting the visa approval letter via email, you only need to print it out together with the attached Vietnamese visa application form (formerly known as Entry and Exit Form) and then get the visa stamped upon arrival at Vietnam airport by showing these forms, original passport, photos and paying for stamping fee there.
No. You do not need to provide any document to apply online for the Vietnam visa approval letter, you only need to provide your information, including:
- Your contact details (name, email and possibly phone number);
- Your travel dates;
- Applicant’s information (full name, passport number, gender, nationality, date of birth and passport expiry date).
No, you cannot. To get your visa on arrival to Vietnam, an approval letter (pre-approved visa letter) is required. So, you have to apply online via a visa center.
Q. I am a US citizen who will be flying from Singapore to Danang on Jetstar. I first stop in Ho Chi Minh City and then board another connection on to Danang. Should I get my VOA in Ho Chi Minh or Danang? Thank you.
A. In this case, you will need to get the visa stamped at the first landing airport, ie. Ho Chi Minh City Airport. After that, you will leave for the domestic terminal to get your connection to Da Nang airport.
No, please be advised that you need to pay the stamping fee in cash at the Vietnam international airport upon arrival.
Yes, we do offer fast-track service that can help you avoid the queue, save your time and energy that can be used for other more interesting activities in Vietnam.
The wait time for visa on arrival to Vietnam depends on your selected visa processing time. It takes from 01 working hour to 02 working days to get an approval letter via email. After that, you can get a visa for Vietnam upon arrival at Vietnam airports.
No. Vietnam visa on arrival is available for those traveling to Vietnam by air only. In case you are traveling to Vietnam by bus, you may consider getting Vietnam e-visa or embassy visa.
Yes, you can. With visa on arrival, you are only required to enter Vietnam by air to get visa stamped at the airport. And then you can exit Vietnam by any means of transport.
Yes. In most cases, you can extend and renew your visa once you are in Vietnam. There are a few reasons that your visa extension request can be refused: (01) you overstay your visa, (02) you have problems with your past entries (overstay, wrong entry purpose, having criminal record in Vietnam, etc.)