Things to know about Vietnam visa exemption

If you are going to Vietnam for a short holiday, Vietnam visa exemption list is the first thing you should know. It is about legal factor so paying attention to it is a must.

What is a visa?

You need a visa to entry a country. 

Most of us know that we need a visa to legally enter a country, but we just do not understand what exactly a visa is. Visa is originally from the Latin charta visa, which means “a paper that has been seen”. A visa is granted by territory to a foreigner, allowing them to enter, remain within or to leave a territory. In other word, a visa is a conditional authorization that may include the limits on the time a foreigner stays in the territory, the areas within the country that they may enter as well as the date to arrive and the date to leave, the number of limited visits or an individual’s right to work in the country.

Visa exemption

Generally, if you are a foreigner and you want to enter Vietnam for several days, weeks or months, you are required to have a visa as a legal document allowing you on do so. However, according to some reciprocal agreements, when the visit is for tourism purpose or just in a relatively short period, the foreigner is not required to obtain a visa. Such agreements will allow foreigners to enter and stay in the countries for a particular period of time without obtaining a visa and after that time, this foreigner must come back to his country.

For instance, according to Four Freedoms (European Union) and Citizenship of the European, all citizens of the European Union and EFTA member countries can travel and stay in all other EU countries without a visa. Similarly, people of the East African Community member states are allowed to enter into any of the member states without obtaining a visa.

Vietnam visa exemption

Vietnam also has its own list of Vietnam visa exemption. Citizens from countries in this list are allowed to enter and stay in Vietnam for a particular period of time without getting a visa. These countries are often in a community in which Vietnam is a member or a country which has established diplomatic relation with Vietnam. The main reason is to facilitate commerce between countries.

Citizens from some countries are exempted from Vietnam visa. Source: Daily Maverick

Here is the list of countries exempted a Vietnam visa:

• Visa-free for 90 days: Chile
• Visa-free for 30 days: Cambodia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand
• Visa-free for 21 days: Philippines
• Visa-free for 15 days: Belarus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
• Visa-free for 14 days: Brunei, Myanmar

If you are from one of these countries and want to visit Vietnam under the Vietnam visa exemption again, it is noted that you must wait for at least 30 days from the first visit. In case of a visitor not from these countries or from these countries but wish to stay longer than the limited time period, this person can arrange the a visa in two ways: apply in person or by post at a Vietnam Embassy or apply online through a reputable Vietnam travel agent to be issued a visa on arrival at the airport.

How much do you have to pay for Vietnam visa?

Vietnam visa cost needed to get a visa on arrival include visa letter service cost and stamping cost. The cost of a visa letter service is paid when you apply for the visa, whereas the stamping fee is paid when arriving at the Vietnam’s airport. The Vietnam visa cost for letter service depends on the type of visa that you want to get, including tourist visa and business visa, and how fast you want to get the visa service.

Tourism visa includes 1 month –single entry, 3 months – single entry, 1 month – multiple entry, 3 months – multiple entry and 1 year multiple entry (US passports). For business visa, you can apply for 1 month – single entry, 3 months – single entry, 1 month – multiple entry, 3 months – multiple entry, 6 months – multiple entry and 1 year multiple entry (US passports). Stamping fee for single 1 month or single 3 months is US$25, whereas the fee for multiple 1 month or 3 months is US$50 and for multiple 12 months (with US passport) is US$135.

How to apply for Vietnam visa?

Before applying, these documents are required to prepare:

• Your original passport which is valid for at least 6 months beyond your staying period in Vietnam
• Two passport size ID photos: 4×6 cm (2×2 inches)
• Visa application forms

You can do it online

Applying for Vietnam visa is much easier than ever before. Source: Embassy of Vietnam in UK

After determining whether you are Vietnam visa exemption or the Vietnam visa cost, the next step is to apply for a Vietnam visa. Applying for Vietnam visa on arrival is much easier than ever before with the help of the internet and technology. Following 4 steps below will take you 3 minutes to get a Vietnam visa online.

Step 1: Complete the Vietnam visa online application form. You should choose carefully so to get a reputable website because visa application is related to legal factors.

Step 2: Pay the service fee and wait to get the confirmation.

Step 3: You will receive the approval letter via email, so please check it.

Step 4: Get the visa stamped upon arrival at Vietnam international port.

Or through the local embassy

Before travelling to Vietnam, you can get your visa through Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate office in your country. The process of obtaining a travel visa or business visa is quite the same and the only difference is the Vietnam visa cost between 2 types.

You have to submit:

• Application form: complete the form online through the official website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs or download the file and fill it out
• Original passport: like when applying for Vietnam visa online, your visa must be valid for at least 6 months from the intended date of entry. When requesting a loose-leaf entry visa, a copy of your passport is sufficient.
• 01 passport-sized photo with no glasses (bring an additional photo in case you apply for a loose-leaf visa)
• Visa fees
• Mail service: if you can to have the passport returned by post, a prepaid self-addresses return envelope is needed.

Here we provide useful information about Vietnam visa exemption and Vietnam visa cost. If you are about to travel to Vietnam for a short trip, checking you Vietnam visa exemption will help to save an amount of money and effort on applying Vietnam visa.