Vietnam is a country rich in culture and Instagram-worthy tourist attractions. You may plan to visit the country for a holiday, business trip, or weekend getaway, but without meeting the travel requirements, your trip might not be as carefree as you wish.
According to the Vietnam Immigration Department, the validity of your passport and visa and other documents for entry, exit, and transit must be extended for the period of your intended stay in Vietnam. Specifically, if your passport and visa duration will expire sooner than your intended stay in Vietnam, or you do not have a valid visa yet, you cannot enter Vietnam.
What is a Vietnam e-visa?
The Vietnam electronic visa provides digital authorisation for you to enter the country. It does not matter whether you submit your application months before your arrival date or a few days before your trip.
The best part is that you can apply for the visa online within or outside Vietnam. The application process is entirely online, and you will receive your e-visa by email.
The appearance of the electronic visa is different from that of the regular pass. With the standard pass, you receive an approval letter stamped by Immigration officials upon your arrival in Vietnam.
For an e-visa, you receive a confirmation email when your visa application gets approved. This confirmation is the official Vietnam e-visa, containing your name, passport information, and permitted stay in the country. Often, the Vietnam e-visa is valid for up to 30 days and can apply to tourism, business, study, family visit, investment, and work travel.
E-visa holders can also apply for a new Vietnam visa if an authority, organisation, or individual in Vietnam guarantees or invites them into the country.
Where Can You Apply For A Vietnam E-Visa?
You can apply for a Vietnam e-visa on the country’s National Immigration portal. You must satisfy the following conditions to get the e-Visa:
- Being a foreign national
- Having a valid passport
- Not suspended from entering, exiting, transiting through, or residing in the country
You should also confirm that your country allows Vietnam e-visa issuing before applying for one. Some countries that enable the visa’s application include the United Kingdom, United States of America, Venezuela, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Russia, Germany, Denmark, and Canada.
There is also a limited list of ports that will allow you to enter and exit Vietnam using an electronic visa. The following international airports are on that list:
- The Cat Bi International Airport in Hai Phong City, northeastern Vietnam
- The Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa Province
- The Can Tho International Airport in Ha Noi, the capital city of Vietnam
- The Da Nang International Airport
- The Noi Bai International Airport
- The Phu Bai International Airport
- The Phu Quoc International Airport
- The Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City
The Vietnam e-visa is also valid in 24 land ports and 7 seaports. The ports include the Chan May, Da Nang, Duong seaports, Xa Mat, Tay Trang, and Moc Bai land ports. The complete list of valid land ports and seaports is available at this site.
Requirements for the Vietnam E-Visa Application
Although the Vietnam e-visa application is entirely online and involves filling out a form, you still need the following items:
- Your passport should be valid for at least six months from your arrival date in the country
- Your biographical passport page image and traveller’s photograph in passport style.
- The address of where you will stay during your trip
- A valid debit or credit card that will pay your e-visa application fee. The Vietnam electronic visa costs $25 for all applicants
- Your current email address
You also need to print at least one copy of your Vietnam e-visa application for verification upon entry and exit from the country.
Do You Need Extra Vietnam E-Visas For Your Children?
It does not matter if you are a parent or guardian. You can include your children in your Vietnam e-visa application for 14 years and below and include them on your passport. If your children are above 14 years or have passes, they must apply for the e-visa.
Vietnam E-Visa Validity: What Options Are There For British Citizens?
British citizens can apply for a Vietnam e-Visa on arrival if they travel by air and plan to stay for 30 or fewer days. In this case, you need to submit your visa application online through the Vietnamese Immigration website. The Vietnamese government will then issue you with an approval letter that you will use on your trip. Do not forget that you also need your passport to enter the country.
Upon your arrival, a Vietnamese immigration officer will stamp your passport and give you your entry visa, valid for 30 days.
British citizens can also get their Vietnam visas through the Vietnam Embassy. In this case, you need to submit your visa application to the closest Vietnamese consulate.
Your application should include your name, birthday, arrival date, passport number, and nationality. After presenting the visa application, wait for several days, then pick up your stamped visa from the Vietnam Embassy.
The Vietnam Visa on Arrival: An Alternative to E-Visa
There are various types of Vietnam visas on arrival. None of these visa variants requires you to apply for them upon your arrival in the country. Instead, you should submit your application online before your trip. The different Vietnamese on arrival visas include:
Tourist Visa on Arrival
The Vietnamese tourist on arrival visa can be valid for one or three months. The permits also provide single or multiple entries into the country and you need to apply for the one that is appropriate for you.
Business Visa on Arrival
There are six types of Vietnam business visas on arrival. The permits have 1, 3, 6, or 12 months validity periods—visas with a validity of 1 and 3 months, all single and multiple entries into the country. The business on arrival visas with 6 and 12 months validity allows multiple entries into Vietnam as long as the stays are within the valid period.
Travelling Without a Visa
You can get a visa exemption when travelling to Vietnam under certain circumstances. United Kingdom citizens do not need a visa to enter the country if their stay is 15 days or less. However, you must have an ordinary passport valid for at least six months, and if the length of your stay exceeds 15 days, you need to apply for a visa.
Visa-free visits to Vietnam also require you to provide an onward or return ticket printout, and the visits must be at least 30 days apart. If you cannot meet these requirements, your best option is to apply for a Vietnam e-visa valid for 30 days.
Longer Stay in Vietnam
The Vietnam e-visa is valid for a single entry and a permitted stay of 30 days. If you want to extend your stay in the country, you have to apply for a new visa. Ensure that all the information you provide is correct because you cannot edit your application after submitting it.
If your application does not go through, you can submit a new application. In this case, review the first e-visa application to confirm that everything was correct. Sometimes, incorrect details might be the problem. Or you might not meet all the Vietnam e-visa application requirements.