Before moving abroad to Vietnam, I was researching where and how I can get my visa. Since I was living here on a longer term than most tourists (more than 6 months) I needed to find accurate information to make sure I got the proper paper work and visa to allow me to enter into Vietnam. I’ll help break down different visa types, the steps I took to get my visa(s), and I will also include costs.
While some countries (Thailand, Japan, and the UK – to name a few) are not required to have a visa to enter into Vietnam, American passport holders do need to apply for a visa.
My experience moving to Vietnam is not your typical one. You should know that Vietnam has tighter immigration laws than some other countries in Southeast Asia which is why it’s important to be well prepared on the front end.
Vietnam Visitors Visa
If you are coming to Vietnam as a tourist, your best bet is to apply for the 30-day visitor’s visa. This visa can and should be applied for online. When I was moving to Vietnam, I was still waiting for my longer-term visa documents to arrive and so I went through the process of applying for a 30-day visitor’s visa as a backup.
Please note that the 30 day visitor’s visa is a single-entry visa meaning that if you leave to visit another country within those 30 days, you cannot reenter Vietnam on the same visa. You will need to apply for another 30-day visa.
Before You Apply
Here are the things you’ll need:
– A passport (with more than 2 free pages available and at least 6 months before expiration)
– A photo of yourself (looking straight ahead with no glasses on)
– Address of where you’ll stay in Vietnam (Hotel, hostel, resort, etc.)
– $25 USD (for the 30-day visitor’s visa)
I applied for my 30-day single entry visa through the Vietnam National Portal on Immigration website. When you get on the website you want to select the ‘for foreigners’ option and it should take you to a page like this that outlines the steps you take to apply.
Visa Application Steps
1. Fill out the information required and then once submitted, it will take you to a page that tells you that you have successfully completed the application.
2. You should then receive a registration code and take you to the pay portal. It should cost you $25 USD for this visitor’s visa.
A sign that a visa website may not be legitimate is if the cost of the 30 visitor’s visa is more than $25 USD. Other sites and companies may charge you other fees to “process your visa” but you can do it yourself and it should cost you $25 USD for your visa.
3. Once your payment is successful you should receive and email receipt as confirmation of your payment.
4. After a few days (as least 3 business days) you should receive another email with information about your visa results. Click on the link in this email and using your registration code given after your submitted application, you should be able to login and see whether or not your visa application was granted or denied.
5. Once you have a grated visa status you must be sure to print out your 30-day visitor’s visa before your arrival to Vietnam. You need a physical copy with you, so don’t skip this step.
You’ll more than likely need to present your printed out visa approval letter before you board your flight to Vietnam as well as at immigration.
I recommend applying for your 30-day single entry visa around 2 weeks prior to your flight in the case that your visa application does not get approved, you have plenty of time to reapply!
Multiple Entry Vietnam Visas
So, what about multiple entry visas and longer-term visas for Vietnam? You will need to get these types of visas in-person at immigration in the airport in Vietnam or visa on arrival. But you must have the proper documents and information available for certain visa types.
The cost of multiple-entry visas varies from $50 USD (3mos) to $155 (2-5yrs) depending on your length of stay. The reason I Moved to Vietnam is because my mother works here and I was entering the country as a dependent on her work visa. The application for approval was done on my behalf and all I had to do was wait for confirmation of approval from the Department of Immigration in Vietnam. Although I got this visa on arrival, I needed to fill out a form and provide it along with my approval letter to the immigration officers.
Vietnam Visa On-Arrival Process
To fill out the visa form you will need your standard information (name, passport info, address, etc.) but you will also need to include your purpose of staying in Vietnam, the contact of the organization or relatives connected to your reason for staying in Vietnam (names and addresses), duration of stay, and whether or not this is a multiple entry visa you are applying for. I also included a 4x6cm passport photo with my application as well and turned it into the visa agent along with my passport.
After waiting in the seating area, I received approval on my visa and went to the cashier window to pay, in cash, the $95 USD for my multiple-entry 6-month visa. Please note that I plan to stay in Vietnam for about a year with my mother, but the Department of Immigration only allowed me 6-months of stay and I will have to reapply for the remaining 6 months.
Work Visas For Vietnam
The process should be very similar for those of you who are just wanting to travel the country and Southeast Asia and would like a multiple-entry visa. This process should also be the same for people with a job lined up in Vietnam that allows you a working visa, you may just have a different application than I did.
I will note that along with getting a working visa you will have to meet certain requirements such as being older than the age of 18 and have a job offer in Vietnam. But you also may need to provide a clean bill of health along with your application and have no criminal record, so keep these things in mind as well. Also, your work permit must be secured a lest 2 weeks before you begin working, so you should plan accordingly to coordinate for your arrival into the country and your starting working date.
If you plan on staying in Vietnam for even longer terms and intend to look into immigrating, I would check out other resources with more information about applying for temporary and permanent residence permits in Vietnam.
Traveling and moving abroad can, at times, be stressful and seem like a daunting undertaking. But doing your research and being prepared with all the documentation you need is the best way to have a smoother travel experience. Be sure to check out my previous post about living in England, where I give some helpful and budget tips on living in London, and good luck on your travels to Vietnam!
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