![]() ![]() I waited nearly an hour for mine in June 2017. The result may be a waiting area filled with travelers watching with impatience as the e-visa passports pile up behind the counter - in no particular order and likely with no sense of urgency. But even then, you may prefer a pre-arranged visa. Because when a plane or multiple planes unloads at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, for example, a fair number of the passengers have likely also purchased the e-visa. The e-visa is only available for travelers arriving at one of the international airports. Why? Firstly, because maybe you are choosing to arrive by land or boat. ![]() While the Vietnam visa on arrival is definitely easy and some e-services offer discounts for people who apply together or in groups, you might consider getting the visa ahead of time at your local Vietnamese embassy or consulate. Why Wouldn’t I Get an E-visa for Vietnam? (But if you are, we’ve seen new passports issued in Chicago in a matter of hours.) We’ve seen travelers rushing from O’Hare airport to the passport agent in Chicago after being denied boarding due to a soon-to-expire (less than 6 months) passport. Six months is a wise practice in all international travel. ![]() However, many airlines may enforce a six-month validity on your passport beyond your intended return date. That’s the current official rule according to Vietnam authorities. IMPORTANT NOTE:Be sure your passport is valid for at least a month past the end date of your intended stay. Additionally, they offer discounted service fees when more than one traveler applies together. I have personally used the e-visa service for my last three trips and have found them reliable, fast, and responsive when I had a question. The processing or service fee for a Vietnam e-visa varies, but is in the neighborhood of $21 USD, payable with a credit card on a reliable e-visa service. Some nationalities can pay an extra fee to expedite the e-visa in one business day or even in four hours! I’ve done both before. Expect two business days to receive your visa approval letter by email. At the time of writing, the stamping fee for US, UK, Australia and most European passports was $25 for one month visas, or $50 for three month visas. The stamping fee depends on the type of tourist visa: 1 month single or 1 month multiple entries, or 3 months single and 3-month multiple entries, or a business visa which is totally different. This is much easier (and cheaper) than going to embassies as we did in the past. After this process, then you can pass through immigration. So the price of your Vietnamese e-visa is a combination of a processing/service fee from an e-visa service provider, which you pay online, and a stamping fee, which you pay in cash, USD and exact change, at the airport. You will wait then be called up to the counter to pay the stamping fee. Then when you pass through immigration at the airport in Vietnam, you must fill in a visa application form (again! so you can do this before you arrive to save more time) and present the application form, your two passport photos, and the visa approval letter you receive from the e-visa service via email. ![]() This is notexactly a Vietnam visa on arrival – you do need to make arrangements and pay a processing fee before you arrive. But now you can get an e-visa for Vietnam, but ONLY if you are arriving at one of the five international airports of Vietnam (Noi Bai in Hanoi, Cat Bi in Hai Phong, Da Nang in Da Nang, Cam Ranh in Khanh Hoa and Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City) The rules changed a few times, and I used to either contact an embassy at home or use the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok. It has become so much easier to get a visa for Vietnam since I first did it myself several years ago and wrote this post. ![]()
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