The Vietnam e-visa
Are you going on a holiday to Vietnam? Or a business trip? Then you almost always need a visa. The Vietnam e-visa can be acquired online in a few minutes. This makes it a lot easier to apply for than the physical one, for which you have to visit the embassy.
What is the Vietnam e-visa?
The Vietnam e-visa is an electronic travel permit, which is issued by the immigration service. All travellers need that kind of permit to enter the country. You are checked for this when you land on an airport, arrive by boat or arrive at a border with Laos, Cambodia or China. Although the Vietnam e-visa is a digital document, you need to print it and carry it with you on your trip.
Why is this necessary?
The government of Vietnam wants to know who enters the country, and have the option to exclude unwanted travellers. Like any other country, Vietnam also has a blacklist of unwanted persons. For example, felons, war criminals and people associated with terrorism. To make sure that they cannot enter the country, everyone that wants to enter needs to apply for a permit beforehand. Before it is granted, it is checked if the person in question is on a blacklist. If not, then the Vietnam e-visa is granted right away, so you can be sure that you can enter the country without problems.
How do you get the visa?
All you need to do is fill in the online application form, pay for the application and wait until you receive the permit. This generally doesn’t take longer than 24 hours (maximum 3 days).
Apply for the e-visa nowWho needs the Vietnam e-visa?
Everyone travelling to Vietnam needs to have a permit, aside from inhabitants of Vietnam and a number of exceptions. That doesn’t mean that everyone can make use of the e-visa. That is only permitted if:
- You are staying in Vietnam for less than 30 days
- You have the nationality of a country under the e-visa program. This includes the United Kingdom and the United States *
- You meet the Vietnam visa requirements
* For a full list of permitted countries, click here.
What if you can’t make use of the e-Visa?
If you don’t meet the terms and requirements as expanded on above, you cannot apply for a Vietnam e-visa. You will need a physical visa. This can be acquired through the embassy or consulate. Keep in mind that this takes longer than the online procedure; submit an application with the embassy at least one but preferably several weeks before departure.
What are the costs of the e-Visa Vietnam?
You can apply for the Vietnam e-visa through this website. You will have to pay a total amount of £54,95. This amount is including consulary costs, exchange rate surcharges, applications costs and VAT. The price is also per person; if you are travelling with multiple persons, each one needs to possess their own e-visa. However, it is possible to fill in multiple persons in a single application, you will then make only a single payment. but the price per person remains the same. This website offers a variety of payment methods, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express and PayPal. Regardless of the chosen payment methods, no transaction costs are charged.
Costs after arrival at the airport
Take note: if you search on the internet for the Vietnam visa you might find cheaper options. In those cases, the price mentioned is excluding the so called ‘stamping fee’, which you will need to pay after arrival at the airport in Vietnam. If you submit your e-visa application through this website you won’t pay any additional costs, not even after arriving at the airport.
