Mar 4

Mar 4 Vietnamese Visa Process - save money and avoid being scammed

The Point. – There are many scammers, don’t get scammed! Canadians are able to get a 30 day E-Visa for 25USD valid for entry into main Vietnamese point of entries. This process works if they apply more than 3 business days before leaving for Vietnam, and is a requirement to board a ticket to Vietnam. You apply following this link, any other link is not an official visa, just a letter to invite you to get a visa on arrival.

This is a question that I’ve been asked numerous times, how do I get a Vietnamese Visa? If you Google “Vietnam visa” there are numerous unofficial websites offering visa letters, these are not the official way. Many westerners are able to get an E-Visa, while this process is valid for Canadians, it also works for numerous others including Americans, Australians, British, Indian and Kiwi tourists (List of Vietnamese E-Visa eligible passport holders). In this article, I will walk you through the Visa process for Vietnam.

Who Is Eligible

As of January 2019 there are 46 countries eligible for E-Visa’s from Vietnam including many EU, American, British, Russian, Philippine, New Zealand, Korean, Indian, Japanese Canadian and Australian passport holders. Interestingly enough, this service is also available to holders of Venezuela, Cuban and Belarusian passport holders.

1. Argentina

2. Armenia

3. Australia

4. Azerbaijan

5. Belarus

6. Brunei

7. Bulgaria

8. Canada

9. Chile

10. China (Not apply to Chinese e-passport holders)

11. Colombia

12. Cuba

13. Czech Republic

14. Denmark

15. Finland

16. France

17. Germany

18. Greece

19. Hungary

20. India

21. Ireland

22. Italy

23. Japan

24. Kazakhstan

25. Korea (South)

26. Luxembourg

27. Mongolia

28. Myanmar

29. Netherland

30. New Zealand

31. Norway

32. Panama

33. Peru

34. Philippines

35. Poland

36. Romania

37. Russia

38. Slovakia

39. Spain

40. Sweden

41. Timor Leste

42. United Arab Emirates

43. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

44. United States of America

45. Uruguay

46. Venezuela

To use the visa, you are required to enter and exit via one of the approved entry points. The approved entry points include 8 airports, 13 land entries and 7 seaports.

Airports

1. Cat Bi Int Airport (Hai Phong)

2. Cam Ranh Int Airport (Khanh Hoa)

3. Can Tho International Airport

4. Da Nang International Airport

5. Noi Bai Int Airport (Ha Noi)

6. Phu Bai Int Airport

7. Phu Quoc International Airport

8. Tan Son Nhat Int Airport (Ho Chi Minh City)

Land Entries

9. Bo Y Landport

10. Cha Lo Landport

11. Cau Treo Landport

12. Huu Nghi Landport

13. Ha Tien Landport

14. Lao Bao Landport

15. Lao Cai Landport

16. Moc Bai Landport

17. Mong Cai Landport

18. Nam Can Landport

19. Song Tien Landport

20. Tinh Bien Landport

21. Xa Mat Landport

Cruise Terminals

22. Da Nang Seaport

23. Gai Hon Gai Seaport

24. Hai Phong Seaport

25. Nha Trang Seaport

26. Quy Nhon Seaport

27. Ho Chi Minh City Seaport

28. Vung Tau Seaport

Nothing like sitting on beaches for days!

If you are from one of the approved countries and you are entering and exiting from one of the approved border crossings then you are eligible to apply for a Vietnamese E-Visa.

Cost and Time Limit

This visa is only applicable for a single 30 day entry to Vietnam, that means that once you leave the country, you must reapply for another visa. If you are planning to re-enter Vietnam, it might make sense to apply for a multi-entry visa. The cost for the E-Visa is 25 USD.

How do I Apply?

You apply following this link, any other link is not an official visa, just a letter to invite you to get a visa on arrival. This will cause delays at the border, people have been known to wait several hours for their visa on arrival. You must apply at least three working days before entering Vietnam for this process to work, you will have to get a letter for a visa on arrival if you are unable to apply before three working days. Without a visa, or a letter inviting you to get a visa on arrival, you will be unable to board your plane to Vietnam. It’s critical once you know your dates that you apply for the visa. There were numerous people on my Qatar Airways flight that were turned away for not having a valid visa or entry letter!

To apply you must have a good scan of your passport data page and a 4x6cm portrait photo that you are looking straight and are without glasses. According to Vietnam Law, the visa expiry date must be at least 30 days before the passport expiry date. Therefore, an e-Visa expiry date must also be at least 30 days before the passport expiry date. Once you fill out your information and provide your passport information and photo, you will receive a confirmation email like this.

After 36 hours I received an email like this confirming my visa. You then go to the check application status page, input your registration code, email and date of birth and you will be given a PDF of your visa. Pro tip – you MUST print your visa before you get to the airport, the check in agent will require a copy to let you onto the plane – no exceptions.