What to bear in mind before applying for a Vietnam visa on arrival?
Vietnam visa on arrival is an innovated visa policy in Vietnam, helping foreign applicants to not only avoid lengthy and complicated bureaucratic procedures at Vietnam Embassy but also get Vietnam visa quickly and easily. However, since this is a new policy, many foreigners are mistaken about its concrete implementation. These below are some important notes that foreigners should take into account to prevent possible troubles arising.
Mistakes about Vietnam visa on arrival
1. Vietnam visa on arrival must be pre-arranged: With Vietnam visa on arrival, you can get the visa stamp when arriving at Vietnam border. However, unlike visa on arrival policies from some other countries, in Vietnam, you can not get visa on arrival without having applied for it in advance. When applying online for a Vietnam visa on arrival, you will get the visa approval letter which is considered the indispensable prerequisite for being issued Vietnam visa on arrival thereof.
2. Vietnam visa on arrival is applicable for only travel by air:
Vietnam visa on arrival works only for air travel. Entering Vietnam by any other means of transport will require holding a visa applied at Vietnam Embassy. Therefore, make sure that you will arrive Vietnam by air before click to apply for a visa online.
3. Processing fee for visa approval letter is excluded from stamping fee:
When you apply online for a visa approval letter, you will need to pay processing fee to get it. The fees for different types of visa are not the same. Beside this fee paid online through Credit card or paypal, when arriving at airport, you need to pay another fee to Vietnam Immigration officer to get your visa stamped. The amount of each fee also depends on the type of visa you applied beforehand. Visa approval letter must be presented in order for the actual visa stamp is endorsed to the foreigner’s passport.
4. Documents to be presented at the airport of arrival: To get stamped visa at the airport, foreigners need to carry these important documents with them, including: original passport with at least 6 month validity beyond the date of arrival and at least 2 blank pages for the visa stamp; Vietnam visa approval letter, 2 passport-sized photos, stamping fee.
5. The validity duration of visa is counted from the date of arrival specified in the visa approval letter: Many foreigners mistake that the date of their actual arrivals to Vietnam will enforce the validity of their visas. However, the visa validity will commence from the date you provided online in advance (which appears in your visa approval letter issued online). Besides, for single entry visa, your visa will expire on the date you exit from Vietnam even when your date of exit is within the duration of visa validity. For a visa with multiple entries, in contrast, the date of visa expiration is as specified in your visa, not the date of your departure. Therefore, please make a clear schedule for your stay in Vietnam before ordering a Vietnam visa.
6. Visa approval letter is different from e-visa: Visa approval letter is a certificate compulsory for a stamped visa is issued at the airport, therefore, the approval letter itself can not give you permission to enter Vietnam but only permission to get visa stamped. On the other hand, e-visa is a real visa with which you can enter a country legitimately. At the airport, with visa approval letter, you will need to wait for the visa on arrival to be issued, which is quite time consuming and hassling. To avoid this troublesome stuff, we provide airport fast-track service to help you get visa and do all entry procedure easily and quickly.
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