In case you decide to visit the embassy personally in order to apply for the Visa, you will have to fill up a form. This form will have to be submitted at the embassy along with a recent passport sized photograph, one self-addressed envelope and your original passport. Along with these documents, you will also have to submit the Visa fees, which can be submitted to the Embassy of Vietnam by way of money order or cashier’s cheque.
The embassy will take at least five days to process your documents. Once the documents are processed, you will be issued a fully stamped Visa. Although the process of applying through the embassy gives you the benefit of getting a fully stamped Visa in your hands before leaving for Vietnam. However, this procedure can be quite expensive and time taking.
In case you decide to apply for Visa to Vietnam through correspondence, then you will have to send in all your documents by postal mail. This means that your original passport will have to be sent in by postal mail too. The passport is too valuable a document to be sent across via postal mail because in case of loss due to misplacement or loss in transit, you stand to lose your valuable document.
The ideal solution for Burundi citizens is to apply for Visa on Arrival. Visa on Arrival is an easier, faster and most affordable option. In order to apply for Visa on Arrival, you will have to get in touch with a travel agent based in Vietnam. You will be required to fill an online application form with all your details such as name, occupation, purpose of visit, duration of stay etc. While mentioning the purpose of visit, you will have to choose from options such as business, tourist and transit. A business Visa will allow you a validity of one month, three months or six months. A tourist Visa will allow you a validity of one month and a transit Visa will allow you a validity of less than five days.
After your application form is processed, you will be issued a letter of approval. This letter of approval can be collected by your travel agent and sent to you. On reaching Vietnam, you will have to submit this letter of approval at the Visa on Arrival counter of the airport you arrive in. Along with the letter of approval, you are required to submit the Visa stamping fees.
It is to be noted that the Visa on Arrival facility is available only to those travelers who arrive in Vietnam by air.
