If you decide to travel to a foreign location for Visa application, then you will have to incur costs on travel and accommodation. At the embassy, you will be required to fill up the Visa application form. Along with the duly filled up form, you will have to submit one recent passport sized photograph, one self-addressed envelope and your original passport. With these documents, you will have to pay the Visa fees. The fees can be paid to the Embassy of Vietnam by way of money order or cashier’s check.
The embassy will take at least five working days to process your documents. Once the documents are processed, you will be issued a fully stamped Visa. One of the major advantages of applying for Visa through the embassy is that you will have a fully stamped Visa in your hands before leaving for Vietnam. However, this procedure is too expensive and time consuming.
In case you decide to apply for Visa through correspondence, you will have to send in all your documents to the embassy through postal mail. This is highly risky as you could lose your documents in case your package is misplaced or lost in transit.
The easier alternative to this method is Visa on Arrival. Visa on Arrival is faster, easier and more convenient. You will have to get in touch with a travel agent based in Vietnam to apply for Visa on Arrival. You will be asked to fill up an online application form on the travel agent’s website. You will have to key in details such as your name, occupation, purpose of visit, duration of stay etc,. in the form. When filling up the purpose of visit section, you will have to choose from options such as business, tourist and transit.
A business Visa comes with a validity of one month, three months and six months. A tourist Visa comes with a validity of one month and transit Visa comes with a validity of less than five days.
Online forms are usually processed in two or three days, after which you will be issued a letter of approval. Your travel agent can collect this letter of approval on your behalf and have it forwarded 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. It is to be noted that the Visa on Arrival facility is extended only to those travelers who arrive in Vietnam by air. Along with the letter, you will also have to pay the Visa stamping fees in order to collect your Visa on Arrival document.
