• Apply through the embassy
If you are a citizen of Burundi and wish to travel to apply for Visa through an embassy, you will have to either visit an embassy in a neighboring country or get in touch with the embassy officials to en quire if the application process can be facilitated over postal mail. If you decide to visit the embassy personally, you will be asked to fill the Visa application form. Along with the duly filled form, you will be required to submit documents such as one recent passport size photograph, one self-addressed envelope and your original passport. Besides these documents, you will also have to submit the Visa fees, which can be paid in favor of the embassy of Vietnam by way of money order or cheque.
The embassy will require at least five working 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 before your departure to Vietnam, there are several disadvantages in the system which make it time consuming and expensive.
If in case you decide to apply by correspondence, you will have to send in all your documents by postal mail. In such a case, you stand to lose valuable documents such as your original passport in case your package is lost in transit or misplaced.
• Apply for Visa on Arrival
The ideal choice for citizens of Burundi is the Visa on Arrival process. 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 application form which will require your details such as name, occupation, purpose of visit, duration of stay etc. While filling up the purpose of stay section, you will be required 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 a transit Visa comes with a validity of less than five days.
Once you online form is processed, you will be issued a letter of approval. This letter of approval can be collected by your agent on your behalf and have it forwarded to you. On reaching Vietnam, you will have to submit this letter of approval along with the Visa stamping fees at the Visa on Arrival counter of the airport you arrive in to receive your Visa on Arrival.
The Visa on Arrival facility is available only to those travelers who arrive in Vietnam by air. For those taking land routes, it is mandatory that they carry all their documents with them while traveling. In case of a cruise ship, the cruise authorities are to be contacted for information on Visa on Arrival.
