Which type of Vietnam visa do I need?

Since 2018, you can easily apply for the visa online for your holiday or business trip to Vietnam. You will receive an e-visa as a PDF document. With this e-visa, you can stay in the country for up to 90 days.

Do you want to stay in Vietnam for 45 days or less? You may be exempt from the visa requirement. Travellers with the nationality of Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, or Switzerland always require a visa. Tourists and business travellers with the nationality of the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, or Spain only require a visa if they want to stay in Vietnam longer than 45 days.

Do you want to stay in Vietnam for more than 90 days? You will not be able to use the electronic version of the visa that can be applied for online. In that case, apply for a paper visa by making an appointment at the Embassy of Vietnam.

Warning: You cannot obtain a visa upon arrival in Vietnam
Several websites still state that you can also obtain your visa upon arrival in Vietnam. This information is incorrect and outdated.

The visa upon arrival was available in the past. To apply for this visa, you would have to arrange a so-called approval letter before departure to Vietnam, allowing you to purchase a Visa On Arrival (VOA) upon arrival in Vietnam. During COVID-19, Vietnam closed its borders. Since the reopening of the borders in March 2022, e-visas have been available again. However, the possibility of obtaining a Visa On Arrival has not returned.

Requirements of the Vietnam e-visa

The online application procedure for the Vietnam e-visa is available to tourists and business travellers, but only if all these requirements are met. For example, your passport needs to be valid for six more months upon arrival. Additionally, you cannot pose a risk to the safety or public health in Vietnam, for example, because of a transmittable disease.

In addition, it is important to keep in mind the validity period of the e-visa. You can stay in Vietnam a maximum of 90 days. In the application form, you need to select the date on which you want the validity period of the visa to start. From that day, you will be allowed to enter Vietnam. In this form you must also indicate the date on which you will leave Vietnam. It is permitted to leave prior to this date, but never after.

With an e-visa, it is allowed to enter and exit Vietnam through 8 airports, 16 border crossings, and 9 seaports. When filling out the application form, you have to indicate which locations you are going to use. You cannot change this at a later stage.

Apply for your Vietnam visa

The application procedure for the electronic Vietnam visa is online. First, you must complete this application form. You can do so from a computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Next, you complete the payment safely and easily with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or PayPal. Finally, you are asked to provide an image or scan of your passport and a photograph. The photograph can also be a good selfie. You can submit both documents online.

Once you have submitted the application, it is assessed by a visa specialist at e-Visa.co.uk. They will compare the completed passport details with the submitted image of the passport, among others. This way, any mistakes can be corrected in a timely manner. Your application will then be sent to the immigration service in Vietnam, which decides whether the visa is granted. If your visa is granted, you will receive it by email. You have to print it out twice and take the copies with you on your trip.

Processing time and cost

The Vietnam visa is usually granted within 13 days. In the application form, you can also choose an urgent delivery. In the case of an urgent application, the average delivery time is 5 days. The delivery times mentioned here are averages, not maximums. Your application can be delayed by a random check.

The total cost of the Vietnam visa is £54.95 per person. This price consists of 640,352 VND in consular costs and £34.70 in service costs. There is a surcharge of £17.50 per visa for an urgent application.

Questions about the Vietnam visa

If you have any questions about applying for your visa for your holiday or business trip to Vietnam, continue reading the page with frequently asked questions and their corresponding answers.