A Journey that Starts Well, Ends Well
30 Days
30 Days
Setting Your Online Visa Application in Action
1
Document Validation
Upload scanned documents for verification
2
Pay Online
Process your application payment online
3
Get Your Visa
Download your approved visa
Vietnam Visa for Indians
Vietnam’s history, its stunning landscape peppered with hills and beaches, its breathtaking coastline, and bustling cities that are a storehouse of relics and display a fine mingling of the old world and the new, and its ever-growing culinary scene, make it a destination ideal for a leisurely travel, to soak up its history and culture, and the sights and smells. But in order to be able to travel to this gorgeous Asian country with Laos and Cambodia to the west, China to the north, and the South China Sea to its south and east, you would need a Vietnam visa. The Vietnam visa is a foremost document needed to travel to its beautiful country, experience its hiking trails, sunny beaches and a thriving street scene. Indian travellers have now opened up to travelling to this destination, and you have backpackers, solo travellers, group of friends, honeymooning couples and large families with children travelling to Vietnam, and even combining it with a trip to nearby Cambodia and Laos. But before you go ahead and plan your Vietnam vacation, you need to first get your Vietnam visa online, and ready the necessary documents required to procure it.
How to Apply Vietnam Visa for Indians
Every Indian citizen travelling to Vietnam needs a visa. But an advantage Indians have is the facility of availing a Vietnam visa on arrival or VOA. You can ready this document ahead of travelling to Vietnam. But before you can get your Vietnam visa application processed, you need to make sure your passport has a minimum of 6 month validity beyond your stay in Vietnam. You can procure a Vietnam eVisa online with the help of an online agent like Routemeup. The Vietnam visa on arrival is granted to any Indian passport holder who is visiting Vietnam for the purposes of business or tourism. This scores over the traditionally undertaken method of heading to the Vietnam embassy or local consulate to get your visa processed as it is done entirely online, without the need to send your original passports anywhere for processing. It is fast, requires the filling up of an online application form and paying the visa fee along with the agent’s commission online through your OTA’s payment gateway, and get your visa approval letter in quick time. You need to produce this letter upon landing at one of the international airports in Vietnam whether in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang or Hanoi, and get your visa stamp at the airport without any hassle. Though you are required to fill up a little form that mentions your passport details. It could save you some time if you fill up this form in advance by downloading from the Vietnam visa website. Without this you wouldn’t get the necessary visa stamp on your passport. But if you are opting for a Vietnam eVisa, then the entire procedure can be achieved online. Your visa is a short-term 30 day visa, is a single-entry visa, and the purpose of your visit could be both business or tourism. After paying the visa fee, you get your eVisa which is sent by your agent to your email id and then you can simply arrive at an international airport in Vietnam, produce the eVisa print-out, your passport and exit the airport.
Vietnam Visa Types
Before going ahead for a Vietnam eVisa apply online, you need to be aware of the various eVisas you can apply for. Each of these visas are pre-approved and electronically granted and fall under the category of eVisa on arrival. Among the most popular categories are:
Tourist visa: This category of visa is issued to those foreign nationals visiting Vietnam for the purposes of tourism only, and not for conducting any business. A Vietnam tourist visa can further be divided into multiple categories depending on validity and number of entries.
- – 1 month single-entry visa
- – 1 month multiple-entry visa
- – 3 months single-entry visa
- – 3 months multiple-entry visa
The visa fee and processing time for each of these visas are different. But post the COVID first wave, new regulations came into effect starting 1 July 2020 where holders of a tourist visa to Vietnam can stay in the country for only 30 days, even those opting for a 3 month single or multiple entry visa. They are granted a 30 day temporary residence stamp, with the possibility of extending your visa in Vietnam should you wish to remain in the country for longer. You can apply for these visas through three methods, either directly through the Vietnam embassy by getting it done in person, by opting for a Vietnam visa on arrival where you can get your approval letter and showing it at the airport to secure a visa stamp, or by going ahead with the most popular method of getting a Vietnam eVisa which is provided for 30 days and is a single-entry visa.
Business visa: This is the second most popular type of visa to Vietnam. The easiest one to get is the business eVisa which is the same as a tourist eVisa, is granted online, can be applied through an agent, is a single-entry visa and entails a stay of 30 days. And there is no hassle once you arrive with your business eVisa at the airport as all your documentation is already complete. But there are two other business visas which you can only apply by taking the embassy route.
DN1 visa: This visa is granted to foreigners who work with other companies or organisation that have a legal status as per laws of Vietnam.
DN2 visa: This visa is granted to foreigners who visit Vietnam in order to offer services, to set up a commercial establishment, or discharge duties under international treaties to which Vietnam is a member.
But just like the tourist visa for Vietnam, a business visa too can be further divided into the below categories:
- – 1 month single-entry visa
- – 1 month multiple-entry visa
- – 3 months single-entry visa
- – 3 months multiple-entry visa
If you want to get a business eVisa that offers a single-entry, you can reach out to your OTA. Your OTA can even help you with the other varieties of business visas which fall in the pre-approved visa on arrival category, where you are granted a visa approval letter, and all you are left to do is a brief set of formalities at the airport including filling a form and paying the visa stamp fee, post which you can exit the airport.
Documents Required for getting a Vietnam Business Visa
Here are the set of documents you need to ready in order to get a business visa to Vietnam:
- – Your passport which needs to have a validity of at least 6 months that goes beyond your duration of stay in Vietnam.
- – Your passport needs to have a minimum of 2 blank pages for the visa and immigration stamps.
- – A sponsorship letter is required from a licensed company operating in Vietnam, in case you are taking the embassy route.
How to get a Vietnam Business Visa
You can opt for a Vietnam visa on arrival. This is a highly recommended way of getting the visa as it requires no sponsor letter from the local company in Vietnam when you file your application. In order to get a business visa on arrival you do not need to travel anywhere. It is your sponsor company located in Vietnam that needs to complete the procedure by securing an online form providing information about you and your travel details, outside of that they also need to provide the support documents required for getting a business visa. If the procedure has been successfully completed, you will get a a visa letter through email mentioning a date and time, and you need to get your visa stamped on your arrival at a Vietnam airport on that stipulated date. The other route is to go through the Vietnam embassy in your country where you need to fill up the application form, attach all your papers in originals, appear for an interview, and then get the visa granted to you. But currently owing to the outbreak of COVID-19, the process of acquiring a business visa has become a bit complicated since the main document you need to procure in order to get the visa is a Vietnam Entry Permit.
How to get a Vietnam Tourist or Business eVisa
Once all your documents are ready, you can get in touch with an OTA. Then submit all the documents online and pay the visa fee which includes the fee charged by the Vietnam government and the agent’s commission. Routemeup charges INR 2250 for a tourist/business eVisa. Further Routemeup team will pick up your documents and go through their authenticity, and then fill up your visa application form on your behalf and forward your papers to the Vietnam high commission for processing. You can expect to get your eVisa sent to your registered email id directly by Routemeup within 3 to 4 working days.
Student visa: This category of visa is granted to those foreign nationals who intend to attend university in Vietnam. This kind of visa is typically organised only upon your arrival in Vietnam. You would first need to enter Vietnam using a regular tourist visa, proceeding which you need to apply for a change in your visa status at the Immigration Office once you have enrolled into your course. You can take help from an agency to get you a Vietnam student visa.
Work visa: This visa is issued to foreigners who come to work, as in do a job, in Vietnam like teaching among others. There are two categories of this visa:
LD1: This visa is granted to foreigners who come to work in Vietnam with work permit exemption certificate.
LD2: This visa is granted to foreigners who need to have work permit to pick up a job in Vietnam.
This kind of visa is valid for a maximum of 2 years. In case you wish to extend your stay, you need to apply for an LD temporary residence card that is valid for up to 2 years. For the same you need to ask the local company in Vietnam for whom you are going to work to apply for an LD visa approval letter at the Vietnam Immigration Department, and then you can get your visa stamped at Vietnam mission in foreign countries, or any port of entry on your arrival to Vietnam, and this would depend on the type of visa approval letter you are given.
Documents Required for getting a Vietnam Work Visa
You need to ready an array of documents ahead of applying for a Vietnam work visa.
- – The most crucial document for the same is a work permit or a written confirmation that it is work-permit-exempt. In case you wish to apply for the latter, you need to then apply for a business visa first with the particular company you would be working for. And once you procure the work permit, then you can easily apply for a Vietnam work visa.
- – You do not need to undergo any health check in order to apply for a Vietnam work visa.
- – The process of procuring a work visa comprises two kinds of fee; a work visa approval letter fee and stamping fee done either at the Vietnam embassy in your country, or upon arriving at the airport in Vietnam.
How to get a Vietnam work visa
In order to get a Vietnam work visa, you need to put in a request with the local company in Vietnam for whom you are going to work, asking them to apply on your behalf for an LD visa approval letter at the Vietnam Immigration Department. Following this, you would need to get your visa stamped at the Vietnam mission in foreign countries or at your port of entry in Vietnam. This would solely depend on the type of visa approval letter issued to you. Your work visa is processed by the Vietnam Immigration Department typically in 5 working days since receipt of all necessary documents.
What is a Vietnam Work Permit
A work permit is an official certificate which is issued by the Department of Labor, Invalid and Social Affairs to let its holder to work in Vietnam legally. This document cannot be applied directly by the foreign worker, and they would need the assistance of their future employers or a service centre in Vietnam. You need to have a Vietnam work permit in order to apply for a temporary residence card or a Vietnam work visa.
Investor visa: This visa is granted to foreign investors in Vietnam. These are the various categories:
DT1: This is granted to foreign investors in Vietnam and also to representatives of foreign companies investing in Vietnam with a capital contribution of a minimum of VND100 billion. Such a visa is valid for up to 5 years.
DT2: This is granted to foreign investors or representatives of a foreign organisation investing anywhere under VND100 billion. This visa too is valid for up to 5 years.
DT3: This category of visa is granted to a foreign investor in Vietnam or a representative of a foreign company who would make a capital contribution of under VND50 billion. This visa is valid for up to 3 years.
DT4: This category of visa is granted to foreign investors or representatives of foreign companies in Vietnam investing with a capital contribution of less than VND3 billion. The validity of such a visa is 1 year.
Diplomatic visa: A Vietnamese diplomatic visa is granted to the members of a delegating travelling to the country at an invitation from highly ranked government officials, to consulate personnel in Vietnam, and even to those who work with consulate members or visit them for a short duration. The diplomatic visa does not involve a visa fee, and to get this type of visa the applicant needs to submit a formal letter from the local government agency, foreign embassy or consulate to the concerned agency in the applicant’s home country. A diplomatic visa is valid for up to 1 year.
How to Apply for a Vietnam Diplomatic Visa?
The procedure for applying for a Vietnam diplomatic visa requires the applicant to submit an official letter which could be from a local government agency, consulate or foreign embassy, or the concerned agency in the applicant’s home country. A Vietnam diplomatic visa comes with a validity of up to 1 year.
E-visa to Vietnam, validity and fee for Indians
If you are planning a really short trip, either for the purposes of business or tourism, you can apply for a eVisa to Vietnam which is electronically granted, and all procedures are concluded online too. The Vietnam eVisa application is filled up by the OTA you reach out to; you could explore Routemeup who is an expert at Vietnam eVisas. This tourist or business eVisa is a single-entry visa, allows you to stay in the country for a total of 30 days, with the Vietnam eVisa processing time being approximately 3 to 4 working days from the time the completed forms along with your papers have been submitted to the Vietnam high commission. The approvals of the eVisa too comes in online, and your OTA merely forwards you the same to your registered email id. The Vietnam eVisa fees for Indians, whether tourist or business, when applied through Routemeup is INR 2250, and this includes the visa fee payable to the Vietnam government and Routemeup’s commission.
How to Apply for Vietnam eVisa Online
It is a very simple procedure, and you can apply Vietnam eVisa online. The government of Vietnam offers you the facility of applying for a eVisa which is a short-term visa valid for up to 30 days, and permits only a single entry. The entire online visa apply Vietnam procedure in this case can be accomplished online, where you need to send scanned copies of original documents like the front and back covers of the passport with a minimum of 6 month validity beyond your duration of stay in Vietnam, proof of accommodation on all days of your stay in Vietnam, confirmed return air tickets, your recent coloured passport-size photograph in a white background among others. Once you upload these documents on your OTA’s website, you then need to head to their payment gateway and pay the visa fee, following which your agent will pick up your documents, check their authenticity, fill up the eVisa Vietnam application form on your behalf and forward the same to the high commission for processing. The agent usually takes around 3 to 4 working days to get the approval letter or your eVisa from the embassy and sends you the same to your email id. A Vietnam eVisa online for Indians is actually a rather easy process, and doesn’t require an extensive range of documents. But you need to first decide whether you would like to opt for an eVisa or a pre-approved visa on arrival. Both of which can be provided by your OTA. While a Vietnam eVisa is a complete document and doesn’t require you to undergo any special formalities at the airport other than displaying your eVisa, passport and getting a go ahead from the immigration. The pre-approved visa on arrival, on the other hand, is a slightly different procedure.
