Vietnam visa is an essential certificate issued by the government of Vietnam through Immigration Authorities that allows you to arrive and stay in Vietnam for a period of time. Who needs visa for Vietnam? Do you need visa to Vietnam as a Indian citizen? You will get your questions answered and find other useful information here.
First of all, let’s make it clear that the article doesn’t mention to diplomatic and official visas here.
Who needs visa for Vietnam?
Except for those who are citizens of countries having exemption agreement with Vietnam, all foreign visitors need a visa before entering Vietnam. Therefore, before planning to get visa for Vietnam, it is necessary to check Vietnam visa requirements applied to your nationality.
Stated by Vietnam Immigration Department, you will not need visa to Vietnam if you come from one of the following countries: Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Russian, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Brunei, and Myanmar.
Free visa duration applied for each applicant is different and ranges from the shortest of 14 days to the longest of 30 days. However, for those who wish to visit Phu Quoc island, you may stay without a visa for 30 days as a maximum. It is applied for all visitors travelling to the island through any international ports of entry.
Do you need visa to Vietnam as a Indian citizen?
As you can see from the list above, you will need visa for Vietnam if you are a Indian passport holder. In fact, as a Indian citizen, you can complete Vietnam visa application in 2 different ways: through Vietnam embassy in Indian or in other foreigner countries where you are having vacations or through travel agencies.
Apply At Vietnam Embassy
This option can be done at every Vietnam embassy all over the world, not only in your own country. Depending on the types of visa service provided by each Vietnam embassy, Indian travellers may have to visit the embassy at least once to submit visa documents or just stay at home and complete visa application online. This procedure varies from embassy to embassy. To be well- prepared before applying at any Vietnam embassy or consulate, applicants should contact the embassy beforehand to make sure that you are well informed about what required documents are submitted to get visa for Vietnam.
Apply Through A Travel Agent
Compared to the former, this option is faster, easier and more convenient. This way of application allows travellers to stay at home and have a travel agent complete Vietnam visa application on their behalf. It is absolutely legal and allows you to get official Vietnam visa the same as the ones from Vietnam embassy. The difference is that you will get full visa stamp after landing at arrival airport in Vietnam, not before taking off to Vietnam. However its drawback is that it only works when applicants enter Vietnam by air, not any other mode of transport.
When to apply Vietnam visa?
In fact, application for Vietnam visa can be done for 1 day to 6 months in advance. Although it takes only 2 working days as a maximum when applying though travel agents and 5 days as a maximum to get full visa from Vietnam embassy, it would be better if you apply for visa to Vietnam 1 to 2 weeks before your arrival date. It will help you to avoid any unexpected payment issues or other administrative problems.
In addition, before preparing for Vietnam visa application, you will have to make sure that your passport is valid enough for your trip to Vietnam. Under normal circumstances, it is required to be in 6 month validity before your date of arrival to Vietnam or at least 1 month validity after date you exit Vietnam’s territory. In case your passport has expired, there is no way other than applying for a new one before applying for visa to Vietnam.
How long to wait for my visa processed?
The normal processing time for applications submitted at Vietnam embassy in India is 5 working days. If you wish to use expedited process, you will pay for extra fee to receive full visa after 2 working days. The shortest time to process your visa is within 1 working day. It is fact that the faster the visa is issued, the higher charge you will have to pay.
In case you apply Vietnam visa on arrival through a travel agent, you will receive your visa approval letter which allows you to get full visa stamp later at arrival airport in Vietnam after 2 working days as a maximum. Besides, each travel agent provides different types of visa processing time. Few travel agents can even help you to have your visa application processed within 1 working hour. You can contact and ask supporter to have specific information.
We do hope that you have found almost your questions answered here. In case you have any other inquires, you can leave messages below or contact us at any time. It’s our pleasure to help you.
