Available Vietnam visa categories
There are 20 different categories of visas and new durations updated from 1 January 2015 under the Vietnam Law on Immigration: NG, LV, DN, NN DH, HN, PV, LD, DL, TT, VR, SQ. Tourist visa (visa DL) is one of the most popular Vietnam visa category. In addition, base on the length of stay and number of entry, visa is divided into 1 month or 3 months, single or multiple entry visa.
Vietnam tourist visa
- Available 1 month single entry and 1 month multiple entry.
- Maximum stay in Vietnam of 30 days.
- One-time extension of 30 days after your arrival in Vietnam.
- Online visa application or Vietnam Embassy application can be processed without any guarantee paper works except a valid passport
Depending on how to get a Vietnam visa, the tourist visa is classified into visa on arrival (a visa picked up at the arrival airport in Vietnam), e-visa (an electronic visa which is available for the citizens of 80 countries) and traditional visa (visa picked up at the Vietname Embassy or Consulate abroad)
Learn more about Vietnam tourist visa
Vietnam business visa
- Applicants should obtain the approval through their sponsor in Vietnam.
- Multiple entry and stay of three or six months is available.
- Vietnam Embassy application must be going with a sponsor invite letter
Depending on how to get a Vietnam visa, the business visa is classified into visa on arrival (a visa picked up at the arrival airport in Vietnam) and traditional visa (visa picked up at the Vietname Embassy or Consulate abroad)
Learn more about Vietnam business visa
Diplomatic and official Vietnam visa
- No fees unless otherwise agreed upon between Vietnam and applicant’ s country.
- On applying this visa, the applicant must submit an official letter from the concerned agencies of local government, foreign embassies or consulates accredited to the applicant’s country, international organizations, or other accredited organizations based in that country.
Learn more about visa extension for diplomatic and official visas
Transit visa
Vietnam is one of these countries, and does not require any transit visa, as long as you plan to stay inside the airport. Note, however, international airports such as Hanoi and Danang are rather small and not the best places for a light-sleeper. Therefore if you have an over-night transit, you might want to exit the airport and stay at a nearby hotel. In those cases, you will need a normal single entry visa.
Moreover, if your flight layover in Vietnam is more than 24 hours or you need to go through the immigration checkpoint to pickup your luggage for checking in the next flight then you will need a transit visa. So please make sure that you are flying on the flight that will do the transit procedures for the you totally in stead of a "self-transfer" flight. If you have a self-transfer flight in your trip, your connections are not covered by the carriers and you have to leave the transit zone at Vietnam airport and go through security and customs again. In this case you will need a transit visa for Vietnam.
Besides, base on the length of stay and number of entry, it is classified into 1 month or 3 months of stay, single or multiple entry. Normally, 1 month of stay visa is tourist visa and 3 months of stay is business visa:
Single or multiple entry visa
A single entry visa allows you to enter Vietnam once during its validity time but a multiple entry visa allows you to enter Vietnam more than once (as many times as you can) during its validity time. For example, if you enter Vietnam now, stay some days and leave for Cambodia, when re-entering Vietnam, you can still use your current Vietnam multiple entry visa (within its validity). The stamping fee are request to pay at the first entry only.
Code sign for Vietnam visas
- A1: shall be granted to official members of delegations invited by the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly, the State President, the Government and guests of ranks equivalent to the ranks of ministers, vice ministers, presidents or vice presidents of the People’s Committees of the provinces or centrally-run cities, and their accompanying dependents and servants.
- A2: shall be granted to members of foreign representations and their accompanying dependents and servants.
- A3: shall be granted to persons who enter Vietnam to work with foreign representations or to visit members of foreign representations.
- B1: shall be granted to persons who enter Vietnam to work with the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the Supreme People’s Court, the ministries, the ministerial-level agencies, the agencies attached to the Government, the Peoples Committees of the provinces or centrally-run cities, and the central bodies of the mass organizations.
- B2: shall be granted to persons who enter Vietnam to execute investment projects already licensed by competent Vietnamese State agencies.
- B3: shall be granted to persons who enter Vietnam for business purposes.
- B4: shall be granted to persons who enter Vietnam to work at representative offices or branches of economic, cultural or other professional organizations of foreign countries, Vietnam-based non-governmental organizations.
- C1: shall be granted to persons who enter Vietnam for tourist purposes.
- C2: shall be granted to persons who enter Vietnam for other purposes.
- D: shall be granted to persons who enter Vietnam without invitation or reception by any agencies, organizations or individuals. Visas in D code sign shall be valid for 15 days, while visas in other codes shall be valid for 30 days or more.
There are 20 different categories of visas and new durations as listed in the table below:
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