In some cases, you can apply for a 3 month visa for tourism purpose; the procedure will be the same with 1 month visa. In other words, Vietnamese tourist visa’s validity can be from 15 days to 3 months. Procedures:In order to apply for a tourist visa online and pick up your visa at Vietnam airports, the following information is required:

* Your name on passport: it is your full name appears on your passport, name order is not important, so you can place either surname first or first name first.

* Your date of birth: in Vietnam, the date format will be DD/MM/YYYY

* Your Nationality or passport: the passport you are using to enter Vietnam (UK, US or Australian)

* Your passport number: as shown on your passport and should be valid for 6 months at least from the date of arrival.

* Date of arrival: it is not necessarily exact, you can fill in with proposed date of arrival, however, please be advised that you can just enter Vietnam later not earlier. Photos: photos are required at Vietnam airport only. You can use our secure online form to submit your application or find all the download forms hereinstead.Tourism & Business purposes: On the approval letter, 3 month, 6 month visa is listed for business purposes by default, however, as the above statement, there is no difference and you can enter Vietnam for any purposes.

Business visa (On arrival)

Vietnam business visa is normally valid for 3 – 6 months, and in some cases, you are entering Vietnam for just a few days for business purposes, you can also apply for a tourist visa instead as this makes no difference.

Do you need a sponsor?

Fortunately, no, with visa on arrival, sponsor is not required to apply for a 3 or 6 month visa. However, if you apply for a visa through Vietnamese embassy, they will ask you for a proof of sponsoring letter from Vietnam institutions.

Procedures:

Applying for a business visa is completely the same with a tourist visa, please see details here.

Is it possible to apply for a business visa for tourism purposes?

Yes, you can apply for a 3-6 month visas for both tourism and business purposes.

According to Article 1 of the Regulation on visa exemption for overseas Vietnamese promulgated together with the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 135/2007/QD-TTg of August 17, 2007, overseas Vietnamese, foreign spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese are eligible for entry visa exemption if possessing all the following papers:

1. Foreign passports or foreign passport substitutes (below collectively referred to as passports) which remain valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry. An overseas Vietnamese who has no passport must possess a residence permit granted by a foreign country which remains valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry.

2. Visa exemption certificates granted by a competent Vietnamese agency.
A visa exemption certificate is granted to each person. For under-14 children sharing passports with their fathers or mothers, visa exemption certificates will be granted together with passports of their fathers or mothers.

What are dossiers of application for a visa exemption certificate? What agencies are competent to grant the certificates?

The Regulation stipulates:

Foreign spouses or children of Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese who are eligible for entry visa exemption shall submit dossiers, each comprising:

- 01 declaration of application for a visa exemption certificate (made according to a set form);
- 02 recent color photos of 4 cm x 6 cm, white background, of the applicant facing straight bareheaded and wearing no dark glasses (01 photo stuck on the application form and the other enclosed separately);
- A foreign passport which remains valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry (enclosed with its copy for archive by a competent agency);
- One of the following papers evidencing marital or parental relationship with overseas Vietnamese or Vietnamese citizens (enclosed with its copy for archive by a competent agency):

+ Marriage certificate,
+ Birth certificate,
+ Paper certifying parent-child relationship,
+ Decision on child adoption,
+ Other valid papers as prescribed by Vietnamese law.

For overseas Vietnamese, a dossier consists of:

- 01 declaration of application for a visa exemption certificate (made according to a set form),
- 02 recent color photos of 4 cm x 6 cm, white background, of the applicant facing straight bareheaded and wearing no dark glasses (01 photo stuck on the application form and the other enclosed separately)
- A foreign passport or a residence permit granted by a foreign country for persons having no foreign passports, which remains valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry (enclosed with its copy for archive by a competent agency);
- One of the following papers proving that the applicant is an overseas Vietnamese (enclosed with its copy for archive by a competent agency):

+ A certificate of Vietnamese nationality;
+ A copy or duplicate of the decision on Vietnamese nationality restoration;
+ A copy or duplicate of the decision on Vietnamese nationality relinquishment;
+ A certificate of loss of Vietnamese nationality;
+ A Vietnamese passport (which remains valid or has expired);
+ A Vietnamese identity card (which remains valid or has expired);
+ A birth certificate (including copy);
+ A lastest polling card;
+ The household registering book;
+ A laissez-passer granted before 1975;
+ An identity card granted before 1975;
+ A duplicate of the birth certificate granted before 1975 (copy);
+ Papers granted by a foreign competent agency which state that the applicant has Vietnamese nationality or is a Vietnamese native.

- If having none of the above papers, the applicant may submit one of the following which needs not to be certified or authenticated):
+ A paper of guarantee issued by an overseas Vietnamese association based in the country where he/she resides;
+ A written affirmation by a Vietnamese citizen.

Agencies competent to grant visa exemption certificates include:
- Overseas Vietnamese diplomatic missions and consulates;
- The Immigration Control Department under the Ministry of Public Security.
A competent agency shall grant a visa exemption certificate within 7 working days after receiving a valid dossier.
A visa exemption certificate has a validity duration of up to 5 years which must be at least 6 months shorter than the remaining validity duration of the passport or residence permit granted by a foreign country.

People entering Vietnam with visa exemption certificates may stay in Vietnam for up to 90 days following each entry. Those who wish to stay longer shall carry out visa application procedures according to current regulations before or after their entry into Vietnam.

Again, please check the complete information on visa on arrival. Vietnam visa on arrival works for both business men and tourists.

2. Getting a visa at Vietnamese embassy

The process of getting a business visa or a tourist visa is generally the same. Most tourists get their visa through a Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate office in their country of residence or in their travels country before entering Vietnam.

For a tourist visa, you will need to submit:

1) Entry permit form (which can vary from one Vietnamese embassies or consulate abroad to another).
2) Two photos (usually 4cm x 6cm or 3 cm x 4 cm)
3) Your original passport
4) Vienam Visa fee

The form and the fee can vary by country, so please check directly the Vietnamese embassy or consulate to which you are applying.

A business visa usually also requires a letter of support from your sponsor agency or company in Vietnam. In person, the process usually takes 2-3 days, and by mail, the process usually takes 2-3 weeks, depending on the service you use, although times can vary considerably by embassy or consulate. If you are mailing, please note that you need to make arrangements to have your passport with visa returned to you.

For assistance, you can process your visa through a travel agency or tour company in Vietnam, with an additional fee, although this is not usually necessary unless you need visa on arrival services.