Vietnam Visa – UK Passport Holders Need to Know

Once putting my steps in Vietnam made me impressive with this country and its people. But in my last time there, I did not have much time to experience the whole country, so it remains a top position in shortlist of my destination in the coming time.

I have made a search on the internet for Vietnam visa information. And it is really great to know that I and you, as UK passport holders, we are exempted from Vietnam visa for up to 15 days in the country. However, one important thing to be noticed that to benefit from this policy, we must ensure:

1. Our passports are valid for at least 6 months from our arrival date; and
2. Our arrival date does not fall within 30 days from the exit date of our last stay in the country with visa exemption.

Otherwise, a visa is required.

A further search has been conducted, on the internet also, to know how I should do if I need a visa to this country. And all results have shown that we, UK citizens, have two ways to obtain a visa for Vietnam.

1. Apply for Vietnam visa via Vietnam Embassy in our country or in any country convenient for us; OR
2. Apply online for visa approval letter and then get visa stamped upon arrival at airport in Vietnam (it is called visa on arrival).

For more details, I reached Vietnam-visa.com which I heard have over 10-year experience assisting travelers to obtain visa on arrival to Vietnam with a great feedback, and here is what I found and I think it is useful for you.

1. About visa via Vietnam Embassy:

As informed, the procedure and fee to get a visa via Vietnam embassy may vary from one to another. So if you wish to obtain this kind of visa, you are advised to contact the embassy for details. Here, I also found a common procedure to get this kind of visa as follows:

1. Submit the visa application documents in person, by mail or through an authorized representative. Such documents may include:
   1. Completed visa application form (must be downloaded on website of the embassy with which you want to apply for visa)
   2. Original passport (with 6 months validity from date of return)
   3. 01 (one) ID photo (color)
   4. Flight booking and
   5. Proof of payment for visa fee
2. Get your passport back with full visa already stamped on it.

This option requires us to travel to apply. However, a big advantage of this way is that it supports all travelers to Vietnam.

2. About Visa on arrival to Vietnam

I found that Vietnam visa on arrival is a great way for UK citizens to get a visa for Vietnam. However, it has a disadvantage that it is not available for all, but only travelers to Vietnam by air.

I found this way very convenient as its application is completed online, so it requires us not travel to submit the application or sending the original passport away at all. And one plus point for it is that its fees are clearly announced on websites of the service providers.

Here is brief guide to get a visa on arrival to Vietnam for UK passport holders:

1. Complete the Vietnam visa application form and pay for service fee online (here is a link for this form: https://booking.vietnam-visa.com/step1.html);
2. Get visa approval letter within 1 or 2 working days;
3. Get visa stamped upon arrival at Vietnam airport

You also should note that unlike visa via embassy for which you only pay once to the embassy, using visa on arrival, regardless of service provider you will use, will require you to pay two kinds of fee as follows:

1. Service fee: to be paid online to the online service provider for processing the visa approval letter;
2. Stamping fee: to be paid in case at landing visa counter in Vietnam airport to get visa stamped.

You can refer to http://www.vietnam-visa.com/vietnam-visa-fees/ for detailed fees of visa on arrival provided by Vietnam-visa.com which I reached for such information.

This is basic information about Vietnam visa for UK citizens I wish to share to all of you. Hopefully it helps you as it does to me.