In an exclusive reveal, the UK government noted that Britishers are taking trips to Vietnam more than 200,000 times every year. The calm beaches and relaxing bays in contrast to the happening city life makes this small Asian country one of the most sought after travel destinations for the Britons. Major attractions for the travellers are the adventure of river cruises and affordable shopping options throughout the country.
While there has been a lot of conjecture around Vietnamese visas for UK citizens, we breakdown the complete visa rules that follow your Vietnam trip. This guide covers the visa requirements as per the UK government’s understanding of the current Vietnam visa rules in place, from visa type to visa procedure and everything in between.
Do You Need A Visa For Vietnam From The UK?
Let’s get started with the basics first. As a UK citizen, do you need a visa in hand to enter Vietnam? The answer is, it depends.
As per the latest Vietnam Immigration Regulations, UK citizens having a legal passport with a validity of 6 months beyond the arrival date and those who wish to stay upto 15 days in Vietnam are exempt from producing a Vietnam Visa.
In short,
- If you are a UK citizen who wishes to stay in Vietnam for upto 15 days, you do not require a visa.
- If you are a UK citizen who wishes to stay in Vietnam for more than 15 days, you will require a visa to enter Vietnam.
In both of these cases, your passport must be valid for 6 months beyond the date of arrival into Vietnam.
The visa rule also applies for travellers who visit Vietnam again after 30 days of their departure. Having a visa covers movements freely in and out of the country for both tourism or business purposes.
Vietnam Visa For UK Citizens – How It Works?
There are two ways to obtain a Vietnam visa as a UK citizen which depends on the duration of your stay there. If you are travelling by a flight and you wish to stay there for 30 days or less, you can apply for a Vietnam visa online. This particular visa type is known as “Visa on Arrival” and can be easily procured through an online portal. It is the fastest, easiest and most comfortable method to obtain a Vietnam visa as it can be completely done online from any location.
There are two ways to obtain a Vietnam visa as a UK citizen which depends on the duration of your stay there. If you are travelling by a flight and you wish to stay there for 30 days or less, you can apply for a Vietnam visa online. This particular visa type is known as “Visa on Arrival” and can be easily procured through an online portal. It is the fastest, easiest and most comfortable method to obtain a Vietnam visa as it can be completely done online from any location.
The steps to obtain a visa on arrival are as follows:
- Just fill out the following online application form(Insert client’s website link) by providing the following info,
- The airport of arrival
- Date of arrival
- Full name
- Passport number
- Date of birth
- Nationality
- Once you have filled in the necessary information, you will be redirected to a payment page to pay the service fee and government fee online through your preferred payment method.
- Post which, you will receive a confirmation email for your visa application.
- Your eVisa will go under processing and you will receive an email once approved. Please note that the time taken for this procedure can vary depending upon the type of visa you choose.
- You will get your Visa Approval Letter issued by the Vietnam Immigration Department via email.
- The last step is to simply download the eVisa than you receive on the email.
- Print out your visa on arrival and the entry and exit form which is also attached in the email.
- Carry visa approval letter, 2 passport-sized photographs, duly-filled entry and exit form and stamping fee along with you to the airport.
- Show all your prepared documents to the incharge officer once you arrive in Vietnam and get your visa stamped at the airport checking point.
The international airports where e-visa is allowed are:
- Hanoi City
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Da Nang City
- Nha Trang City
- Hai Phong City
- Phu Quoc Island
The second route to obtain a Vietnam visa is to go through the Vietnam Embassy.
- Download the Vietnam visa application form from the Vietnam embassy in the UK website.
- Fill out the application and attach your photo along with the form.
- While visiting the embassy, carry your passport along with the following details to your nearest consulate:
- Full name, exactly as it appears on the passport
- Date of birth
- Date of arrival
- Passport number
- Nationality
Once you have submitted your application, you will have to visit the embassy again after a few days to pick up your stamped visa. The visa processing fee can be paid in cash or via cheque and varies in amount depending upon the type of visa and the length of your stay.
Find below the contact details of Vietnam Embassy in UK:
- Address: 12-14 Victoria Rd., London W8-5rd, UK
- Phone: (4420) 79371912
- Fax: (44020) 7565385
- Email: embassy@vietnamembassy.org.uk
While both the options are appropriate ways to obtain a valid visa, visa on arrival is only valid for travellers arriving by air and visa from the embassy is applicable for all UK citizens.
Types of Vietnam Visa For UK citizens
• Regular visa
If you do not have a fixed travel duration or you would like to stay in Vietnam for more than 30 days, you need to obtain a visa from the nearest Vietnamese embassy.
• Tourist visa
Regular tourist visas can be applied from the Vietnamese embassy. These tourist visas are available in both single and multiple entries. Both single and multiple entries carry a validity of 30 to 90 days so you can choose one as per your requirements.
To apply for a regular tourist visa, you need to carry a completed visa application form, original passport and passport-sized photograph. You do not need to schedule an appointment at the embassy to submit an application.
Once your visa is processed and you visit the embassy again, you can collect your stamped passport from the consular section of the embassy.
• Business visa
Similar to tourist visas, regular business visas are available in single and multiple entries with a validity of 30 to 90 days. They can also be collected from the Vietnamese embassy.
Apart from the passport, visa application and photograph, you need to also carry an invitation letter and a travel itinerary (both ways) for a business visa. The application process is exactly the same as a tourist visa.
• Diplomatic visa
If you are a holder of a diplomatic passport and you are a citizen of the UK, you can apply for a visa on Gratis, which means free of charge.
For this particular visa type, you will have to submit an official letter from the UK foreign office or Note Verbal apart from the general documents (passport, visa application, photographs).
• Official travel visa
In order to obtain a visa for official travel to Vietnam, you need to apply for this visa through the embassy. The process of application is similar to that of a tourist visa wherein you need to submit a completed application form, passport photograph.
Apart from these general documents, you will also have to attach:
- A business cover letter
- Proof of approval issued by the sponsor of Vietnam
- Note Verbale highlighting purpose of travel
All of the above documents should be approved by the Vietnamese embassy. Once you have gathered all the documents and arranged them in order, you can follow the same steps of visa application specified for a tourist visa.
Vietnam Visa Fee In UK
A one-month fee for a single person on a tourist visa is approximately $46 which includes visa approval letter $21 + $25 stamping fee. This fee amount may vary depending upon the type of travel and the processing time. For more information on Vietnam visa fee, refer to the chart below:
| Type of Visa | Tourist Visa | Business Visa | Stamping fee |
| 1 month (Single entry) | $18 | $70 | $25 |
| 3 months (Single entry) | $28 | $95 | $25 |
| 1 month (Multiple entries) | $21 | $75 | $50 |
| 3 months (Multiple entries) | $43 | $110 | $50 |
Please note that the above given prices are applicable for “visa on arrival” applications. If you are applying through the embassy of Vietnam in the UK, please contact the embassy directly to know about the visa fee.
Also note that the above mentioned fees are charged for a normal 2 working days processing service. You may be charged extra for urgent visa services that can take anywhere from 1 working day to 2 hours for processing.
Vietnam Visa Extension For UK Citizens
The procedure to get your visa extended is quite simple, however, the waiting time to obtain the visa is quite long. In general, you need to wait for 5 to 7 working days to get a month visa extended and 8 to 10 working days to get a 3 months visa extended. You can apply for a visa extension on your own directly at the Vietnam Immigration Department or to speed up the process, you can contact an agent who can help you extend your visa.