VIETNAM VISA FOR SRI LANKA CITIZEN

Vietnam Visa is the legal document approved by the Vietnam Immigration Department to allow foreigners to enter Vietnam. In most cases, foreigners themselves can obtain a Vietnam Visa through 3 ways: Apply in the Vietnamese Embassy, Apply for a Visa on Arrival or Apply for an e-visa online. With these 3 ways citizens of many countries like Brazil, Canada, US, India,... can easily obtain Vietnam visa whether for tourist or business purpose. However, it is really difficult for citizens of Sri Lanka to obtain Vietnam Visa due to the restriction of the Vietnam Immigration Department. They cannot apply for Vietnam Visa by themselves and it takes a lot of time for the procedure. For their convenience, they need the help from an experienced agency in Vietnam to apply the Approval Letter for them in advance, then they can get the Visa stamped at the nearest Vietnamese Embassy in Sri Lanka or Vietnam International Airport (in Ho Chi Minh, Ha Noi, Da Nang, Nha Trang).

CITIZENS OF THE FOLLOWING 24 COUNTRIES ARE NOT REQUIRED TO HOLD A VISA FOR VIETNAM

Visitors to Vietnam must obtain a visa from one of the Vietnamese Embassies/ Consulates or via agencies on arrival unless they come from one of the visa-exempting countries. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.

1. Citizens of Brunei and Myanmar are granted bilateral visa-free entry no more than 14 days;

2. Citizens of Philippines are granted bilateral visa-free entry no more than 21 days;

3. Citizens of Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are granted bilateral visa-free entry no more than 30 days;

4. Citizens of Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Finland, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Belarus are granted unilateral visa-free entry no more than 15 days

5. Citizens with APEC business cards from member economies of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are granted visa-free entry with no more than 60 days of residence;

6. For tourists to Phu Quoc, Vietnam: Foreigners and abroad residing Vietnamese citizens entering Vietnam through an international border and travelling to Phu Quoc island, then residing under 15 days are granted Vietnam visa free entry. Passport are required at least 45 days validity. After entering Phu Quoc, in case travelers want to have a visit to other destinations or reside in the island more than 15 days, they will be offered Vietnam visa by the Immigration department right in the island;

Note: Kindly note that the citizens of Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Finland, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Belarus are granted unilateral visa-free entry no more than 15 days, after 15 days visa exemption they must leave Vietnam for their home or another country and it takes at least 30 days since the latest exit from Vietnam to enter again without Vietnam visa.

THREE WAYS OF OBTAINING A VISA FOR VIETNAM
There are three ways of obtaining such a visa:

• Apply in person or by post through your nearest Vietnamese Embassy;

• Apply for a Visa on Arrival (VOA) or;

• Apply for an e-visa online.

While there are advantages and disadvantages associated with each of these, we recommend the Visa on Arrival as the best option for the purposes of tourist, business and work considering a trip to Vietnam.

Option 1: Via Vietnamese Embassy in Sri Lanka
Key Features:

• Traditional approach to getting a visa

• Can be done in person or by post

• Can be used to apply for any type of visa

• The fee is uncertain as it depends on the consulate/ embassy

• Can be used for any entrance point, whether by land, air, or sea

• Takes about 5 working days to process, but can be sped up to 1- 2 days for urgent service.

• Visa is stamped before departure.

You can apply for a visa through the local Vietnamese Embassy either in person or by mail. To do this, you need to fill out and sign an application form, sending it along with your passport and a passport photo.

The advantage of applying this way is that you already have the visa stamped in your passport before leaving for Vietnam, which means you do not need to queue on arrival for your passport to get stamped.

The application process is not the most convenient, however, especially for people who do not live near a Vietnamese Embassy. Moreover, the fees vary depending on the Embassy and the processing time is longer.

Embassy of Vietnam in Sri Lanka
Address: No. 30/5,Ward Place,Colombo 7
Phone: 94-11-2696050 - Fax: 94-11-2692040
Website: http://www.vietnamembassy-srilanka.vn/
Email: vnemb-srilanka@mofa.gov.vn
Office Hours: Mon - Fri 09.00 am - 12.00 pm 02.00 pm - 05.00 pm

Option 2: Visa on Arrival
Key Features:

• Convenient, as it can be done by completing an online application form

• Can be used to apply for any type of visa (1- 3, or 6 months, or 1 year multiple-entry visa)

• You will need to pay two fees: 1. Service fee for approval letter, 2. Stamping fee.

• The service fee is paid online to the service provider. The amount depends on the visa type (number of months and number of entries) and service provider.

• The stamping fee is paid at the arrival airport when the visa is stamped. The fee starts at USD25 for 1 month and 3-month single entry, USD50 for 1 and 3 month multiple-entry visas. • The stamping fee must be paid in cash (USD or VND).

• Can only be obtained at Vietnam’s international airports in Hanoi, Danang, Ho Chi Minh, Cam Ranh or Phu Quoc Airport. Hence it is only an option for air passengers.

• For tourist approval letter takes about 2 working days to process and can be sped up to 1 day or 4 hours for an extra charge. While the business approval letter takes 5 working days to process

Visa on Arrival is a viable option with various advantages. With Visa on Arrival, you can apply for longer-term and multiple-entry visas, and you do not need to go in person to the Embassy, or apply by post. You just need to submit an online application and get a pre-approval letter.

Option 3: E-Visa
Key Features:

• Very recent, was only launched on 1 February 2017

• Convenient, as it can be done by completing an online application form

• Only costs USD 25, which is non-refundable if the visa is declined

• May be used for any entrance point, whether by land, air, or sea. (There are 28 entrance points, including 8 international airports, 13 international border gates, and 7 seaports.)

Only for 1 month single-entry

• Takes about 3 working days to process, and you’ll know quickly whether the application was accepted or not

• The visa does not need to be stamped on your passport; hence there is no stamping fee and no need to queue for your passport to be stamped on arrival

• Only available to citizens of 46 countries (including the UK and the USA)

Applying for an e-visa is our recommended option for tourists as it is most convenient and cost-effective. However, please note that this visa is only for visitors visiting for less than 30 days. Longer-term visitors will need to consider the other two options.

Please Note that the arrival port must be the same on the documents issued by Immigration Department. If you are to change the arrival port after receiving your E-visa, you should contact them to amend the information on the documents to avoid any issue on the ground.

As this kind of visa is very new, we suggest that visitors contact with Vietnamese Immigration Department via electronic system if having any queries or take a look at the E-visa Frequently Asked Questions.

HOW TO APPLY A BUSINESS, WORKING OR INVESTMENT APPROVAL LETTER TO OBTAIN THE VISA AT OVERSEAS VIETNAMESE EMBASSIES/ CONSULATES OR VIETNAM’S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS

For business, working or investment purposes, the applicants are required a letter of entry clearance or approval letter from the Ministry of Public Security obtained by your business partner in Vietnam. The required documents need to provide both the applicant and Vietnam’s sponsor company

1. A notary certified copy of sponsored company’s business or investment or representative license, ax registration, company seal registration form;

2. Scanning the applicant’s passport;

3. Providing the proposed date of arrival (this is the date you want your visa to start from. The start date of the visa itself will be the day you arrive - you can enter Vietnam at a later date (up to your exit date) but not before that date, so be sure to take time zone differences into account);

4. Providing the place of picking up the visa (the visa can be picked up at either the Vietnamese Embassy in your own or another country, or airports of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang or Nha Trang);

The visa duration is from 1 to 12 months with single or multiple entries - Normal processing time: 5-7 working days

OTHER INFORMATION RELATED TO VIETNAM'S WORK PERMIT, VISAS AND TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CARD