Vietnam Visa on Arrival (VOA) 2026: Requirements & Application Guide

1. What is visa on arrival?

Vietnam visa on arrival (VOA) or Landing visa is a visa type that allows foreigners to collect their entry visa when arriving at Vietnam’s airport, on the condition that a pre-approved authorization letter has been obtained. Unlike other visa types (such as e-visa, and visa obtained from a Vietnamese embassy), visa on arrival is only available for those who enter Vietnam by air and at one of 8 given international airports in Vietnam.

Instead of getting a visa affixed to your passports in advance, you are required to apply for a visa approval letter (also known as pre-approved visa letter or visa invitation letter) via a local visa agency in Vietnam first, then this letter is used to take a visa stamp on the passport upon arrival at the airport.

Visa Approval Letter

2. Visa on arrival in brief

3. Pros and cons of applying for a visa-on-arrival

✔ Pros

As its name suggests, visa-on-arrival is usually known for its convenience, especially for those who cannot go to the Embassy/Consulate in their country to apply for a visa. Below are the key advantages of a visa-on-arrival:

• ➔ Convenience: No need to prepare many documents to submit in person at the Embassy, no passport sendoff, Vietnam Landing visa only requires some information for the application form and pre-approved visa letter. Then, the visa stamp will be provided upon your entry. The visa approval letter process is conducted easily online with the support of a local agency.
• ➔ Time-saving: Visa on arrival is best for those who do not have time to go to the Embassy. Moreover, this type of visa is best when you need to get to Vietnam urgently. The urgent visa application may take only 2 - 3 hours even during weekends.
• ➔ Cost-saving: Document preparation fee, postage fee to send documents, or travel costs to the Embassy will be cut off with visa-on-arrival. You just need to pay a stamping fee at the airport to get a visa to Vietnam.
• ➔ Various entry types: Multiple entries are available for visa on arrival (1 month only).
• ➔ Eligible applicants: Vietnam visa on arrival is available for citizens of all nations if they enter Vietnam by air.

⚠ Cons

Visa on arrival still has its limitations. Consider it before applying for one:

• ➔ No official website: Visa on arrival cannot be applied by foreign individuals themselves. There is no official website for the visa-on-arrival application. There must be a third party (a Vietnamese visa agency or travel agency) involved in the process. They will provide you with the pre-approved visa letter and they are all private organizations/agencies.
• ➔ Queuing at the airport: To get your visa stamped, you have to wait in line at the Visa Application counter at the Arrival Immigration area of the airport. This usually takes around 15 - 20 minutes in the low season (May to September). However, it also may last for 30 minutes - 1 hour during the high season (October to April). This is uncontrollable so it might affect your plan after.
• ➔ Entry/exit checkpoints: Although 8 out of 10 Vietnam international airports accept visa on arrival, you still have to check if your entry/exit checkpoint is applicable (*).
• ➔ Pre-approved visa letter: Since the visa approval letter can be applied to a group of foreigners, the local agency can make a combined approval letter. Hence, you may see other foreigners’ names in your letter.
• ➔ Varied visa fee: There is no fixed visa fee for a landing visa since you will pay for 2 kinds of fee. The fee for a pre-approved visa letter is varied depending on your agency and the stamping fee is USD 25 - 50 depending on your visa type (duration of stay, single or multiple entries). Besides, only cash is accepted for the stamping fee at the arrival port.

4. Who is eligible?

Visa on arrival is eligible for following applicants:

• Tourists: Foreigner tourists joining a Vietnam tour organized by a Vietnam travel agency.
• Relatives: Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese returning to Vietnam to attend a relative's funeral or visit relatives who are seriously ill.
• Urgent cases: Foreigners entering Vietnam in urgent cases such as incident handling, rescuing, natural disaster prevention, epidemic prevention or special request from a competent Vietnamese agency.

Vietnam visa stamped on your passport

Other Conditions for Visa On Arrival

Although citizens all over the world can apply for a visa on arrival if they travel to Vietnam by air and enter/exit one of 5 designated airports, there are some other conditions that you must comply with as below:

• Foreigners coming from a country without the Vietnam Embassy/Consulate.
• Foreigners residing in other countries and currently not present in the Vietnam territory.
• Foreigners having valid passports with at least 6 months validity in advance of the planned stay in Vietnam.
• Foreigners coming to Vietnam by air and having the entry/exit checkpoints at one of 8 international airports allowing visa-on-arrival.
• Those who are not banned from entering Vietnam as prescribed in Article 21 of the Law on entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam.

5. How to apply

Preparation

To get ready for a visa on arrival, you need to prepare all the followings:

• A hard copy of a pre-approved visa letter approved by the Vietnam Immigration Department.
• A visa application form (entry and exit declaration form) provided by the local visa agency (Form NA1).
• 02 photos (4x6 or 3x4, same size, white or plain background, newly taken in 6 months, straight looking, without glasses or scarf) (01 is pasted on the visa application form, 01 is used for presentation if needed).
• A valid passport with a validity of at least 06 months beyond your stay in Vietnam.
• Stamping fee in cash (USD 25 - 50 based on your visa type).

Application

Here are 3 steps you need to follow to obtain a visa on arrival:

1. Step 1: Apply for a visa approval letter through a visa agency. The standard process may take 2 - 5 working days but you can also choose the rush service and have the visa letter ready in 2-3 working hours.
2. Step 2: Receive your visa approval letter along with the visa application form (NA5) by email. Print a hard copy for both documents.
   Fill up all the information required in the visa application form and prepare 02 passport sized photos and cash for stamping fee (25 USD for single entry and 50 USD for multiple entry).
3. Step 3: At immigration/landing visa on arrival counter at the arrival port, present all documents and things in Step 2 to get your visa stamp.

Note: Without the approval letter in step 1, you will be denied boarding the plane to Vietnam.

6. Processing time and fee

Processing time

Since the pre-approved visa letter is compulsory for a Vietnam visa on arrival, you need to estimate the time to prepare this paper in advance of your trip. The processing time for a pre-approved visa letter varies from a few hours to a few working days.

The urgent letter just needs 1 - 3 working hours or 1 - 3 working days while the regular one takes 4-5 working days. After you get all the documents needed, it takes you around 15 minutes to 1 hour at the arrival port to get a visa stamped, based on the waiting line.

Fee

There are two fees for a visa on arrival. The total cost depends on the visa type and the visa agency you apply with. Some agencies may charge additional fees for urgent or same-day processing.

Please refer to the regular service fees in the table below: