All about rush Vietnam visa application for United States citizens
As the citizens of United States, whether you are living in US or currently traveling outside, you will need a visa to travel Vietnam. If you don’t know about this and skip applying Vietnam visa in advance, you may encounter a problem when checking in the flight at the airport. Don’t worry, we can help you to sort out the problem by providing the urgent visa service in 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, on working days or weekend.
Do the United States citizens need a Vietnam visa?
Yes, visa is required for the US citizens traveling Vietnam for either tourist or business purpose.
What are the Vietnam visa requirements for United States citizens?
1. Passport:
The passport should satisfy following requirements:
– Have at least 2 blank pages to get visa sticky and stamp;
– Have at least 6 months validity from your date of arrival;
2. Photos:
– Have a white background;
– Be taken in the last 6 months;
– Eyes look straight on without glasses, photos should be taken clearly with the appearance of 2 ears;
– You will need to upload a colored recently taken portrait photo (4x6cm) and a passport data page photo at the Vietnam e-visa portal when applying for e-visa.
3. Printed visa approval letter (for visa on arrival):
Visa approval letter issued by the Vietnam Immigration Department via www.emergencyvisavietnam.com must be printed to present at the airports for boarding the flight and getting visa stamped. In urgent cases you can use the printer service at departure airport to print it out. If you don’t have enough time to print the visa approval letter you can use our visa fast track service. Our staff will print the visa approval letter and pick you up right after landing.
4. Stamping fee (for visa on arrival):
– Stamping fee for visa on arrival must pay in cash (VND or USD) not by credit cards;
– Other currency will be converted to USD or VND using given exchange rates;
– There is no ATM, money changer or any other way to withdraw money in the immigration hall so that cash (25 USD for single entry or 50 USD for multiple entry) must be prepared.
– For the e-visa application, full service fee is paid when you applied for visa, so that you don’t have to pay the stamping fee at arrival airport. Please note that the service fee of 25 would not be refunded in case your visa is denied by the Vietnam Immigration Department;
5. Entry and exit form (for visa on arrival):
– You can download the “Entry and exit form” at our website and fill in advance to save your time at arrival airport;
– The completed form will be submitted at the visa desk along with passport, visa approval letters and stamping fee;
– Learn how to fill in the Entry and exit form.
For visa application at the Vietnam Embassy, an application form (which you can download at the Vietnam Embassy’s website or receive at the office) and a prepaid self-addressed return envelope if you wish to receive your passport and visa sent back by mail.
For e-visa application, you will need to provide a copy of your passport and recent taken photo
or the files of passport copy and photos to submit via visa portal (for e-visa application).
How do United States passport holders apply for Vietnam visa?
There are several ways for the United States citizens applying for Vietnam visa before departure. It takes 2 working days for visa on arrival, 3 working days for e-visa and 3 – 5 days for visa applying at the Vietnam Embassy. In urgent cases or at weekend, you may need an emergency visa which can be arranged in 1 working hours to 4 hours then Vietnam visa on arrival will be your right choice.
1. Apply for a Vietnam visa on arrival
The United States passport holders can apply Vietnam visa on arrival from anywhere outside of Vietnam. The Vietnam visa will be picked up at the Vietnam airports by showing up the printed visa approval letter.
We can arrange an approval letter to send to your email within 2 working days (normal service), 8 working hours (urgent service), 4 working hours (super urgent service) or even 1 hour (last minutes service) depending on which option the applicant has chosen when submitting online application form. Especially at weekend or public holiday, when the Vietnam Immigration Department office is closed, we can still manage to arrange your visa for urgent entries.
At present, visa on arrival is the convenience way to get a Vietnam visa, however it is available for those traveling Vietnam by air only. Applying visa on arrival is much faster and cheaper than applying visa at the Vietnam Embassy or Consulate in United States and more flexible than e-visa.
By using the Vietnam visa on arrival service, the United States travelers don’t have to wait too long to get a visa approval letter from the Vietnam Immigration Department giving them permission to enter Vietnam.
| UPDATE The Vietnam visa on arrival process has been changed since the Vietnamese government re-opened the borders for the tourists on March 15, 2022 after a two-year border closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At present, the visa on arrival is an altenative to the e-visa in case you need to enter Vietnam urgently but your e-visa application is pending or needs to amend at the last minutes, when you are about to board the plane to Vietnam. Moreover, visa on arrival is applicable for those who travel Vietnam by airplane via the international airports only. If you travel Vietnam via land border gates or sea port you should apply for a Vietnam e-visa instead; |
2. Apply for e-visa Vietnam
This is new pilot visa system which has just official launched in February 2017 and the citizens of United States of America are eligible for Vietnam e-visa. In order to apply for e-visa for Vietnam, the United States citizens will submit a file of passport copy, recent taken photo and pay full non-refundable visa fee.
Now, there are several countries whose citizenship are eligible for e-visa. See full list of countries are eligible for e-visa here.
When applying for e-visa for Vietnam, please note that:
- There is only single entry with validity of 30 days maximum for e-visa;
- Payments for e-visa applications are non-refundable;
- The applicants should check the information on e-visa again the passport carefully to make sure there is no mistake;
- It normally takes 3 – 5 working days to complete an e-visa, but sometimes it may take longer if your visa application needs to be further verified by the Vietnam Immigration Department. If you already have your flight booked and the flight will start in next 1 – 2 days, you are suggested to select 2 working days service or even faster service of 1 working day or 4 working hours to receive an e-visa on time.
Vietnam visa fee (e-visa) in 2024
| Visa type | Cost per person (USD) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal service (3 - 5 working days) | Rush service (2 working days) | Urgent service (1 working day) | Emergency service (4 working hours) | Last minutes service (2 hours service) |
|
| 30 days single entry tourist visa (e-visa) | $ 45 | $ 95 | $ 125 | $ 165 | $ 215 |
| Stamping fee | Not required | Not required | Not required | Not required | Not required |
How to apply for an emergency Vietnam e-visa for United States citizens?
Step 1: Fill the visa application form then submit the files of passport data page and portrait photo.
Step 2: Pay the visa fee using your credit cards or PayPal.
Step 3: Receive an e-visa in 3 – 5 working days (normal service), or maximum 1 – 2 working days (urgent service) or even 2 – 4 working hours (emergency service).
Step 4: Print out the e-visa, bring along with your passport to get on the plane and present at the immigration counter to get entry into Vietnam.
3. Apply for Vietnam visa at the Vietnamese Embassy or Consulates
For those who want to get a Vietnam visa beforehand or want to travel to Vietnam by land or sea, they can go to the Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate nearest their location.
The address of Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in United States:
Embassy of Vietnam in Washington DC, United States
Address: 1233, 20th St., NW, Suite 400, Washington DC, 20036, United States
Phone: (1-202) 861 073
Fax: 1-202) 861 0917
Email: consular@vietnamembassy.us
And other Consulate General of Vietnam in United States for your information.
Frequently asked questions
- +Is 12 months Vietnam tourist visa available for United States citizens?
- No, it isn’t. The 12 months multiple entry tourist visa (03 months stay maximum each visit) is temporarily suspended.
- +How long does it take for the United State citizens to get a Vietnam e-visa?
- It takes 3 – 5 working days to complete your e-visa application. In case your visa application needs to be further verified by the Vietnam Immigration Department, it might take up 15 working days to complete. If you need a rush e-visa processed within 1 – 2 working days or even 2 – 4 working hours, please contact us via email vietnamvisabooking@gmail.com or Whatsapp +84-912-685-141.
- +Should I apply for Vietnam e-visa for my children?
- Children under 14 years old, that are included on their parent passport do not need to submit an individual e-visa application. However, if your children have their own passports, they are surely required to apply for an individual Vietnam e-visa, like their parents.
- +Do I need to pay the stamping fee at arrival airport for Vietnam e-visa?
- No, you don’t. The stamping fee is not required for Vietnam e-visa!
- +What is maximum validity of Vietnam tourist visa for United States citizens?
- A tourist visa for Vietnam is currently valid for 30 days with single entry only.
- +What should I do if my flight from Chicago to Vietnam will depart earlier?
- With a Vietnam e-visa issued, it is good to travel Vietnam from the commenced date mentioned in your e-visa but you can not travel before that date. If your flight from Chicago to Vietnam has been changed and you will arrive in Vietnam earlier, an e-visa with new entry date must be arranged.
- +Can I get my e-visa fee refunded if my visa application is denied?
- No, the visa fee is non-refundable at the Vietnam Immigration Department’s website. However, if you applied for a rush visa with us via website www.emergencyvisavietnam.com and your visa application is denied, we will make a refund totally except 25 USD paying to the Vietnam Immigration Department.