how can you get visa to Vietnam as expat living in Shanghai?

Living abroad in Shanghai as an expat, you definitely get Vietnam visa on arrival without coming back to your home country or travelling to Vietnam Embassy.

What is Vietnam visa on arrival? In general definition, visa on arrival means that you can apply or collect visa when you show up at the airport, however each country has its own different procedure to get it. With Vietnam visa on arrival, you have to apply online to obtain a visa approval letter before flying to Vietnam. Your visa is stamped by the Immigration Officer at the airport once you present this visa letter

Visa on arrival requirement: In order to get visa on arrival, you have to meet two important conditions as bellows:

1. Having a passport which has at least 6 month validity since your physical entry date. If your passport has less than 6 month validity, you go to check with your airlines to confirm that you can get on board with this passport or not. In some case, airlines still allow you to get on a plane as long as you have a visa approval letter.  If your passport is running out of page for visa or no page for visa stamping, loose-leaf visa is granted to you on arrival. 
2.  Visa on arrival is only accepted if you travel and enter Vietnam by airplane. In other words, visa approval letter is not allowed you to enter if you take a bus or enter by cruise into Vietnam. Yet, with visa approval letter, you can take visa stamped at International Airports of Vietnam.

How to get visa approval letter for each type of visa 

• Tourist visa: You can visit our website at http://vietnamvisavoa.com/apply-vietnam-visa-on-arrival/ to fill out your visa application form online or send your passport copy to our email at Vietnamvisavoa@gmail.com. After 2 working days since your information is fully provided and payment for visa fee is made, you will get receive a visa approval letter for tourist purpose.  
• Business visa: You can apply for Vietnam business visa with or without a Vietnamese counterpart or sponsor.  You don’t need to fill out visa application form online, all things you will do is to send your passport copy to our email with your tentative arrival date.  In case you have a company in Vietnam to sponsor you, please submit us that company’s business license copy. It takes 5-7 working days to process your business visa request. 
• Family/friend visiting visa: If you are invited by friend/relatives to visit Vietnam, you can get tourist visa which absolutely work out for this purpose.  

How to get visa stamped at the airport:

Once getting off your flight, you will go straight to the Immigration Area and submit your documents as bellows:

• A copy of your visa approval letter
• Vietnamese visa application form
• 01 passport sized photo
• Stamping fee in cash which is paid according to your type of visa (25USD for 1 month or 3 month single visa, 50USD for 1 month or 3 month multiple visa, 95USD for 6 month and 135USD for 1 year multiple visa)
• Your original passport
• You have to wait in a queue in front of Immigration Desk to get visa stamped. 

Visa service: there are two compulsory fees including visa service fee and stamping fee.

• Visa service fee: Visa fee is required to pay to process visa approval letter which is issued by the Immigration Department. This fee is changed according to a number of applicants or type of visa. You will pay visa service fee online with your credit/debit card after filling our visa application form.

• Stamping fee: Stamping fee is paid in cash on arrival. No payment card is accepted, therefore please prepare exact amount of stamping fee as regulated. This fee is highly recommended to pay in US Dollars to avoid low exchange even though other currencies are still accepted. 

Should you have any questions or inquiries about Vietnam visa on arrival , please feel free to ask us at Vietnamvisavoa@gmail.com or visit our website: http://vietnamvisavoa.com/