Six more countries added to Vietnam’s pilot e-visa program

With the approval, citizens from 46 countries are applicable for e-visas when entering Vietnam.
Previously, Decree No. 07/2017, which took effect in February 2017, stipulates that visitors from the following 40 countries can apply for and receive Vietnamese visas online, including Azerbaijan, Argentina, Armenia, Ireland, Poland, Belarus, Bulgaria, Brunei, the Republic of Korea, Germany, Chile, Colombia, Czech, Cuba, Denmark, Timor-Leste, the US, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Russia, the UK, Luxembourg, Myanmar, Mongolia, Japan, Panama, Peru, Finland, France, the Philippines, Romania, Spain, Sweden, China (not applicable for Chinese e-passport holders), Uruguay, Venezuela, Norway and Slovakia.

Citizens from 46 countries are applicable for e-visas when entering Vietnam.

According to the decree, foreigners can apply for e-visas by accessing www.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn or www.immigration.gov.vn to upload photos and passport pages following the designed form, before receiving the electronic file code and paying the visa fee to the account specified on the e-visa information page.
Within three working days from the date of receiving the information on the application for e-visas and visa fees, the Immigration Department shall consider and settle the applications and reply to the electronic visa applicants through the electronic visa information page.
Foreigners applying for e-visas can use the electronic file code to check the results at the above e-visa website; if they are granted electronic visas, they can use the electronic code to print their visas.
In addition to specifying the list of countries having piloted e-visas to Vietnam, the governmental decree also promulgates a list of 28 international border gates and airports allowing foreigners to enter or exit Vietnam on an e-visa, including eight airports (Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Cat Bi, Can Tho, Phu Quoc and Phu Bai); 13 border crossings (Mong Cai, Huu, Lao Cai, Nam Can, Cau Treo, Cha Lo, Lao Bao, Bo Y, Moc Bai, Tinh Bien, Song Tien and Ha Tien); and seven sea ports (Hon Gai, Hai Phong, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City).
The e-visa pilot program has had positive impacts on Vietnam’s tourism industry since it was implemented at the beginning of the year.
Information from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism showed that by May 30 – four months after the scheme started – some 22,000 tourists from the United States, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Slovakia, Japan, Switzerland and China who do not use biometric passports have requested e-visas on the country’s immigration portal at https://www.immigration.gov.vn.
Vu The Binh, standing vice chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said that the visa-exemption policy for citizens from the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy that has been in force since July 2015 has also boosted the number of European tourists to the country and did not decrease tourism revenue, he said.
The exemption policy attracted 720,000 tourists from these countries in the first 12 months – an increase of 96,000 tourists compared to the period in 2014 – yielding total revenues of US$126 million, while the deficit in visa fees caused by the exemption was $21.6 million, Binh said.
Similarly, 58,000 more European tourists visited the country last year and yielded $76 million in revenues, while the deficit in visa fees was $2.3 million, he added.
The increased number of tourists and revenues created development opportunities for several types of tourism service, he said.