If you are a Somalian citizen, who wishes to travel to Vietnam and wishes to apply for Visa through the embassy, you may have to visit the embassy personally. You will be required to fill up the Visa application form in English. You will also have to submit other documents such as a recent sized photograph, one self-addressed envelope and your original passport along with the application form. Along with the documents, you will be required to submit the Visa fees. These fees can be paid to the Embassy of Vietnam by way of money order or cashier’s cheque.
The embassy will take at least five working days to process your documents. Once the documents are processed, you will be issued a fully stamped Visa. Although this process enables you to get hold of a fully stamped Visa before your departure to Vietnam, it will cost you a lot of money and time.
Another easy way of applying for Visa is through the Visa on Arrival procedure. To apply for Visa on Arrival, you will have to get in touch with a reliable travel agent in Vietnam. You will have to fill up an online application form on the agent’s website. You can pay the Visa fees and the service charges of the travel agent online. You will be required to fill in details such as your name, occupation, duration of stay, purpose of travel etc. while filling up the online application form. While choosing the purpose of visit, you will be given options such as business, tourist and transit.
A business Visa will offer you a validity of one month, three months or six months. A tourist Visa will offer you a validity of one month and a transit Visa will offer you a validity of less than five days. Once your online form is processed, which happens within a couple of days, you will be issued a letter of approval. Your travel agent can collect this letter of approval for you.
On reaching Vietnam, you will have to submit this letter of approval at the Visa on Arrival counter along with the Visa stamping fees to collect your Visa on Arrival. It is to be noted that the Visa on Arrival facility is extended only to those travelers who arrive in Vietnam by air.
For those taking land routes, carrying all documents with them is mandatory. If you are traveling to Vietnam in a cruise ship, you can contact the cruise authorities for information on Visa on Arrival.
It is mandatory that all documents are in place as any discrepancy or lack of any document can result in denial in entry into Vietnam or even immediate deportation.
