How to get Vietnam visa in Saint Louis,United States

There is no Vietnam Embassy or Consulate in Sain Louis but this doesn’t matter at all as the application can be easily submitted by post. In case you are not comfortable to send passport off, we offer you another choice: apply for the visa approval through a third-party travel agent to be qualified for visa on arrival.

In terms of convenience, simplicity and validity, the visa on arrival is more beneficial. It’s even cheaper than the visa fee of embassy or consulate. However, it works best for arrivals by air only. If you are traveling by land or sea, there’s no visa granted upon arrival.  Let’s hope that one day visa on arrival is applicable for land border crossing but until then, you need to obtain the visa at embassy or consulate to enter Vietnam by bus/cruise.

Steps to obtain Vietnam visa from Saint Louis

Step 1:Check the visa expiration date on the passport. For a short stay visa (less than 90 days), the expiration date should be no earlier than 06 months from the date of entry into Vietnam.

Step 2: Determine visa type that applies to your situation. It’s not obligatory to select the visa type according to purpose of visit. This means you’re can order business visa for pleasure purpose or obtain tourist visa for short business trip.  You are advised to select the visa base on intended length of stay and frequency of travel. If you schedule to work with a company in Vietnam, then the long-term business business visa is an excellent choice.

Step 3:  Start application

• For air travel

Visit http://www.vietnamvisa-easy.com/apply to fill out the form with your personal and travel information. Please be noted that your visa will be valid from the intended date of travel provided in the form until it expires. After completing the form, you will be moved to next page for online payment. Check Vietnam visa fee. Remember: the fee will be refunded in case you do not receive the visa.

If you request business visa, kindly send your scanned copy of passport including information about selected type of visa and expected date of travel to support@vietnamvisa-easy.com.

The processing time usually takes 2 business days. You can pay more for the same-day rush service. Once you received the image file of scanned visa approval letter, print it out and carry with you to the airport. At any of Vietnam’s international airports, there is an immigration counter. You go to the counter and show the letter, origin passport, entry-exit form and 01-passport photo. Then take a seat and wait. When the visa is ready (10-20 minutes depending on the queue), the immigration officer will call your name and require stamping fee ($25 for single visa and $50 for multiple visa). You pay the fee by cash and get the passport back with one page attached Vietnam visa sticker.

• For land border crossing

Currently, there is on Vietnam embassy in Washington and 3 other consulates in San Francisco, New York, and Houston. You can select any embassy or consulate to submit application. Please be aware of that the processing times and visa fees vary slightly depending on which embassy/consulate handling your application. Technically, a standard Vietnam visa application for US visitors includes the following paperwork:

-   Application form: the form is available on the site of embassy/consulate. You can complete online or download to the computer and fill out later.

-   Original passport: valid for at least 01 month after the date of exit from Vietnam. If you request a loose-leaf visa (the visa not attached to your passport), please send the passport copy instead.

-   01 passport-sized photo taken against white background within the last 06 months. The photo should be attached to application form. Another 01 photo is required if you apply for loose-leaf visa.

-   Non-refundable visa fees: must be paid in the form of money order or cashier’s check, or company check. Contact with the embassy/consulate you choose to submit application to check for up-to-date visa fee.

-  Prepaid return envelope: for the return of your passport. For your documents safety, it’s recommended to use USPS Express Mail or FedEx with the tracking numbers.

The processing time:

Vietnam Embassy in Washington, Consulate General of Vietnam in New York and Consulate General of Vietnam in Houston require 3-5 business days for normal service and 2 business days for express service (additional fee is needed). For Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco, it takes 3 business days (normal service) and 1 business day (fast track service).

Remember: embassies/consulates usually close for all Vietnamese national holidays as well as American holidays.