VIETNAM HAD CUT DOWN VISA FEE
The Ministry of Finance has recently issued Circular No 157/2015/ TT-BTC setting up the regime of collection, remittance and use management of fee for issuance of passports, visas and papers sheet on entry, exit, transit and residence in Vietnam for two subjects including Vietnamese citizens and foreigners as well as overseas Vietnamese
The Ministry of Finance has recently issued Circular No 157/2015/ TT-BTC setting up the regime of collection, remittance and use management of fee for issuance of passports, visas and papers sheet on entry, exit, transit and residence in Vietnam for two subjects including Vietnamese citizens and foreigners as well as overseas Vietnamese.
“This is positive news for the local tourism industry. This opener policy will help us attract more customers,” Nguyen Thi Khanh, vice president of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, told the Saigon Times newspaper.
Local travel operators have welcomed the reductions in visa fees, saying the change is more convenient for international tourists who travel to Laos and Cambodia after touring Vietnam, but return home via Vietnam, which is now connected to more international flights than the other two countries.
Large tourist groups, especially MICE travelers, have complained of Vietnam’s high visa fees, which coupled with over visa procedures have pushed up tour prices.
Therefore, Vietnam visa stamping fees at Vietnam International airports for two above subjects are adjusted as follows: cut down from $45 to $25 for visitors who apply for single entry Visa.
For three months multiple entry visa, the fee will be $50, down from the current fee $95.
Whereas, fees for a multi-entry visa valid for from more than three months to 6 months and from more than 6 months to 1 year will remain unchanged respectively at $95 and $135.
Stamping fee at the airports will be paid in local currency, Vietnam Dong or US Dollar. (If you do not have USD or VND, you can exchange at counters at the airport based on exchange rate of Vietnam banks).
Vietnam currently applies a one-sided free-visa policy to eight countries, including Japan, South Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and Belarus, according to the newspaper. In addition, Vietnam also waives visa for travelers from the other nine Southeast Asian countries.
In July, the ministry exempted visas for travelers from five European countries namely Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK. However, the waiver is valid for 15-day visas only.
Vietnam welcomed 626,324 international visitors in September, up 8.3% from the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office. Foreign tourist arrivals totaled 5.7 million in the nine months through September, down 5.9% year-on-year.
