First foreigners get electronic visa

First foreigners get electronic visa

First foreigners get electronic visa

Dao Loan

International tourists are seen waiting at the “visa on arrival” area at Tan Son Nhat International Airport – PHOTO: DAO LOAN

HCMC – A number of foreign passport holders have obtained an electronic visa since it was launched on February 1, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Nguyen Quy Phuong, head of the Travel Department at VNAT, said at least 40 of 60 foreign applicants had received e-visa on the first three days of this month. The number of e-visa getters is increasing as the immigration agency is processing more applications.

“The Ministry of Public Security is quickly processing visa applications by foreign passport holders,” Phuong told the Daily last Saturday.

The pilot e-visa policy applies to residents of 40 countries for two years starting from February 1. As usual, foreigners can get visa within three working days after they submit all required documents but some have obtained it in just one working day.

Phuong acknowledged that the slow operation of the website handling electronic visa applications on the first days of its launch is inevitable and that the immigration agency is trying to fix technical glitches.

The first foreigner who received such visa is Briton Richard Kenneth Wilson aged 48. He obtained the visa from the immigration agency on February 1 after submitting an application to visit Vietnam from February 3 to March 5.

Phuong said VNAT will promote e-visa policy so that more foreigners can benefit. “It will make it easier for foreigners to get a Vietnam visa, particularly individual travelers.”

Figures of VNAT showed Vietnam attracted more than one million international arrivals in January, up a staggering 23.6% year-on-year.

International tourists could not use the website of the Vietnamese immigration agency to apply for entry visa last week.

Prior to the Lunar New Year holiday the Government issued a decree providing the procedure for a pilot scheme to issue e-visa for foreign visitors. Citizens from 40 countries can apply for e-visa at the Immigration Department’s website at http://bit.ly/2jpxl8D (Vietnamese) or http://bit.ly/2ksT9hj (English).

The Vietnamese version of the site was accessible. After clicking on ‘e-Visa’, a new page in English would pop up, enabling users to fill in the form in English. But there was no way for those foreigners who do not know Vietnamese to perform the prescribed steps with the assistance of a Vietnamese-speaking person.

Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travelink, said he had tried visiting the English version of the site several times but to no avail.

It takes foreign tourists around three working days to know whether or not their electronic visa applications are approved. Successful applicants can print out their visas and enter seven designated international airports, 13 international border gates, and seven ports in the country.

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