British National (Overseas) passport holders are not on the Vietnam visa-free list. Therefore, citizens of BNO passport holders who want to travel or work in Vietnam must apply for a Vietnam visa to enter Vietnam.

Holders of BNO and/or HKSAR passports or Hong Kong citizens holding BNO passports can apply for a visa on arrival. At present, the policy of Vietnam visa granted to BNO passport holders has undergone many changes. Therefore, you should refer to this article for more information.

How do BNO passport holders get a Vietnam visa?

Previously, BNO passport holders could get Vietnam visa in the following ways: 

Option 1: Go to a Vietnamese embassy to apply for a Vietnam visa. Citizens who are currently living in Hong Kong can contact the Vietnamese embassy in Hong Kong to apply for a Vietnam visa to enter Vietnam.

If BNO passport holders are currently living and working abroad, they can go directly to the Vietnamese embassy near your place of residence to apply for a visa.

Consulate General of Vietnam in Hong Kong:

Address: 15th Floor, Jiacheng Building, 230 Wanchai Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Phone: (852) 2591-4510; 2591-4517; 2835-9358 or 2835-9398

Fax: (852) 2591-4524

Email: vnconsul.hongkong@mofa.gov.vn

Website: https://vnconsulate-hongkong.mofa.gov.vn/en-us/

You can research and choose the embassy/consulate closest to where you live to facilitate the move. You need to contact the Vietnamese embassy in Hong Kong for information on the application, processing time, and visa application fees.

Option 2: Apply for a Vietnam visa on arrival. This method is quite convenient for BNO passport holders. You just register online, fill in the required information, then you will get the approval letter and wait for a stamp to be stamped in your passport when you arrive at the airport in Vietnam. The visa on arrival is a kind of visa that can only be applied through a travel agency. You cannot go to the Vietnamese embassy to apply for a visa on arrival. If you want to know more about visa on arrival, please click here.

In the past two years, the visa on arrival has not been opened, and BNO passport holders cannot use the approval letter to go to the airport in Vietnam. However, at present, we are happy to inform you that the visa on arrival has been reopened and BNO passport holders can fully use this type of visa to enter Vietnam for tourism.

However, at present, there are many changes in document requirements and visa application procedures for visa on arrival. You have to provide a few other documents besides your passport and the service is also expensive now compared to before.

This type of visa is very convenient for many countries that cannot apply for an electronic visa. You just apply online through your travel agency, and the steps to get an approval letter are very simple. At present, only a 1-month single-entry visa is provided, and other types such as 1-month multiple-entry and 3-month multiple-entry are not available yet.

What documents are required for a visa on arrival?

To enter Vietnam, in addition to the visa, BNO passport holders need to ensure the following conditions:

  • BNO passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into Vietnam；
  • BNO passport with at least 2 blank pages；
  • A passport photo (clear, in color, not black and white);
  • A document from the airline company that confirms your booking;
  • A document from the hotel that confirms your booking.

See regulations on passport and portrait photos for details.

Also, you should prepare Form NA1 (Visa Application Form) in advance. If you enter Vietnam with a visa on arrival, you must fill in all the information on the NA1 form when you arrive at the airport, so in order to save time, you should print out the NA1 form and fill in the information before arriving at the Vietnam airport.

You can download the NA1 form here.

Also, you should have some small change (USD or VND)to pay for the stamping fee at the airport. It costs USD 25 to get stamped at airports in Vietnam.

Visa on Arrival Fees for BNO Passport Holders

Under the current circumstances, the procedures for applying for a visa on arrival to enter Vietnam are more difficult than before, so the cost of the visa on arrival is also much higher than before. 

1-month single-entry visa fee on arrival: USD 90 per person (not including the airport stamp fee of USD 25). All you need to do is submit your application to us and pay the approval letter fee. You can pick up your approval letter within 7 working days. We guarantee that you will get the document on time.

In addition, if you want to obtain a visa on arrival in advance, you can use our expedited visa service. You can get the approval letter only within 3 working days or 8 hours, you can refer to the following prices:

Processing time3 working days2 working days8 hours
cost$30$50$80

How does a BNO passport holder obtain a visa on arrival?

First, please visit the website linked below: https://www.visa-vietnam.hk/apply/ and fill in the information according to the instructions. These steps are also very simple, don’t worry too much. If you face any issues during the registration process, please contact us directly through the chat application of this website so that we can consult the best way for you.

Next, you send us the required documents via your email. We will process your application within 7 working days and send you an approval letter via the email you provided. When you receive this document, print it out and use this document to get stamps at Vietnam airports.

Finally, when you arrive at the Vietnam airport, please line up at the “Visa Arrival Counter” counter and wait for the airport staff to stamp your passport. The stamp fee is $25.

Pick up service for tourists at the airport

For tourists to enter Vietnam more quickly and conveniently, we have provided a service called “VIP Arrival Support” airport pick-up service. This service provides an assistant to pick you up at the “Visa on Arrival/Visa on Arrival” counter and provide you with a welcome board with your full name on it. You will be escorted through the passport control gate quickly and assisted in claiming your luggage.

We hope to bring you convenience and solve your problem as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us . We are happy to serve you, any questions please contact us via the chat application.

I hope you can travel and work in Vietnam smoothly. I wish you success!