For Vietnam, the 3 month Multiple Entry visa allows for multiple entries within the allotted time of 90 days. My question concerns the maximum Length of Stay permitted when using this visa.
How long could a person with a US passport stay in Vietnam with a 3 month Multiple Entry visa? Could I do like in Thailand and exit a few days before the 90th day, return on the 89th day and stay an additional 90 days?
I haven't found any discussion about this particular point. Any help will be appreciated.
Thailand now has only a 6 month METV. It replaced the old double and triple entry visas. With the METV you have to officialy leave after 60 days though you can extend this for another 30. Your last entry must be before the original 6 months expires.
As westwood says Thailand has changed AND in any case, Vietnam works differently. You CAN get sequential 90 day multi-entry visas for Vietnam by making visa runs every 90 days. As a US citizen, you can also get a 6 month or one year multi-entry visa. Both are easier and cheaper that making visa runs. See www.vietnamvisapro.net
As far as I know if you have 3m visa (multiple entry), you can stay in VN for max 90days, and yes you can fly out and fly into VN as many times as you want within 90days (the expiration date is clearly stated in your stamp, so you have to leave VN by that date).
Just some examples for you: My brother (US passport holder) visited VN last year with 6m visa- multiple entry (he went to Vietnamese consulate in NY to apply for visa) and entered VN with a stamp to remain for 6m, so he could stay in VN for the whole 6m without having to leave every 3months as US tourists do as usual, in fact, he travelled to Laos, Cambodia, Thailand several time during that 6m, no problem. However, my friends came to VN with different story. One of them had 1year visa (multiple entry) and had to leave VN every 3m as other US tourists have to do. Besides, very easy to apply for 1m/3m/1yr visa for US tourists, but 6m visa is a kind of special case, so you should check with visa agencies.
The length of stay is the same, but the procedure to get business visa is more complicated. Either you have a work contract or not, the visa agency can help you to apply for it, but without the work contract, it's a little risky sometimes. Besides, its cost is far more expensive, I paid around 250-300$ in the first year (sorry can't remember exactly), then my company's covered it the following years
Thanks for the responses!
I may be looking for work while I am in Vietnam. Is it legally necessary to have a Business visa if I am searching for work? Is it ok to look for a job while on a tourist visa?
Does being in the country on a Business visa make it easier to apply for a working visa once an offer by a company is secured?
It's illegal to work if you use tourist visa, but in fact a big number of foreigners working in VN (most of them teach English) use tourist visa, one of my friends (from US) has worked in VN for 3m with tourist visa, he keeps feeling worried but as I know police are so busy dealing with other problems, so they don't care about such foreigners like him. Peraonally I think if you plan to move to VN to work, it's better to apply for business visa.
If you enter VN with tourist visa, once you find a job and you want to change to business visa, you have to leave VN and apply for new visa, can't get it when you are still in VN.
This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.