Confusion on form to fill out for Visa exemption

[Teacher Mark 53]

Some of my fellow teachers are claiming that those exemptions are single entry. Any truth to that?

Love the 2 week processing time on your end Matt! Send me a PM when you get here. We'll head over to The Big Grill and talk politics.

[toddandhien 2]

Some of my fellow teachers are claiming that those exemptions are single entry. Any truth to that?

Love the 2 week processing time on your end Matt! Send me a PM when you get here. We'll head over to The Big Grill and talk politics.

Not sure why they would call it a 5 year exemption if you could only use it once...but will let you all know when I receive it. should be in the next week.

[Teacher Mark 53]

Some of my fellow teachers are claiming that those exemptions are single entry. Any truth to that?

Love the 2 week processing time on your end Matt! Send me a PM when you get here. We'll head over to The Big Grill and talk politics.

Not sure why they would call it a 5 year exemption if you could only use it once...but will let you all know when I receive it. should be in the next week.

I agree, but you really never know with this place. Thanks in advance for letting us know.

Edited November 11, 2009 by Mr. Saigon

[Matt_Stevens 5]

Some of my fellow teachers are claiming that those exemptions are single entry. Any truth to that?

Say what? That doesn't sound right.

[toddandhien 2]

Here's an update for folks looking at the visa exemption. Plan WAY ahead! the website says 7 days. Nope. I sent mine in on 20 October and they now tell me it will be ready to mail on 20 or 23 November. Plan on a month+ to get it back.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

They cashed my check in seven days.

[toddandhien 2]

They cashed mine in 5. 21 days later and still nothing. I sicked my wife on them today to hash it out in VN. Will find out later how that went.

[toddandhien 2]

OK, here's the long-awaited update.

This worked absolutely NOTHING like the website that we often reference here on this subject. This was an agonizing process from which I learned a lot. First and foremost, I recommend that you visit and read the Vietnam Embassy website on this subject here. If you can't read Vietnamese, get your SO to read it to you. It has pretty much the ACTUAL rules for this.

My learnings:

1. It took 1 month for me to get my passport back with the visa exemption and I think I only got it back now because I e-mailed them once or twice a day at the end. Forget about 7 day processing.

2. It does not cost $20 as we have previously read...it is $30.

3. You will not necessarily get a 5 year exemption. Mine is for 3 years and 4 months. I think it is because they stop the validity 1 year before your passport expires, at least that's what happened with me.

4. It IS multiple entry...that's the good news.

5. Don't bother calling the embassy at the phone number that they publish. They don't answer the phone. But they do read and respond to e-mail.

Happy to answer other questions on this.

[Dai. 7]

So typical of them. Freaking corrupt country...

Edited November 21, 2009 by Dai_Tx

[Teacher Mark 53]

Now I'm hearing that you still have to leave the country every 3 months to get your passport stamped, for those of you that plan on staying long term. Don't see anything about it in the regs though. Thanks for the update Todd.

[toddandhien 2]

Now I'm hearing that you still have to leave the country every 3 months to get your passport stamped, for those of you that plan on staying long term. Don't see anything about it in the regs though. Thanks for the update Todd.

That's right. I forgot to mention that. The exemption states that it is for 90 days maximum per entry.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

$30?

Well they cashed my $20 over a week ago, so now what? Will they ask for for another $10? My passport expires in 2012, so I guess my visa will be good for just one year.

[lindal24 1]

Todd and Hien: Did you guys mail in an extra $10??? How is it $30 when the website clearly says $20???

[toddandhien 2]

If you look at the embassy website, it says $20 for the exemption and $10 for processing. However, they did not tell me about the extra $10 until the visa exemption was approved and in my passport and they were getting ready to mail it. I am out of time and needed my passport back for an upcoming trip so I begged them to mail the passport to me and I would send them another $10. They actually did that and I sent them $10 yesterday.

Matt, you would be well-served to send them another $10 now so you don't have a delay at the end. Once your exemption runs out and you get a new passport, you can send in and get another exemption. See the embassy website rules.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

Well, today I received my passport back, with the visa in it. Looks like I don't have to send in another $10. They also sent me back one of the two photos for reasons unknown.

The visa is good until six months prior to my passport's expiration date in 2012 and it clearly states multiple entries in English, so looks like I am good to go.