Job Discussion Forums

ak&lo · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 5 Location: Isle of Man

Hey Group,

We've been told that its best to enter Vietnam on a tourist visa, then apply for a business visa while we are there. We will be taking a TEFL course for 4 weeks, then hope to find a job somewhere in the country. Is it realistic to think that we can take the course, find a job and a sponser, and obtain a business visa within 30 days? Or is there a better way to go about this?

Also, some have said that its best to use a travel agent to get the tourist visa in the UK or US. Is it difficult, but possible to deal with Vietnamese Embassies on our own, rather than paying a "lazy fee" to the travel agents?

Any info at all about the work permit process that we'll have to go through will be extremely helpful.

Take care everyone -- can't wait to get there....

khong muon · Joined: 02 Sep 2004 Posts: 5 Location: Ho Chi Minh City

If your TEFL course takes up 4 weeks of your 30 days, then you're cutting it a bit fine. I arrived with a TESOL diploma on a 30 day visa and, as I only started with part time work, I couldn't get a business visa, though one school did arrange to extend my tourist visa by another 30 days.

As it takes a while to find your feet here, I think you'd be silly to try to base your decisions on getting a business visa within 30 days. Come in on a three month visa (it shoudn't cost too much more from your home country) and you should have one less thing to worry about.

ak&lo · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 5 Location: Isle of Man

A 3 month visa? I didn't know that there was such a thing. I was under the impression that you needed a letter from an employer in order to get a visa for longer than 30 days.

How do I go about applying for a 3 month visa? Will I need the assistance of the tefl course to do so, or can that be done before arrival?

countdown · Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Posts: 70

We applied for 3 month visas in Spain thru the Vietnamese embassy and received one month visas. You can get a tourist visa renewed here quite easily - local travel agents will do it but I think you are only entitled to one renewal. You can apply directly to the embassy/ consulate in your own country - find their website, download the form and courier it to the embassy (you have to send your passport as they stick the visa right into it).

ghostdog · Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2004 10:00 am Post subject:

You can get a visa extention for three or six months in country. It's not cheap, it takes a week to ten days to process, and you will probably end up paying an agent or a travel agency to do it for you. It is a painless procedure except for the cash outlay.

ak&lo · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 5 Location: Isle of Man

Thanks for the responses everyone! It is very helpful to hear from those who are in the know.

So, will it be possible to get either a 3 or 6 month biz visa before we obtain a job? ie: if our tesol course provides us with a letter, or will we need to find the job first?

If everything goes upside down, will we be able to enter cambodia with little trouble and wait until our visas our processed in pnomh penh? or do we need another visa to get into cambodia?

thanks again, and take care everyone.

OzBurn · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 199

You do not need to have a job or have anything else but money to get a business visa good for six months. You just go to a travel agent, give them 80-100 dollars, fill out a simple form, and then wait for a week or so. For additional money, you can get a multiple entry visa.

I know this sounds strange, but that really is all there is to it.

These things are slightly cheaper in Saigon.

bbq2k · Joined: 05 Aug 2004 Posts: 13 Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

After having lived for two years in Thailand, home of the never-ending-hoops-of-flame bureaucracy for foreigners, I was brought nearly to tears to discover that multiple-entry 6-month business visas were available without sponsorship for about $100. Every time I look at my b-visa, I choke up just a little bit.

Get yourself a 30-day tourist visa and then (barring the possibility that you might hate the place), go to a travel agent and get a b-visa within that 30 days. DO NOT PUT YOURSELF DOWN AS A TEACHER on your visa forms. For some reason, it costs more.

pigeon · Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Posts: 5

So, it looks like it's possible to get a 6-month b-visa from the Vietnamese consulate in your home country without a job beforehand in Vietnam. Is that true? (from earlier "So, will it be possible to get either a 3 or 6 month biz visa before we obtain a job?)

And, if you're going to teach ESL, don't say so or it will cost more. (from earlier "DO NOT PUT YOURSELF DOWN AS A TEACHER on your visa forms. For some reason, it costs more."

If that's true then what DO you say? Do you list another career that you've had and leave it vague with the officer at the consulate that that's what you INTEND to do once you arrive? Do you list some other job market that currenlty needs people in Vietnam but hasn't yet caught the attention of the people who determine the price of visas? What if the visa stipulates you may only do what you said you would do on your application?

And what's the difference between a work permit and a business visa?

OzBurn · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 199

Buddy, relax. The truth is that nobody here cares. Say whatever you want on the business visa form -- the travel agency will help you. This isn't like the US. It doesn't make any difference what kind of visa you have, as long as it is not expired. There are a few schools that make a fuss about a work visa, but you can either not work for them or let them set it up for you. They will do the work for you when the time comes.

I say again, just relax. None of this is a hassle. You just go to a travel agency, fill in a form, pay the money, and pick up the visa a few days later.

That's it.

OzBurn · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 199

I don't know what a "work permit" is, but again, I can't think why you would want one. Just get a business visa here.

bbq2k · Joined: 05 Aug 2004 Posts: 13 Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Yes, but again, list your occupation as "machine operator" or "dog groomer' or whatever. It doesn't matter and they don't care. But I've heard from several sources that they flag "teacher" for a higher fee. I don't know why.

Also, make sure it's multiple-entry, so you can pop out for a Thai vacation and not have to get a new visa.

Also, relax.

living in paradise · Joined: 24 Jul 2004 Posts: 2

hello all,
a question on obtaining business visas - should it be done in one's home country, or is it possible for a westerner (american, in my case) to get one on the ground in either thailand or bangkok.
I'll be getting my CELTA in canada in Nov/Dec, then travelling to SE Asia in Jan. First to Bali, then overland to Jakarta, up to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The idea is to get a teaching job in Hanoi and settle down for a bit. The whole trip should take 2 months or more, so is it wise to get the business visa before I leave home, or should I just do it on the ground in one of the neighboring countries?
cheers,
Tim

bbq2k · Joined: 05 Aug 2004 Posts: 13 Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

On the ground in the neighboring countries. Don't worry, finding visa places in S.E. Asia is as easy as finding a Starbucks in America. There's a whole industry built around it. So far as I know, Laos and Vietnam are the only countries for which you'll need to get an advance visa; the other places you can get them when you cross the border or at the airport. Get a 15 or 30-day tourist visa for Vietnam in Thailand for about $125. Once you get to Hanoi, you can get business visas (6 month, multiple-entry) for about $100... plus a little more if you list yourself as a teacher in your first tourist Visa. list your occupation as something else.

Thay Jim · Joined: 13 Dec 2004 Posts: 13 Location: HCMC, Viet Nam

Someone in Ha Noi has been breathing fire down the Labour Ministries ao dais, and the Work Permit issues has reemerged. As with everything in VN, it is bureaucratic hassle that accomplishes nothing.

Should you need a work permit, it is your school's job to get you one,.Never try to do this alone, white man! They play a red-tape "rope-a-dope until you go mad. The locals know who to bribe.

One item you SHOULD bring with you is a current, certified copy of your police records. Run a police search on yourself and have it authenticated/They require that for a labor permit.

Remember, in Vietnam EVERYTING can be worked out. Don't sweat the bureaucracy