Based on reciprocity, authorities of both Vietnam and Japan have agreed to allow short-term travel between the two countries. Also known as the Priority Travel Regulation, this process applies to short-term visitors from Japan who will be visiting Vietnam for less than 14 days for essential purposes.
The process will take effect on November 1, 2020, and will prioritize the entry of Japanese visitors who will perform essential activities in the country including trade, investments, diplomacy, high-tech labor, and public service. Here’s everything you need to know about the Priority Travel Regulation.
The regulation applies to the following types of visitors:
All foreigners, including Japanese citizens and other nationalities coming from Japan. They must enter Vietnam for essential purposes, such as business managers, investors, public servants, experts, and diplomats, including their family members.
1. Get approval from the People’s Committee of the province in Vietnam that you will be visiting. The company or organization that will be inviting you must get approval from the People’s Committee of the province where you plan to stay.
2. Request for a visa approval order from the Immigration Department of Vietnam.
Once you have the approval from the People’s Committee of the province, the next step is to request a visa approval order. It is the organization or company that will request a visa approval order on behalf of the visitor. This can be applied from Vietnam’s Immigration Department. Here are the steps:
After getting the visa approval from Vietnam’s Immigration Department, the visitor can now apply for a visa from a Vietnam embassy in Japan. Take note that under this new regulation, all visitors are required to have a visa.
When booking a ticket for your flight to Vietnam, it’s important that you present the following:
Upon boarding, you will be required to submit a Covid-19 test showing a negative result, along with the documents mentioned above. Take note that the Covid-19 test certificate must be taken at least 1 – 2 days prior to departure.
Here are the procedures to follow upon arrival at the airport of Vietnam:
When you arrive at your accommodation, this is what will happen:
It’s very important that you strictly abide by the rules implemented in your accommodation and place of work in Vietnam.
For visitors who are coming for an official visit or diplomatic purposes, the same procedures above will apply.
VIP guests who are in the ranks of Deputy Minister or equivalent position or higher, the following rules will apply:
The rules and regulations for entry into Vietnam are very complicated these days. There are new updates from time to time so if you plan on going to Vietnam, you must be updated with the latest regulations. Remember that these regulations were put in place to ensure the safety of Vietnamese citizens and all foreign visitors.
In order to minimize the spread of Covid-19 infection, the government of Vietnam will require all foreign visitors to quarantine upon arrival in the country. The quarantine fees must be shouldered by the foreign guest and will take place in one of the “approved” hotels.
The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly changed the way people travel these days. When you need to travel these days, it’s important that you do your research and find out what the requirements are.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam has to close its borders to foreign visitors. But now that the world is trying to go back to normal, Vietnamese authorities are slowly and cautiously opening the borders.
Several countries around the world are now slowly reopening their borders after closing in March when the Covid-19 pandemic started. Vietnam is also planning to open its borders to more foreign visitors soon.
Compared to other ASEAN nations, Vietnam has a relatively low rate of Covid-19 transmissions. While the healthcare systems of other wealthier countries have been collapsing, Vietnam has remained in full control.
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic started, Vietnam has been closely monitoring the situation. The government’s proactive approach has truly paid off because Vietnam has one of the lowest numbers of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Asia, even though it’s located beside China, where the virus started.
Vietnam will be reopening its commercial routes on Sept. 15.
After several months of closing its borders to curb the spread of Covid-19 disease, Vietnam is finally opening to International travels on Sept. 15.
