New Application Procedure
Visa applicants who wish to apply for a visa at the Embassy in Hanoi must fill in the application form, pay the application fee and book an appointment on the secure Application Portal before submitting their supporting documents at the Embassy.
Booking an Appointment
All applicants who wish to register their visa applications online must book an appointment on the Application Portal before coming to the Embassy to hand in their supporting documents.
An appointment can be changed or cancelled (by the applicant) from 'Previous individual application(s)' / 'Previous group application(s)' (on the Application Portal). It is not possible to book an appointment without an online visa application.
No Internet access?
There are numerous internet cafe in Hanoi.
Applicants may still fill out and submit application forms in paper at the Embassy if they chose to do so. However, this may increase the overall processing time. (For more information about the application process when not using the Application Portal click here)
It is also possible for the sponsor in Norway to complete all or part of the online registration process for the applicant (e.g. log on and pay the application fee).
Sponsors who complete the entire process for the applicant (and the applicant is unable to log on to the Portal him / herself) must send a copy of the completed application form to the applicant, so that he / she is fully aware of the information being submitted.
The application form may be viewed and / or printed out from 'Previous individual applications' on the Portal.
The applicant must also sign the cover letter (which can be printed out after an appointment has been booked or anytime after that from 'Previous individual applications' on the Portal) and submit at the Embassy along with his / her supporting documents.
The application form itself should not be submitted, as this is transferred electronically from the Application Portal to the Embassy.
Hvordan den norske part kan hjelpe vietnamesiske visumsøker, kan du lese her.
How to register an application – first-time users
The first time you use the Application Portal, you must register as a user with a username and a password.
Usernames and passwords should not contain any special characters such as @, %, &, etc. The password must contain at least 8 characters, at least one number and at least one CAPITAL letter (e.g. Hanoi123).
When you have registered yourself as a user on the Portal, you can fill in the application form (click on 'Apply for a visa'), pay the application fee (with a credit / debit card) and book an appointment at the Embassy.
How to register a new application - Existing users (who have previously used the Application Portal)
Applicants who have used the Application Portal before can simply log on, use the last application as a template and only change details such as travel dates, etc., pay the fee and book an appointment to hand in the supporting documents.
Group registration
Applications can be registered individually or in groups on the Portal. A group may consist of 1 - 16 applicants, however, it is a requirement that all applicants have the same nationality and are travelling on the same dates, with the same itinerary.
Registering many applications as a group saves time, however, only individual applications may be copied for subsequent applications in the future. Families or people who always travel together to Norway may therefore want to register all applications individually.
Supporting documents
A number of documents are required in order to process a visa application. Please see the links below regarding documentation for the main categories of visa applicants:
- If you intend to visit your boyfriend, girlfriend, friend or family in Norway, please use this check list: ENGLISH version - VIETNAMESE version.
- If you are going on a business trip, please use this check list: ENGLISHversion - VIETNAMESE version.
Information about multiple entry visa with maximum 90 days validity and multiple entry visa with one year validity you can read in English and in Vietnamese here.
A separate questionnaire should be filled out by the inviting person(s) in Norway, to be used as an invitation letter, (Et eget spørreskjema bør fylles ut av personen(e) som inviterer, til bruk som invitasjonsbrev.)
Health insurance
Applicants must have a valid travel and sickness insurance that is valid in all the Schengen countries, and the minimum coverage must be EUR 30 000. For more information about travel/health insurance, please click here.
Processing time
The processing time of a visa depends on each individual case. However, applicants should always apply several weeks before the intended journey.
If the case is considered uncomplicated, it can be handled by the Embassy in Hanoi, in which case the processing time in most cases will up to 5 working days (counting from the day the Embassy receives all the requested documents).
If the case is considered somewhat complicated, the case will be handled by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). For current processing times at the Directorate of Immigration, please click here.
For applications not registered through the Application Portal, processing time will be up to 15 working days.
Return of passport
When advised, applicants may pick up their passports at the Embassy during the Visa Section’s Opening Hours.
Application fee
The application fee must be paid electronically (by credit / debit card) on the secure Application Portal after filling in the application form online. The application will not be sent to the Embassy before the payment has been successfully processed (usually within a few seconds).
Applicants who are exempt from paying the visa fee will have their fee immediately refunded (electronically) once the relevant documentation has been produced during the booked appointment at the Embassy.
The application fee for short-stay visas to all Schengen states, including Norway, is EUR 60.
The fee is waived for visa applicants in the following categories:
- Children under 6 years
- School pupils, students, post-graduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake trips for the purpose of study or educational training
- Researchers from third countries travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research, as per specific rules
- Applicants related to (spouse, descendant or dependent ascendant of) EEA citizens who are excercising their right to free movement (on production of relevant certificates (birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc)).
- Applications for D-visas
For more information about application fees click here.
Visiting more than one Schengen country and unsure where to apply?
If you want to visit one Schengen country, apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of that country. If you want to visit several Schengen countries, apply to the Embassy or Consulate of the country of your main destination (i.e. where you intend to spend the most days).
If you intend to visit several Schengen countries, but do not have a main destination (i.e. you intend to spend an equal amount of days in each country), you should apply to the Embassy or Consulate of the Schengen country which is your first port of entry.
How to appeal against a decision
If your application for a Schengen visa is rejected, you may appeal against this decision. If the Embassy has rejected your visa application, an appeal may be submitted at the Embassy within three weeks upon receiving the decision. The Embasy can either reverse its decision or forward the appeal to UDI. UDI will then make the final decision as to whether or not a visa shall be granted. For processing times at UDI for appeal cases, please click here.
The appeal must be submitted by the applicant in person, or by a person representing the applicant under a written power of attorney from the applicant. For more information about granting power of attorney, please click here. The processing of the appeal is free of charge.
In order to avoid unnecessary delays or confusion the Embassy encourages the applicant to read all information posted on this page as well as other relevant and important information concerning the application procedure for a Schengen visa on the Embassy's webpage before registering an application through the Application Portal. In applying for a visa the Embassy requires several documents to be handed in before the Embassy can start to consider the visa application. The applicant should therefore try to gather all supporting documents before registering an application electronically.
Click here to access the Application Portal