Visas.....does HAL organize for you when visiting a foreign port for one day or two???

[Kelownabccan]

We are on the Noordam for a 28 day cruise in Asia.....Tokyo to Singapore.....looks like a couple of countries the ship visits require a visa.....get them by ourselves or let HAL do them????.....any suggestions....Thanks

[Kay S]

Never had a cruise line do a visa. 

[Eric from San Diego]

You always have to get your own.   You don't mention which countries.   

[Kelownabccan]

Did some research.....we only need an evisa for two countries.....Vietnam and Cambodia.....easy to do on the computer and print out.....

 

I guess you could just stay on the ship and not get off.....but not for us....want to see some of the culture....

[CruiserBruce]

21 minutes ago, Kelownabccan said:

I guess you could just stay on the ship and not get off.....but not for us....want to see some of the culture....

Be careful with that assumption. It's not true in most countries. Once you are in that country's waters, you need a visa. On the other hand, some countries don't require a visa for single day cruise ship visits.  

 

But your assumption is a mistake. 

[Lido deck main]

5 hours ago, Kelownabccan said:

Did some research.....we only need an evisa for two countries.....Vietnam and Cambodia.....easy to do on the computer and print out.....

 

I guess you could just stay on the ship and not get off.....but not for us....want to see some of the culture....

No Cambodia evisa is only good for air entry, does not apply for seaport entry let the ship do it.  For Vietnam easy to get yourself.  Also Visas are necessary whether you get off ship or not.

[cruiseaholic78]

When getting your Vietnam visa make sure you use the official site and not one that you pay to do it for you.

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/trang-chu-ttdt

[The-Inside-Cabin]

7 hours ago, Kelownabccan said:

We are on the Noordam for a 28 day cruise in Asia.....Tokyo to Singapore.....looks like a couple of countries the ship visits require a visa.....get them by ourselves or let HAL do them????.....any suggestions....Thanks

It's easier if you let HAL get them.   You can save some money by doing it yourself,   HAL will charge $50 for a Vietnam Visa.   It will cost you $25 if you do it yourself.   This is for the single entry.   I have attached a printout of HAL's general guidance on VISAs.   It can change from time to time, but it is generally accurate.   Double-check before you sail

 

Some countries require VISAs even if you stay on the ship.  Other countries don't, e.g., Mozambique and China. But this can change from year to year and ship to ship.

 

HAL_Visa_Guidance_ADA (1).pdf

Edited April 25 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

5 hours ago, Eric from San Diego said:

You always have to get your own.   You don't mention which countries.   

You don't always have to get your own. HAL often gets visas for guests in many countries.  

[Ottawa traveller]

I was on a HAL cruise last fall which stopped in Vietnam.  I took my guidance about whether HAL woud get the visa (yes) from the CIBT Visa Holland America  website. I let HAL get the visa because our stop was at Phu My for Saigon. Phu My was not on the list that you see on the Vietnam Visa site. Apparently, it is part of a larger port. It is also not Ho Chi Min(Saigon) which is in the city itself.  I decided it was safer just to let HAL get the correct visa.

[Yipper]

This may be a more recent list of countries where HAL help with the visa process:

[The-Inside-Cabin]

4 hours ago, Ottawa traveller said:

I was on a HAL cruise last fall which stopped in Vietnam.  I took my guidance about whether HAL woud get the visa (yes) from the CIBT Visa Holland America  website. I let HAL get the visa because our stop was at Phu My for Saigon. Phu My was not on the list that you see on the Vietnam Visa site. Apparently, it is part of a larger port. It is also not Ho Chi Min(Saigon) which is in the city itself.  I decided it was safer just to let HAL get the correct visa.

I got the Vietnam Visa in January on my own. Since Phu My wasn't listed, I selected Ho Chi Minh City as the closest city. I received and used the visa without any issues.