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An Ultimate Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans
Looking for visa requirements can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Different websites give you different information and often it is not up to date. To help you out, we have made the ultimate guide for tourist visas in South East Asia for Europeans.
For cheap and fun backpacker’s hostel in Asia, check out our Ultimate List of recommended hostels for backpackers.
General information
For each country a passport which is still valid for at least 6 months upon entering the country is required. If you have to buy a Visa On Arrival (VOA) take care that you have the exact amount of money with you in the right currency. Most of the times the immigration service doesn’t give change and only accepts US dollars. If you want an e-visa, be careful about which website you approach, there are a lot of scams going around. There are different prices for pre-arranged visas at consulates or embassies, most of them will take about 5 working days to process. Immigration offices will be closed on national holidays, consulates will be closed on holidays of the country that they’re in and on the holidays of the country that they’re from.
Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans in Philippines
Most European citizens can get a free VOA for the Philippines and extend it easily. Alas, not all.
30 days free VOA: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK.
59 days VOA for PHP 3,030: Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine.
Pre-arranged visa: Armenia, Albania, Belarus, Moldova and San Marino.
Extending your visa: extending your visa is possible with the period of one month each for 4.400 Philippine Pesos or two months for 4.900 Philippine Pesos, and a maximum of 6 months is possible. You will need to show a ticket for onward travel.
Overstaying your visa: will cost an additional (to a visa extension) 500 Philippine Pesos a month.
Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans in Brunei Darussalam
As a European you are very welcome in Brunei. But overstaying your visa won’t be accepted here!
90 days free VOA: all EU citizens, Iceland and Switzerland.
30 days free VOA: Norway and Ukraine.
14 days free VOA: Liechtenstein and Russia.
Pre-arranged visa: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Andorra, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Monaco, San Marino, Serbia and Turkey.
Extending your visa: is possible for another 30 days. Apply at an immigration office.
Overstaying your visa: just don’t. You might get caned (only males) or face other strict penalties.
Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans in Laos
Also for lovely Laos you can get a Visa On Arrival. You can pay at the official border crossings or national airports in either US dollars or Thai Baht. Paying in Thai Baht is more expensive though, it will cost you 1500 THB (44 USD) or 30 USD for all countries except the UK (35 USD) and Sweden (31 USD). Citizens from the countries Luxembourg, Russia and Switzerland can stay without a visa for up to 15 days.
Extending/overstaying your visa: you can extend your visa at the immigration office in Vientiane. If your visa has already expired, you will have to pay 10 USD for each day you overstayed. Bring your passport, one photo, 3 USD, 3000 kip and 2 USD for each day you want to extend. You can also do a visa run over one of the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridges or into Cambodia from Dong Calor and get a new VOA.
Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans in Indonesia
As of March 2015, Indonesia has eased its visa-requirements for some Europeans. It is now possible for some to visit Indonesia on a free VOA. Some countries still have to pay the 35 USD. The only European country of which citizens have to get a visa before arrival is San Marino, with the exception of an 8 hour transit on the airport.
30 days free VOA: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
Watch out!: You can only obtain a 30 days free VOA if you enter by one of the following airports: Soekarno-Hatta (Jakarta); Ngurah Rai (Bali); Kualanamu (Medan); Juanda (Surabaya); Hang Nadin (Batam). Or via one of the following seaports: Sri Bintan Pura (Tanjung Pinang); Batam Center (Batam); Sekupang (Batam); Tanjung Uban (Tanjung Uban). When leaving Indonesia you also have to go through one of these ports. If you don’t, you will still have to pay the 35 USD for a normal visa. You can do this at immigration at the port you’re leaving from.
30 days VOA for 35 USD: Andorra, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey.
60 days visa: apply beforehand for a 60 day visa at an Indonesian consulate.
Extending your visa: it is possible to extend your visa for another 30 days. You’ll have to go to an immigration office, which you can find in most of the bigger cities (for example Mataram on Lombok, Denpasar on Bali, Yogyakarta and Jakarta on Java). Be sure to bring your passport and two passport sized photos. Strangely enough you’ll have to bring your ticket with which you arrived into Indonesia. You will not have to show a ticket to get out of the country. Also you will need an address, which is fairly easy to obtain: ask someone that works at your guesthouse or hotel, make an Indonesian friend and ask him or her, or just make something up.
If you want to extend your visa for another 30 days, you’ll have to do a visa run. You’ll get a new VOA, but you won’t be able to extend this one and it will be the last one you’ll get that year. Also they might give you a hard time while entering the country by asking a lot of information.
Overstaying your visa: overstaying your Indonesian visa will cost 20 USD a day for 60 days. After that you risk a five year imprisonment and/or a big fine.
Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans in Myanmar
For Myanmar all Europeans need to get a pre-arranged visa. Some citizens can apply for an e-visa online, others will have to go to a consulate. Be careful with the e-visas, there are a lot of scams going around. And keep in mind that you cannot visit all places in Myanmar with the visa. Some regions require a permit from the government (like the Golden Triangle area). These permits aren’t easy to obtain. You can apply at an embassy or consulate, the process will take about three months.
E-visas: for some citizens it is now possible to apply for an e-visa. It will take three working days to process after which you will receive an invitation letter. With this you can retain your visa when you arrive at one of the international airports. The costs for an e-visa are 50 USD for a 28 days visa. You can apply here (http://evisa.moip.gov.mm/NewApplication.aspx#).
Countries that cannot get an e-visa: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Andorra, Belarus, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro and San Marino citizens have to apply for a visa at a Myanmar consulate or embassy.
Meditation visa: it is possible to stay longer in Myanmar than 28 days. You will have to obtain a meditation visa which allows you to stay for three months. This is only for people who want to become a student at a Buddhist monastery to practice meditation. You will need an acceptance letter of a monastery and apply at a consulate.
Extend your visa: you can extend your Myanmar visa for a total of two weeks at the immigration office in Yangon. It will take 5 working days to process and costs are 50 USD.
Overstay: it is possible to overstay your visa. The fine is 3 USD a day for a maximum of 30 days, if you are persistent you can pay in Kyats if you prefer. Take care that you get to the airport in time, because the line for payments might be long and I have heard stories of people missing their flights this way.
Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans in Singapore
Getting a visa for Singapore is easy and straightforward, as is extending your visa. There’s just one golden rule: do not overstay your visa.
30 days free VOA: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Monaco, San Marino, Serbia and Turkey.
90 days free VOA: All EU nationals and Norway and Switzerland.
Pre-arranged visa/e-visa of 30 USD: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine.
Extending your visa: you can extend your visa two days before your old one expires, only one time and it is not possible to stay longer in Singapore than 90 days in total.
Overstaying your visa: don’t overstay. You will risk serious penalties like caning, fines and imprisonment.
Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans in Cambodia
Cambodia gives out VOAs for almost all nationalities. Visa requirements for Europeans are all the same here.
30 days VOA: any country can enter Cambodia on a 30 days VOA for 30 USD. Payment in other currency is not possible.
E-visa: you can get an e-visa for 37 USD which will take three working days to process and you’ll only be able to pay with a credit card. You won’t be able to enter the country everywhere. For a list of the entry ports and for safely applying for your e-visa.
Extending your visa: is easily done at the immigration office in Phnom Penh. It takes up to 5 working days to get an extension of 30 days. This will cost 45 USD. You can also have a tourist office in Seem Reap or Sihanoukville do it for you, which will take at least a week and cost around 50-70 USD depending on the agency. Or you can do a visa run: cross the border and come back to get a new VOA.
Overstaying your visa: you’ll have to pay a fine of 5 USD a day for the first 30 days. After that it is 6 USD a day. You can pay at immigration when leaving the country.
Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans in Malaysia
Malaysia might be the easiest country to get your visa for. Most European citizens get a 90 days or 30 days Visa On Arrival (VOA) for free! Citizens from the countries Serbia and Montenegro do have to apply for a visa before going to Malaysia.
90 days free VOA: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK.
30 days free VOA: Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Portugal, Russia and Ukraine.
Pre-arranged visa: citizens from Montenegro and Serbia will have to arrange their visa at a Malaysian consulate before going to the country.
Extending your visa: do a visa run.
Overstaying your visa: will cost you 30 Malaysian Ringgit per day and you will be denied entry to Malaysia after that for the rest of your life.
Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans in Thailand
While most countries are making it easier to obtain visas, Thailand is doing it the other way around. As a result, Thai visa regulations are a big mess at the moment. Visa runs aren’t possible anymore except in Penang, Malaysia (please see the update at the bottom). Also it is not possible anymore to obtain a 30 days VOA when arriving over land with an exception of a couple of countries.
30 days free VOA by air and land: France, Germany, Italy and the UK.
30 days free VOA by air/15 days free VOA by land: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.
15 days VOA for 1000 THB: Andorra, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, San Marino and Ukraine.
90 days free VOA: Georgia.
Pre-arranged visa: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro and Serbia.
Overstaying your visa: will cost a fine of 500 baht per day, starting from the second day with a maximum of 20.000 baht. After that you risk time in prison. Also if you are in Thailand without a visa, even if you just overstayed for just one day, you risk imprisonment until you can pay the fine and/or leave the country. Overstaying too many times could risk you becoming a Persona non Grata in Thailand.
Extending your visa: visa runs aren’t possible anymore except when you go to Penang, Malaysia. Otherwise you have to apply at an immigration office. Extending up onto 90 days should be fairly easy. They might ask you for tickets for onward travel or prove that you have enough money to buy one.
UPDATE!!!: On September 15th 2015 the Bangkok Post announced that ALL visa runs are now banned. However they are only speaking of immediately returning into Thailand. It might be possible to stay in another country for a day or two and after that return to Thailand and receive your new visa, however at the moment nothing is sure about the situation. For now we would recommend, if you want to try a visa run, to do it yourself and DO NOT hire a company. We will update the article as soon as we know more!
Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans in Timor Leste
Portuguese nationals are lucky when it comes to traveling to Timor Leste. They will receive a free VOA of 90 days and are able to extend it for another 90 days, arriving by land or air doesn’t make a difference. For all other European citizens it does.
Arriving to Timor Leste by air: everyone will have to pay 30 USD for a 30 days VOA. You are required to show a ticket for onward travel or show prove of enough money to buy one. Next to that you need sufficient funds on your bank account, meaning a total of 100 USD plus 50 USD for each day you will stay in Timor Leste.
Arriving to Timor Leste by land: everyone will have to apply in advance for a 30 days visa. You will need a ticket for onward travel and sufficient funds (see arriving by air). If all is correct you receive a Visa Application Authorization, which you will have to show to the immigration officer at the border to obtain your visa. This visa will also cost 30 USD.
Extending your visa: you can extend your visa at the immigration office in Dili. Costs are 35 USD for 30 days and 75 USD for 30 to 60 days. You are allowed to stay a maximum of 90 days in total.
Overstaying your visa: you will have to pay the fine at the immigration office. Costs: 70-150 USD for overstaying up unto 30 days, 150-270 USD for overstaying 30-90 days and 270-500 USD if you overstay more than 90 days.
Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans in Vietnam
Vietnam has just eased their visa regulations. It is now possible for some Europeans to visit Vietnam without a pre-arranged visa. The island Phu Quoc, near Cambodia, is free entrance for all travelers for up to 15 days. It is possible to arrange your visa for the rest of the country here at the immigration office.
No visa required for a stay up to 15 days: Belarus, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
15 days free VOA: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden.
30-60-90 days visa: all other nationals and the nationals named above who want to stay for 30 days should pre-arrange their visa at a Vietnamese consulate or embassy. The prices are different at each consulate. I pre-arranged my Vietnamese visa back in the Netherlands, which cost me 75 Euros. For my next trip to Vietnam I pre-arranged my visa at the Vietnamese consulate in Vientiane, Laos. This will cost 35 USD and take 5 working days, but you can also get it the next day for 75 USD. It is possible to pay here in Kip, and there’s also consulates in all the other major cities in Laos. A 60 days or 90 days visa will cost you the same amount of money and is just as easy to obtain, so go for it!
Extend your visa: you are able to extend your visa at an immigration office or travel agent. It will take about 3 working days to a week and cost 25-30 USD for an extension of 30 days.
Overstaying your visa: it is not a good idea to overstay your Vietnamese visa. It is expensive and rules about it are not clear so it will cost you a lot of time and hassle.
E-visa: it is now possible to get an e-visa for Vietnam. For a safe place to apply, click here. You will receive an invitation letter with which you can collect your real visa. Be careful though: with an e-visa you can only enter through the international airports of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi or Danang.
All information gathered are applicable at the time of making this article. Please still refer to respective embassies for updates.
Have you got any Southeast-Asia Visas experiences, please comment below.
An Ultimate Guide to Southeast Asia Visas for Europeans by Emilie Terpstra. An informative visa guide for the EU citizen who wants to visit Southeast Asia.
About the Writer:
Emilie Terpstra, after years of dreaming Emilie finally made the decision to put everything on hold and start traveling. Now she is completely addicted, traveling and writing are her passions in life. She has just finished her History studies (another passion) and she’s hoping to travel all the way over land from the Netherlands to India soon, and maybe never stop!