About Vietnam e-Visa
As frequent travelers to Vietnam (last visit Jan 2025) and after living in Vietnam for almost two years, we have lots of first-hand information and tips to share regarding the Vietnam e-Visa.
Since 2023, the Vietnam e-Visa application process has become more modern, and the website is easier to use. However, at the same time, the application form now asks for more information than before, and it’s essential to know this before filling it out.
That’s why, in this article, we’ll dive deep into everything you need to know about the Vietnam e-Visa application process.
QUICK INFO – Vietnam e-Visa in 2025
- All countries can apply for the Vietnam e-Visa (previously, it was only 80).
- You can apply for a single-entry or multiple-entry Vietnam e-Visa.
- The maximum duration of the Vietnam e-Visa is 90 days.
- Entry with a Vietnam e-Visa is allowed in 16 land borders, 13 airports, and 13 seaports.
- Processing time is three working days.
- Extensions are not possible.
Note: If you have any additional questions, we have many answered in the comments at the end of the article, so make sure to check them out.
Who is eligible for the Vietnam e-Visa
Since the major Vietnam visa regulation changes in August 2023, applying for the Vietnam e-Visa is available for all countries in the world.
However, if you can’t find your country on the list, you must contact your embassy or the Vietnam Immigration Department.
Visa Exempt Countries
In addition to the Vietnam e-Visa supporting all countries, as of January 2025, passport holders from 27 countries can enter Vietnam visa-free:
- Belarus
- Brunei Darussalam
- Cambodia
- Chile
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Indonesia
- Italy
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Korea
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Malaysia
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Norway
- Panama
- Philippines
- Russia
- Singapore
- Spain
- Sweden
- Thailand
- United Kingdom
We travel to Vietnam often, so we hope our countries also make the list one day!
How long can you stay in Vietnam with the e-Visa?
Since August 15th, 2023, the Vietnam e-Visa allows entry up to a maximum of 90 days. The same 90-day duration applies for both the single-entry and multiple-entry Vietnam e-Visa.
The Vietnam e-Visa is valid from the date of entry until the date of exit, which you put on the application.
Unlike other visas, the validity of the Vietnam e-Visa does not start from the day of arrival but from the date you put on the application.
The days start counting from your set entry date, even if the visa arrives late.
For example, we once put our entry date for the 2nd of September. And when our visa arrived late, on the 5th of September, the validity was still the same. So we lost three days.
What do you need before applying for the Vietnam e-Visa?
Before applying for a Vietnam e-Visa, you must have the following:
- Passport valid for at least 6 more months after arrival date with at least two blank pages
- Photo of passport personal data page
- Portrait photo of yourself (facing forward, no glasses, white background)
- Ability to pay online with a credit or debit card
- Information on past entries into Vietnam with a different passport
- Information on entries into Vietnam in the past year
- Name and address of the first accommodation in Vietnam
Vietnam e-Visa processing time
The official processing time for the Vietnam e-Visa is three working days.
Vietnam Immigration does not process e-Visa applications during weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and public Vietnam holidays.
Tet – Vietnamese New Year
Please be advised that Vietnam Immigration Department does not engage in immigration procedures during the Lunar New Year (Tet). This year, during Tet, the Vietnam e-Visa applications will not be processed from January 25th, 2025, to February 2nd, 2025.
- Read more: Tet – Vietnamese New Year (Things to know as a tourist)
That’s why, on one occasion, it took eight days in total for us to get our results, as there were holidays in between. So watch out for that if your travel date is near.
In comparison, when we last applied for the Vietnam e-Visa on 6th January 2025, we received results on the 9th January 2025, exactly 3 days later.
How far in advance do you need to apply for the Vietnam e-Visa?
We recommend applying for your Vietnam e-Visa at least 10 to 14 days before your planned arrival. Preferably, you should apply a month in advance, in case something goes wrong or it takes longer because of holidays or similar issues.
How to apply for the Vietnam e-Visa
The process for applying for the Vietnam e-Visa is relatively straightforward and fast. That’s why we always recommend doing it yourself. However, if you want to skip the whole process and have someone do it for you, you can use a service like iVisa.
The whole process is well explained on the official site. However, here are the essential steps of applying for the Vietnam e-Visa.
Time needed: 1 hour
- Visit the official e-Visa application site
- Fill out the e-Visa application form for foreigners
Fill out the information required to apply for the e-Visa, like Portrait photo, Passport data page photo, Personal information (name, sex, date of birth, address, nationality), Contact information (phone, email), Passport number, type, and expiry, Intended temporary residential address (address of the hotel you plan on booking), Purpose of entry (choose tourism), Date of entry, Date of exit, Entry, and exit checkpoint
- Verify the e-Visa application information
Double and triple-check the information you entered for the Vietnam e-Visa so you don’t have to fix things and wait longer to receive results.
- Submit the application and pay the fee of $25 or $50
- Wait for three working days for the result
You will receive an email when the e-Visa is processed, but it’s still worth checking manually on the application status page here and there.
- Download the e-Visa and print two copies
- Travel to Vietnam
When we last applied for the Vietnam e-Visa in January 2025, we noticed how modern and more straightforward the new website is. So you shouldn’t have a problem filling out the information and navigating the different steps.
Common mistakes when applying for a Vietnam e-Visa
The most common mistakes when applying for Vietnam’s e-Visa are:
- Entering the wrong or incomplete name or passport number.
- Uploading bad quality or wrong photos.
- Choosing the wrong port of entry.
- Thinking the validity of the e-Visa starts on arrival and not on the date you put on the application.
What kind of photos are needed for the Vietnam e-Visa?
You must upload two photos for the Vietnam e-Visa: a portrait photo of yourself (4x6cm), looking straight without glasses, and a picture of your passport data page (bio page) with the image, personal information, and ICAO lines clearly seen.
We took portrait photos of each other with our phones and used a white wall as a background. Some people have also taken quality images of their photos from their passports.
If you’re not sure if the background of your portrait photo is okay, you can use Photoshop to remove the background, or you can use a service like Snap2Pass (for any country), which can do it for you quickly and painlessly.
As for the passport photo, take a top-down shot of the first page containing all the information (as shown in the example) so that there is no glare and everything is clear and easy to read.
If you have a passport with a unique design or security feature (laser-engraved writing or pictures), photograph it at the best angle to avoid those showing. For example, Matej’s Slovenian passport has lots of these, so it’s always fun taking photos of it.
Solving issues with the Vietnam e-Visa application
If your application form misses information or contains invalid data, the immigration department will request to provide further information, or in rare cases, they can also decline you.
To provide additional information for your Vietnam e-Visa, you will be contacted and asked to fill it out, and the processing time will restart once you submit all the valid information.
You can contact Vietnam Immigration through the support page, the Service support email ([email protected]), and the Technical support email ([email protected]).
If you have any issues with the payment through Vietcombank, you can contact their payment provider at [email protected] or visit their website at nganluong.vn. Waiting for the payment confirmation (success or failure) is essential before you pay again. If you pay twice, the second payment is regarded as another application, and you won’t get it refunded.
Receiving results of Vietnam e-Visa
When your Vietnam e-Visa is successfully processed, you will receive an email about it. However, to check if your Vietnam e-Visa was approved or denied, you must visit the official website and check it on the application status search page.
It works by entering your registration code, email, and date of birth and then searching for your results.
Why does the Vietnam e-Visa result arrive late?
Your Vietnam e-Visa result can be late because of national holidays, many applications, or your payment not being processed yet.
Payment confirmation for Vietnam e-Visa can take up to 2 hours. If it’s delayed further, we recommend contacting support.
Please note that some Vietnam e-Visa applications can also be sent to The Ministry of Public Security for further checks, extending the processing time to 15 working days. This is rare. However, it’s good to know of this so you can apply at the correct time to allow for such situations.
Vietnam e-Visa entry and exit points
You can use the Vietnam e-Visa to enter Vietnam through 42 international checkpoints, including airports, land borders, and sea ports
Airports allowing entry with Vietnam e-Visa:
- Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi)
- Tan Son Nhat Airport (Ho Chi Minh City)
- Cam Ranh Airport (Nha Trang)
- Da Nang Airport (Da Nang)
- Cat Bi Airport (Hai Phong)
- Can Tho Airport (Mekong Delta)
- Phu Quoc Airport (Phu Quoc Island)
- Phu Bai Airport (Hue)
- Van Don Airport (Quang Ninh – Ha Long)
- Tho Xuan Airport (Thanh Hoa)
- Dong Hoi Airport (Phong Nha)
- Phu Cat Airport (Quy Nhon)
- Lien Khuong Airport (Da Lat)
Landports allowing entry with Vietnam e-Visa:
- Bo Y international border gate, Kon Tum province
- Cha Lo international border gate, Quang Binh province
- Cau Treo international border gate, Ha Tinh province
- Huu Nghi international border gate, Lang Son province
- Ha Tien international border gate, Kien Giang province
- Lao Bao international border gate, Quang Tri province
- Lao Cai international border gate, Lao Cai province
- La Lay international border gate, Quang Tri province
- Moc Bai international border gate, Tay Ninh province
- Mong Cai international border gate, Quang Ninh province
- Nam Can international border gate, Nghe An province
- Na Meo international border gate, Thanh Hoa province
- Vinh Xuong international land and river border gate, An Giang province
- Tinh Bien international border gate, An Giang province
- Tay Trang international border gate, Dien Bien province
- Xa Mat international border gate, Tay Ninh province
Seaports allowing entry with Vietnam e-Visa:
- Hon Gai Seaport in Quang Ninh province
- Cam Pha Seaport in Quang Ninh province
- Hai Phong Seaport in Hai Phong City
- Nghi Son Seaport in Thanh Hoa province
- Vung Ang Seaport in Ha Tinh province
- Chan May Seaport in Thua Thien Hue province
- Da Nang Seaport in Da Nang City
- Nha Trang Seaport in Khanh Hoa province
- Quy Nhon Seaport in Binh Dinh province
- Dung Quat Seaport in Quang Ngai province
- Vung Tau Seaport in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province
- Ho Chi Minh City Seaport in Ho Chi Minh City
- Duong Dong Seaport in Kien Giang province
Does it matter which port of entry you put on the Vietnam e-Visa application?
According to the e-Visa rules for Vietnam, you can only enter the country at the port of entry you chose on the application.
However, after the latest updates to the Vietnam e-Visa, the entry port is no longer written on the application, and it does not matter.
We can confirm this from our personal experience in 2025.
We were supposed to fly into Hanoi in January 2025, so that’s what we put on our applications. However, we changed our minds after getting the visa and booked flights from Bangkok to Da Nang (it was too cold in Hanoi!).
While checking in for our AirAsia flight in Bangkok, the airline staff didn’t mention anything about our port of entry to Vietnam. They can’t know what you put on the application anyway, as it’s not written on the e-Visa result.
Some say that it’s up to the immigration officers on your arrival to Vietnam and that it could be an issue there. But on our arrival to Da Nang, the only words we spoke to the officer were hello, thank you, and goodbye.
NOTE
We have to mention the issues with choosing your port of entry to Vietnam because previously (before the significant immigration updates), it was a real issue.
Thankfully, this is no longer an issue!
Personally, we also experienced this in 2023. Since our e-Visa result arrived late (after eight days), we couldn’t fly into the port of entry we chose on our application on the date we wanted. So we had to find another flight on a later date, and lost some days in the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can arrive later than the entry date you put on the application for your Vietnam e-Visa, but you can not arrive sooner.
Upon entering Vietnam with your e-Visa, you must present a printed copy of the Vietnam e-Visa document you received (print from PDF) and your passport.
Yes, you must print the Vietnam e-Visa. We recommend two copies.
You can not apply for the Vietnam e-Visa for more adults at once, so families or groups are advised to fill out a separate application for each person. However, using the same application, you can apply for children without a passport.
The fee for processing the Vietnam e-Visa is non-refundable under any circumstance, regardless of the outcome and regardless of the type (single or multiple entry).
To apply for the Vietnam e-Visa, you must be outside Vietnam.
You must include the exact travel dates in Vietnam on the e-Visa application. If you put a shorter period than the maximum allowed duration, your granted visa will reflect that. So, if you’re not sure of your exact exit date, you should put either the maximum duration or some extra days after your planned exit.
If your payment fails while applying for the Vietnam e-Visa, you first need to wait for the confirmation email from the payment provider. Once it’s clear that it failed, you can try paying again. You must complete a new application if it does not allow you to pay again.
You can receive the Vietnam e-Visa in three working days if everything goes well and there are no weekends or holidays in between.
Single-entry Vietnam e-Visa costs 25 USD, and the multiple-entry Vietnam e-Visa costs 50 USD.
Our final thoughts
It’s great to see that the Vietnam e-Visa website now allows everyone to apply and that so many countries can now travel in Vietnam visa-free (hopefully, that list expands again!). Plus, the return of the 3-month visa (and the multiple-entry option) is a great sign.
Although the list of visa-exempt countries for Vietnam is still nowhere near countries like Thailand, it is great that the list got expanded and the duration extended to 45 days (for a trial/promotional period).
We welcome the positive changes in Vietnam’s immigration rules with open arms, and hopefully, it gets even better as Vietnam opens up even more.
We hope we answered all your questions about the application process and requirements. However, if you have more questions, comment below and let us know!
Continue reading
Now that you hopefully have your visa, you might want to see what to do in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, go canyoning in Da Lat, do the stunning Ha Giang Loop, go on a Ha Long Bay Cruise, enjoy the Trang An boat ride in the beautiful Ninh Binh, hike the Mua Caves Viewpoint, or visit the gorgeous old town of Hoi An.
We spent a year and a half exploring Vietnam.
And we wrote extensive free guides for destinations across the country.
Must visit places
– Hanoi Train Street
– Ha Long Bay
– Ban Gioc Waterfall
– Ha Giang Loop
– Ha Long Bay Cruise
– Hanoi
– Ho Chi Minh City
– Ninh Binh
– Da Nang
– Hoi An
– Nha Trang
– Da Lat Canyoning
– Dak Lak
– Mui Ne
– Mai Chau
Get travel insurance
SafetyWing | Heymondo
Book your tours
GetYourGuide | Viator | Klook
Get a Vietnam eSIM
Airalo eSIM | Holafly eSIM | Gigago (best plans)
