I have been to Vietnam twice — first in 2018 and then in 2019. The charm of the South East Asian country makes me want to go there again and again. The fine blend of beautiful landscape and architecture, the people, the food, the coffee — Vietnam has so much to offer that one visit may not be enough to experience it all.
Getting a tourist visa to visit Vietnam is fairly easy thanks to the eVisa system. Introduced in February 2017, Vietnam electronic visa system is a pilot project that allows passport holders of 80 countries to apply for a visa. It takes just three working days to get an approval (or rejection) and costs $25.
If you are planning to visit Vietnam, you may want to skip a visit to the embassy by simply applying for an eVisa. In this article, I would like to share the process of applying for Vietnam eVisa along with some useful information.
General Information Regarding Vietnam eVisa
- Vietnam eVisa can be applied by passport holders of these 80 countries. Others have to apply for a visa though an embassy.
- The maximum validity for electronic visa is 30 days. You can request for a shorter duration but not longer.
- Once in Vietnam, you can extend the validity of your eVisa through an agency or organisation which will apply for a visa on your behalf.
- The visa is valid from the date mentioned on the eVisa. You can enter Vietnam on or after the date and must exit on or before the expiry date. The entry and exit dates are according to what you choose while applying for the visa.
- You must enter from one of the 33 entry points listed here.
- A flight booking is not necessary while applying for a visa. You can book a flight after receiving your visa. Also, I did not have a return flight on my second visit and I was allowed entry.
- You should book an accommodation before applying for visa. The address of this accommodation will have to be mentioned in the visa form. On my first visit, I booked a hostel in Ho Chi Minh via Booking.com and the second time I booked an Airbnb. Both were accepted.
- Beware of fake websites offering you a visa. The website mentioned in this guide is the only official Vietnam eVisa portal.
Vietnam eVisa Requirements
- Your portrait photograph in 4 x 6 cm size with white background. Don’t wear glasses, look straight to the camera. Make sure the picture covers your whole face and body up to shoulders. The extension of the picture should be .jpg or .jpeg.
- A scan of first page of passport showing your picture, personal details, and ICAO lines. If you are taking a photograph of your passport, make sure you have enough natural light and your picture is not blurred. Details must be clearly visible. Don’t crop or reduce size of the picture too much. The scan/picture of the passport should be in .jpg or .jpeg extension.
- A credit card to make payment.
- The passport must be valid for at least 30 days ‘after’ the date of expiry of the eVisa.
After you have prepared everything needed for the eVisa process, you can proceed with the application. You will fill a simple form to start with, make the payment, and wait for a confirmation email.
Step 1: Filling Up eVisa Form
Visit the official Vietnam eVisa portal and click ‘For Foreigners.’ Read the information page carefully and check the box confirming you have read these instructions. Click Next and you will see the visa application form.
Start with uploading your passport size photograph and the scan of your passport. Then continue filling up personal information like your name, birth date, permanent address, nationality, religion, occupation, phone number, and email address. Your name must be entered as shown on your passport. The email you will enter here is where you will receive your eVisa notification.
Other information that needs to be filled is your intended duration of stay (default and maximum is 30 days), intended date of entry and exit, intended entry and exit points, address of your accommodation, purpose of entry. If you plan to stay less than 30 days, you should mention so, otherwise, I would leave it to 30.
After you have filled up the form, click Review Form and triple-check the information you have entered. You can make changes only up to this point. After you review the information, proceed to the payment page.
Step 2: Making Payment
The fee for Vietnam eVisa is 25 US dollars. It’s a flat fee for all countries and is non-refundable. Use your international credit/debit card to pay for the visa and once the payment has gone through, you will see a confirmation message. This message states both the successful payment and completion of visa application.
You will also receive an email confirming the submission of the application along with the registration number.
Step 3: Checking eVisa Application Status
After the submission of your visa application, wait for up to 3 working days until you receive another email. This email will state that your application has been processed but it does not tell you if you have been granted a visa.
To find out if you received the visa, visit the eVisa search page, enter your registration number, birth date, email ID, and the captcha code. Click search and you should see if your visa application was approved or not.
If you were granted the visa, you should download the eVisa PDF file. Print a copy of your visa and carry it along with your passport. During check-in, your airline might request this visa and while entering Vietnam, you will have to show it along with your passport. The officer will verify the visa and stamp your passport.
Applying for Vietnam eVisa: Summary
The process for applying eVisa for Vietnam is fairly easy. Passport-holders of 80 countries are allowed to apply visa though this online facility which costs $25 for a 30 days visa.
After submitting the visa application, it takes up to three working days for the process to finish. While you can not request for a visa for more than 30 days through Vietnam’s eVisa portal, you can extend your visa once you enter the country.
I have tremendously enjoyed both visits to Vietnam and would love to visit again whenever possible. When I do, I can apply for the visa quickly and easily thanks to the online visa portal. I will be posting more articles about Vietnam soon.
That’s all, folks. I hope you found this guide on applying for Vietnam eVisa useful and I’d like to thank you for reading.