Visas: how the e-visa works

Who the e-visa is for

Most visitors need a visa arranged before flying, and the e-visa is the route most nationalities can use for tourism. The eligible list and the exemption list are both official, both change, and both live on the two sites linked at the bottom of this page. Check your passport against those, not against a summary like this one.

How the application runs

• Apply on the official portal only; it is the one that ends with a visa in the immigration system.
• Have your passport scan and a portrait photo ready before you start the form.
• The passport should carry six months of validity and blank pages; the airlines do check.
• State your intended entry date and one of the listed border gates; the e-visa is tied to a window.
• Pay on the portal and keep the registration code it gives you.

The fee, the processing window and the length of stay are all shown on the portal itself and change from time to time; whatever the portal says on the day you apply is the version that counts.

Single or multiple entry

Both exist, with different windows, and the difference matters if your route leaves Vietnam and comes back, which some northern loops and border hops do. Read the two options on the form carefully before choosing.

The day before you fly

• Your passport, with the same spelling as the application.
• The e-visa printed or saved offline; airport wifi is not guaranteed.
• The address of your first night; the arrival card asks for it.
• An onward or return ticket, if your airline asks to see one.