Vietnam e-visa: who needs one and how to apply on the official site

Most visitors to Vietnam need a Vietnam e-visa unless their passport is on one of the visa-exemption lists. The e-visa is open to citizens of every country and territory, is applied for online at evisa.gov.vn (the Immigration Department’s own portal, also reachable at thithucdientu.gov.vn), and as of November 2026 costs US$25 for a single entry or US$50 for multiple entries, each valid for up to 90 days. Vietnam’s tourism board says processing takes 3 to 5 working days. This guide explains who can skip the visa, how the official form works, which photo the system accepts, where you can enter with an e-visa, and the small mistakes that cause trouble at the border.

Do you need a visa for Vietnam, or are you visa-free?

Start by checking whether your passport is exempt. Vietnam has two kinds of exemption: a one-sided (unilateral) 45-day exemption it grants to certain countries, and bilateral agreements, mostly with its ASEAN neighbours, that set their own lengths of stay. According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism’s visa page, the lists as of November 2026 are:

The first group comes from Government Resolution 44/NQ-CP of March 2025, which Vietnam’s embassies published, and the second from Resolution 229/NQ-CP, in force from 15 August 2025. The second group is for tourism only: the tourism board notes that it cannot be combined with work.

Two practical points. First, the tourism board says exempt travellers need a passport valid for at least six months and a return or onward ticket. Second, if you want to stay longer than your exemption allows, you need an e-visa before you arrive. If your country is not in the table, the e-visa is the normal route for a holiday.

The Phu Quoc exception

Phu Quoc island has its own rule: foreigners flying straight into Phu Quoc International Airport from abroad, or transiting through the international area of another Vietnamese airport to reach it, can stay on the island for 30 days without a visa. The moment you want to continue to the mainland, you need a visa or e-visa, so plan for one if Phu Quoc is only one stop of your trip.

How much does the Vietnam e-visa cost, and how long is it valid?

The official portal states the fee plainly: US$25 for a single-entry e-visa and US$50 for a multiple-entry e-visa. Both can be issued for up to 90 days. The fee is paid by card through the portal’s payment gateway and is not refunded if the visa is refused, so it pays to fill in the form carefully.

Choose multiple entry if you plan to leave and come back, for example a side trip to Cambodia or Laos in the middle of your stay. A single-entry e-visa ends when you leave Vietnam, even if days remain.

One rule surprises people: according to the Immigration Department’s FAQ, the e-visa’s validity must end at least 30 days before your passport expires. If your passport is close to expiry, renew it first.

Which website is the official Vietnam e-visa site?

Only two addresses belong to the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security: evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn. The department warns that unofficial sites can charge fees that are not allowed under Vietnamese rules. Many agency websites look official and add service charges on top of the government fee; you can use one if you want help, but nothing in the process requires it.

If you see a page asking for much more than US$25 or US$50 with no explanation, check the address bar. The official portal’s footer shows the department’s addresses in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and the support e-mail [email protected].

How do you apply for a Vietnam e-visa step by step?

The portal’s own instructions break the application into a few stages. All times on the system are in Vietnam time (UTC+7), and every answer must be in English.

1. Prepare two images. A scan of your passport’s photo page and a recent portrait photo. The Immigration Department asks for a 4×6 cm, front-facing photo in JPG or JPEG under 2 MB, with a white background, no hat and no glasses.
2. Upload them and let the system read your passport. The portal checks both images and fills in your passport details automatically. Review every field; if the passport image is not valid, the system will not let you submit.
3. Complete the form. Fill in all fields marked with an asterisk. Write your full name exactly as on the machine-readable (ICAO) line of your passport, in capital letters, including any middle name. Give the address where you will stay first; if you move around, each hotel declares your stay after you arrive.
4. Declare your recent trips honestly. The form asks for details of your trips within the past year and about any past violations. The department says incomplete or untrue answers can lead to refusal.
5. Enter your planned dates and entry gate, then confirm the declaration and type in the verification code.
6. Pay. Agree to the terms, choose a payment method, enter your card details and confirm with the one-time password from your bank.
7. Save your application code. To check the result later you need the electronic profile code, your date of birth and the e-mail address you used.
8. Download and print the e-visa when it is approved, and keep a copy on your phone.

How long does the e-visa take, and when should you apply?

The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism gives a processing time of 3 to 5 working days. Working days exclude weekends and Vietnamese public holidays, so an application sent on a Thursday night will not be read until the following week.

You do not have to wait until the last minute. The Immigration Department’s FAQ says you can apply up to one year before your planned entry, and the visa can only be requested while you are outside Vietnam. A comfortable approach is to apply two to three weeks before departure, once your flights are booked, so there is time to correct a mistake.

Which airports and border gates accept the e-visa?

E-visa holders must enter and leave through international border gates on the government’s list. The portal lists 15 airports, including Noi Bai (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang, Cam Ranh (Nha Trang), Phu Quoc, Cat Bi (Hai Phong), Van Don, Phu Bai (Hue), Can Tho and Lien Khuong (Da Lat), plus many land crossings such as Moc Bai, Lao Bao and Mong Cai and dozens of seaports.

The tourism board’s advice is to make sure your flight or overland route matches the entry gate stated on your e-visa. You can leave through a different gate: the Immigration Department confirms that e-visa holders do not have to exit where they entered, as long as the exit gate is also on the list. New routes keep opening, such as Vietjet’s direct Da Nang–Osaka flights from December 2026, and Da Nang airport is on the e-visa list.

What should you check before you fly?

• Passport: valid for at least six months on arrival, with at least two blank pages, according to the tourism board. Airlines can refuse boarding otherwise.
• Names and numbers: compare the printed e-visa with your passport letter by letter. A wrong digit means applying again and paying again.
• Show the e-visa at immigration. The department’s FAQ describes a traveller with a 90-day e-visa who forgot to present it and was stamped in under a shorter visa exemption. Check the stamp in your passport before you leave the counter.
• Pre-arrival form: the Immigration Department recommends filling in the online pre-arrival form at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn before you travel to speed up entry.
• Weather and local news: the rainy season can disrupt plans in the centre; see the flash flood and landslide warning for central Vietnam before heading to Da Nang or Hue.

With the visa sorted, the fun part is the itinerary. If Da Nang is on your list, read our Ba Na Hills guide for the cable cars and the Golden Bridge, and if you arrive around the new year, the Da Nang New Year Festival 2027 runs along the Han River from 30 December.

Can you extend or get a new visa inside Vietnam?

An e-visa cannot be requested from inside the country; the Immigration Department says you must have left Vietnam before you apply for a new one. The portal does note that an e-visa holder already in Vietnam may get a new visa if an agency, organisation or individual in Vietnam invites or sponsors them under the immigration law. For most holidaymakers the simple answer is to request the full 90 days, or a multiple-entry visa, from the start. And an e-visa is not a work permit: the department reminds applicants that working in Vietnam requires a work permit or a confirmation of exemption under the Labour Code.