This is the reference page for the Vietnam e-visa: who needs one, what it costs, how to apply, the small mistakes that cause most delays, and what to do when an application stalls. It is written to be read once from top to bottom, then used as a checklist.
Quick answer:
- What it is: an electronic visa issued as a PDF by Vietnamese immigration. You apply online, with no embassy visit
- Government fee: $25 single entry, $50 multiple entry. Validity 30 or 90 days at the same price, so 90 is the safer choice
- Who needs one: the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, China and most others. Some Europeans and ASEAN passports are visa-free for 14 to 45 days
- Processing: standard about 3 working days. Urgent from $90 (3 days) to $215 (30–60 minutes)
- Most delays come from three things: the wrong entry port, the wrong photo format, and a name that does not match the passport
- Already applied and stuck? Do not reapply. Speed up the existing file
Do You Need a Vietnam E-Visa?
It depends on your passport. Vietnam exempts a list of nationalities for stays of 14 to 45 days. Everyone else, including most travelers from North America, Australia, New Zealand, India and China, applies for an e-visa before flying.
| Group | Passports | Visa-free stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free for any purpose | UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland | 45 days |
| Visa-free for tourism only (current rule runs to August 2028) | Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland | 45 days |
| Shorter visa-free stays | Belarus, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Chile, Panama | 30 days |
| Philippines | 21 days | |
| Brunei, Myanmar, Indonesia | 14 days | |
| E-visa required | United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, South Africa, and most other nationalities | — |
| E-visa required, though European | Ireland, Austria, Greece, Portugal, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, San Marino | — |
Rules change, and some exemptions have conditions such as tourism only. Check your passport on our visa-exempt countries list or the official portal before you travel. Being European does not mean being exempt. Ireland is not the UK, and several Schengen countries still need an e-visa. Visa-free entry also does not allow you to work.
What the E-Visa Is, and What It Is Not
The e-visa is an electronic authorization issued by Vietnamese immigration and delivered as a PDF. You apply online, with no embassy visit, and you print the approved document before you fly. It is not a Visa on Arrival: that is a different route that needs an approval letter arranged in advance and is air-arrival only.
- Government fee: $25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry.
- Validity: 30 or 90 days, chosen when you apply. They cost the same, and the choice cannot be changed after approval, so 90 days is the safer default. The period starts on the entry date you choose, not on the day of issue.
- Single or multiple entry: multiple entry matters only if you leave Vietnam and come back, for example a day trip to Cambodia or Laos. A domestic flight does not count; crossing the Vietnamese border does.
- Passport: valid for at least 6 months beyond your arrival date, with blank pages.
- Each traveler needs their own e-visa, including each child.
How to Apply, Step by Step
- Confirm you need one using the table above.
- Choose your route: the official site at evisa.gov.vn, or an agency if you want your documents checked or need speed.
- Prepare your passport data page, a portrait photo as a JPEG on a white background, your arrival date, the airport where you land, your flight number, and the address of your first night in Vietnam.
- Fill in the form carefully. Copy names exactly as the passport’s machine-readable zone shows them, and enter dates as day, month, year.
- Pay the government fee ($25 or $50). An agency adds its service fee on top.
- Save your reference code and check the live status at evisa.gov.vn/e-visa/search. The confirmation email shows the status at the moment you submitted and never updates.
- Download the approved PDF, check every detail against your passport, and print one copy.
Our photo requirements guide covers the file format and framing in detail.
The Entry Port: the Mistake the Form Lets You Make
The entry port is the Vietnamese airport where your plane lands on its final leg, never the transit hub. The form accepts any airport code without a warning. The mismatch is caught later in review, the file stops, and you may not get a clear email explaining why. A booking via Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City means SGN, not SIN.
| Where you are going | Enter this airport code | Not this (transit hub) |
|---|---|---|
| Ho Chi Minh City | SGN | SIN, ICN, NRT, KUL, BKK, DXB, DOH |
| Hanoi | HAN | SIN, ICN, NRT, BKK, DXB, DOH |
| Da Nang, and by road to Hoi An | DAD | SIN, ICN, BKK |
| Phu Quoc | PQC | SIN, KUL, BKK |
| Nha Trang (Cam Ranh) | CXR | SIN, KUL |
| Anywhere else | The Vietnamese airport where your plane lands, chosen from the form’s list | Any airport outside Vietnam |
The same logic applies to the entry date: it is the day you land in Vietnam, not the day you leave home. A flight that leaves the US or Canada on Thursday night usually lands on Saturday.
Four Other Mistakes That Stop an Application
- Photo format. iPhones save HEIC by default. Set Settings, Camera, Formats to Most Compatible, or export a JPEG.
- Name mismatch. Compare your entry with the two lines at the bottom of the passport data page. A middle name shown there but left out of the form is the classic cause.
- A glared or angled passport scan, which makes the machine-readable lines unreadable.
- Applying twice. Two active applications under one passport can trigger a hold on both. If the first file is stuck, correct or speed up that file.
How Long It Takes, and Your Options
Standard processing usually takes around 3 working days, and longer around public holidays such as Tet. Processing runs on Vietnamese working days only, so a weekend adds time. If you need it sooner, urgent tiers exist. All prices include the $25 government fee.
| Tier | Delivery | New application | Speed Up (already applied) | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 3 working days | $50 | — | Mon–Fri |
| 3-Day | 3 days | $90 | $70 | Mon–Fri |
| 2-Day | 2 days | $100 | $80 | Mon–Fri |
| 1-Day | 1 day | $110 | $90 | Mon–Fri |
| 5-Hour | about 5 hours | $125 | $100 | Mon–Fri |
| 2.5-Hour | about 2.5 hours | $155 | $130 | Mon–Fri |
| 1.5-Hour | about 1.5 hours | $185 | $160 | Mon–Fri |
| 30–60 minutes | 30–60 minutes | $215 | $190 | Mon–Fri only |
| Weekend / Holiday | typically before 06:00 VNT next morning | $230 | $210 | Sat, Sun, public holidays |
Each weekday tier has a cutoff time in Vietnam, and the weekend batch has its own. See the urgent visa service page for the cutoffs in your time zone. Multiple entry adds $25 to any tier.
If Your Application Stalls
| Status page shows | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| In Process | Your file is in the queue | Wait through the normal window. If your flight is close, ask support about speeding up the same file. Do not reapply |
| Amendment Required | Something in the file has to be corrected, and processing has stopped | Find the field (photo, name, port, date) and correct it. A fast tier does not fix an error |
| Approved | The e-visa has been issued | Download the PDF, check every detail against your passport, print one copy and keep one on your phone |
| Rejected | A decision has been made | Find the cause before any new application. Do not resubmit the same data |
The status page, not the date you applied, is the starting point. Two files can both read In Process while one is simply waiting and the other is waiting for a correction, and they need opposite responses. If your flight is close and the file is correct, ask for a speed-up of the existing application instead of a new one.
Official Site or Agency?
| Official site (evisa.gov.vn) | With an agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Government fee only: $25 or $50 | Government fee plus a service fee |
| Speed | Standard queue, no paid fast option | Faster tiers from 3 days down to 30–60 minutes |
| Document check | You check your own file | Checked before submission |
| If something goes wrong | Government help desk | Direct support, and escalation of your existing file |
| Approval | Decided by Vietnamese immigration | Decided by Vietnamese immigration |
Apply directly if you are comfortable with the form and have time. Use an agency if you want a second check, need speed, or want someone to contact if the file stalls. Neither route guarantees approval. If you are choosing, our guide on how to choose a reliable service lists what to check.
When It Is Too Late for an E-Visa: the Boarding Letter
About the boarding letter: it is a letter from us confirming that your e-visa application is in process. It is not a visa, and whether an airline accepts it is the airline’s decision, so we cannot guarantee it. Your approved e-visa is still needed at Vietnamese immigration. See what a boarding letter can and cannot do.
After Approval: What to Check and Carry
- Name, passport number, date of birth and entry dates against your physical passport. Errors here are checked at the border.
- One printed copy and one on your phone.
- Your onward or return ticket, in case the airline or immigration asks.
- Any pre-arrival declaration that applies to your airport. Check the official pre-arrival page before you fly.
Our Refund Policy
Our refund policy: 100% refund if we cannot complete your visa, or if we do not complete it within the timeframe we committed to. Read the conditions in our Terms & Conditions, and confirm the price, the time and the refund in writing on WhatsApp before you pay. No agency controls Vietnamese immigration’s decision or timing.
Reviews are public on Trustpilot, Google and YouTube.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who needs a Vietnam e-visa in 2026?
Most travelers from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and China, plus several European passports such as Ireland, Austria, Greece and Portugal. A list of nationalities, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, Japan and South Korea, is visa-free for 45 days. Check the exemption table above, because rules and conditions change.
How much is a Vietnam e-visa?
The government fee is $25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry. Through us, Standard is $50 and urgent tiers run from $90 to $215, all including the government fee.
Is 30 or 90 days better?
They cost the same, so 90 days is the safer choice. It cannot be changed after approval.
What entry port should I choose?
The Vietnamese airport where your plane lands, for example SGN, HAN, DAD, PQC or CXR. Never the transit hub such as SIN, ICN, NRT, BKK, DXB or DOH.
How long does it take?
Standard is around 3 working days. Urgent options go from 3 days ($90) down to 30–60 minutes ($215) on weekdays, each with a cutoff. Weekends have a separate batch ($230, or $210 to speed up an existing application).
My application has been In Process for days. Should I apply again?
No. A second application under the same passport can trigger a hold on both. Check the live status, correct anything flagged, and ask for a speed-up of the existing file, from $70.
Can I get a Vietnam visa at the airport?
Not as a walk-up. Visa on Arrival still needs an approval letter arranged before you fly. If you have nothing, urgent e-visa processing is the realistic route during Vietnamese working hours.
What is the refund policy?
100% refund if we cannot complete your visa, or if we do not complete it within the timeframe we committed to. Confirm the price, the time and the refund in writing on WhatsApp before you pay.
Related guides
Need it fast? Message our support team.
WhatsApp +84 947 754 252Send your reference code (format E260705…) if you already applied.
VietnamVisaEasy.com is a private travel agency, not affiliated with the Vietnamese government. We charge a fee to assist with visa applications. If you don’t need assistance, you can apply directly on the official government website, evisa.gov.vn. For questions, visit our contact page.