Vietnam e-Visa: the portal that actually works, how much it costs, how many days you get and which border points you can enter through

⚠️ Sensitive information — always check the official source

Visa requirements, quotas, amounts and dates change often. Every fact in this guide was checked against the official source on 2026-09-23 and we re-check it periodically, but before starting any procedure confirm the details on the official links (embassy, consulate or ministry) shown on this page. viajacongus.com does not process visas and does not replace official information.

💵 How much it costs

USD 25 for the single-entry e-visa and USD 50 for the multiple-entry one. Those are the amounts the Immigration Department publishes on the system's instructions screen: «Pay E-visa fee. Your application will be processed in 3 working days; - $25/single-entry electronic visa - $50/multiple-entry electronic visa». Verified on 23/09/2026. You pay online by card through the portal's own gateway, and it is NOT refunded if you are rejected: «E-visa fee is paid via electronic payment gateway as prescribed by the Immigration Department. The fee will not be refunded if the application is refused». There is no published paid express service: any site that charges you extra for «urgent» processing is an intermediary, not the Government.

⏳ How long it takes

Three working days from when the application is submitted, as counted by the agency itself: «Your application will be processed in 3 working days». There is no different maximum published and no urgent channel. Factor in Vietnamese public holidays (above all Tết, the Lunar New Year, when the administration shuts down for several days) and apply with a margin: the entry date you declare on the form has to be after the decision.

📅 How long it's valid

These are two different things and everyone mixes them up. VALIDITY of the authorisation: up to 90 days, verbatim from the portal, «Vietnam E-visa is valid for maximum of 90 days, single or multiple entry». That has been the legal ceiling since 15/8/2023 (before that it was 30 days and single entry, which is why so much outdated information is still around). DAYS OF STAY: whatever appears on the e-visa you are granted, within that validity window; the e-visa carries a start date and an end date, and you cannot stay a single day beyond the end date even if you entered late. In other words: if you are given a 90-day e-visa valid from 1/11 to 29/1 and you enter on 20/12, you have 40 days left, not 90. Set the start date right next to your real arrival date. The multiple-entry version lets you enter and leave as many times as you want within that same window; the single-entry one, once only. Something almost nobody knows: while in Vietnam on an e-visa you can apply for a new visa if someone there invites or sponsors you — «E-visa holders in Vietnam may be considered to get new visa if being invited/guaranteed by authority/organization/individual in Vietnam» —, but that is not an automatic extension of the e-visa.

👤 Who needs it?

Since Resolution 127/NQ-CP of 14/8/2023 (in force since 15/8/2023), Vietnam grants e-visas to citizens of ALL countries and territories, so all 28 nationalities we track can apply. That said, six of the 28 do not need one for an ordinary tourist trip: CHILE and PANAMA enter visa-free for up to 90 days under a bilateral agreement (Chile since 11/8/2017, Panama since 15/1/2021, ordinary passport); and GERMANY, DENMARK, SPAIN and ITALY enter visa-free for up to 45 days under the unilateral exemption of Resolution 44/NQ-CP of 7/3/2025, in force from 15/3/2025 to 14/3/2028 — if they stay longer than 45 days, they do need an e-visa. The other 22 need an e-visa no matter what: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, United States, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, Andorra and Australia. The conditions the portal requires, verbatim: «Outside Vietnam foreigners; Holding valid passport; Not falling into the cases of suspension from entry prescribed in Article 21 of Law on foreigners' entry into, exit from, transit through, residence in Vietnam». And there is a group that CANNOT use the website: «Foreigners falling into the cases prescribed in Clauses 1, 2, 3 and 4, Article 8 of the Law on foreigners' entry into, exit from, transit through and residence in Vietnam, shall not apply for e-visa on this Website. They should send visa applications via the inviting or guaranteeing agencies and organizations to the competent agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs».

🧭 The step by step

First check whether you actually need it

Before paying anything, check whether your passport is exempt. Chile and Panama enter visa-free for up to 90 days under a bilateral agreement. Germany, Denmark, Spain and Italy enter visa-free for up to 45 days under Resolution 44/NQ-CP, in force until 14/3/2028. If you travel on one of those six passports and your trip fits within that period, you do not need to get anything: you arrive, show your passport and that is it. If you are going to stay longer than the exemption gives you, then you do need the e-visa, and it is best to get it BEFORE leaving, because the system requires you to be outside Vietnam when you apply.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: The 45-day exemption cannot be stretched once you have entered: there is no «switch from exemption to e-visa» inside the country. If you are torn between 45 and 90 days, get the e-visa from abroad.

Go in ONLY through evisa.gov.vn or thithucdientu.gov.vn

They are the only two official domains and they are the same system. The Immigration Department's own notice, verbatim: «From 08:00 on 11/11/2024 (GMT+7), the Vietnam Electronic Visa Portal will operate on two new domains: https://thithucdientu.gov.vn and https://evisa.gov.vn. Please visit these new addresses to submit your application and check the results». The practical rule: the domain has to end in .gov.vn. Anything else —.com, .net, .org, domains with «vietnam-evisa», «evisa-vietnam» or «official» in them— is a private intermediary that fills in the same form and overcharges you.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: Vietnam is one of the worst cases in the world for fake portals: there are dozens of cloned websites that mimic the portal's design. They charge between USD 50 and USD 175 for an e-visa that costs USD 25, and on top of that they keep your passport details and your card. Checking your status on the official portal is free: nobody should be charging you to «check your visa».

Check that you can use the online system

The portal sets three conditions, verbatim: being OUTSIDE Vietnam when you apply («Outside Vietnam foreigners»), holding a valid passport («Holding valid passport») and not being covered by the grounds for suspension of entry in Article 21 of the Law on foreigners' entry, exit, transit and residence. In addition, those who fall under Clauses 1 to 4 of Article 8 of that law cannot use the website and have to apply through the agency or organisation inviting them, before the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: If you are already in Vietnam (for example on the 45-day exemption) you cannot get yourself an e-visa from inside: the system is for foreigners who are abroad.

Decide on single or multiple entry BEFORE you start

It is the decision that moves the most money: USD 25 for single entry, USD 50 for multiple entry. If your trip includes a side trip to Cambodia, Laos or Thailand and you come back to Vietnam, you need the multiple-entry one: with single entry, it is used up as soon as you leave. Also decide there the number of days and the start date of validity, which is what later limits your stay.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: You cannot switch from single to multiple entry after paying. If you got it wrong, the only way out is to apply for another e-visa and pay again: the first fee is not refunded.

Scan the passport data page, keep it light

Upload the full biometric page, the one with the photo and the details, straight and uncropped, with both lines of the machine-readable zone (MRZ) legible. The size limit published in the system's manual is strict: the passport image has to be under 200 KB («ảnh hộ chiếu size nhỏ hơn 200KB»). If you scan at 600 dpi it will come out five times bigger: lower the resolution or compress it before uploading.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: The portal's verbatim warning about what you upload and what you enter: «If there is any missing or incorrect/unidentified information, your application will not be accepted». A blurry or cropped scan, or one with flash glare over the MRZ, counts as «unidentified information».

Take the portrait the way they ask: facing forward and without glasses

The system's verbatim requirement is «Upload foreigners' passport data page image and photograph (straight looking without glasses)»: looking straight at the camera and without glasses, not even non-prescription ones. Plain, light background, full face, no hat or shadows. The maximum size for the portrait is even smaller than for the passport: under 50 KB («ảnh chân dung phải có size nhỏ hơn 50KB»). Take the photo with your phone against a white wall, crop it square and compress it until it drops below 50 KB.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: With glasses on, rejection is almost certain, and the fee already paid does not come back. If you wear glasses all day, take the photo without them even if you do not recognise yourself.

Fill in the form copying the passport letter by letter

First name and surname exactly as they appear on the biometric page, in the same order and with the same split (if the passport says GARCIA LOPEZ as the surname, both go in). Passport number without spaces, date of birth, nationality, issue date and expiry date. Then come the trip details: planned entry date, border checkpoint of entry and exit, and the address where you will be staying. Enter everything in Latin characters, without accents or ñ if the system rejects them.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: If the name does not match the passport exactly, immigration can turn you away even if the e-visa is approved. And if it has already been issued with the error, there is no correction: you have to apply for another one and pay for it.

Write down the application code as soon as they give it to you

When you submit the form, the system shows an electronic application code (the «Mã hồ sơ điện tử» / registration code) and emails it to you. It is the only key to checking the result: «Enter registration code, registration email and date of birth to check result in E-visa search menu». Copy it by hand somewhere besides the email, because if the message lands in spam or gets lost, without the code you cannot follow up on the application.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: The code arrives before payment. Do not close the window thinking you are done: without paying, the application is not processed.

Pay the USD 25 or USD 50 on the portal's gateway

Payment is made within the site, by card, on the electronic gateway that the Immigration Department itself has set up. Keep the receipt and a screenshot of the successful payment screen. If the card bounces, try another one before redoing the whole form: the application stays open waiting for payment.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: Verbatim: «The fee will not be refunded if the application is refused». You pay for processing, not for the visa. If they refuse you, you have lost the USD 25 or 50.

Wait three working days and check the result

The official timeframe is 3 working days from submission. To see the result you go to the portal's «E-visa search» menu and enter three things: application code, the email you registered with and your date of birth. Do not wait for a notification email: checking is up to you.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: Three WORKING days, not calendar days: if you submit on a Friday, the result comes out on Wednesday. And in the week of Tết (Lunar New Year) the Vietnamese administration shuts down for several days in a row.

Print the e-visa on paper

The portal's verbatim instruction: «If being approved for E-visa, please print E-visa to enter/exit Vietnam». It is not «show it on your phone»: the system asks for paper, and many airlines ask for it at check-in for the flight to Vietnam before issuing your boarding pass. Print two copies: one for immigration on entry and another for exit.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: Check the PDF as soon as it arrives: name, passport number, validity dates and number of entries. It is the last moment when an error can be fixed by applying for another e-visa with time to spare.

Confirm that your airport or border crossing is among the 83 authorised ones

This is where most people get stuck. With an e-visa you can only enter and leave through international border checkpoints designated by Government resolution. Resolution 127/NQ-CP (14/8/2023) set 42: 13 airports (Nội Bài/Hanoi, Tân Sơn Nhất/Ho Chi Minh City, Đà Nẵng, Cam Ranh, Cát Bi/Hải Phòng, Cần Thơ, Phú Quốc, Phú Bài/Huế, Vân Đồn, Thọ Xuân, Đồng Hới, Phù Cát and Liên Khương), 16 land crossings (Tây Trang, Móng Cái, Hữu Nghị, Lào Cai, Na Mèo, Nậm Cắn, Cầu Treo, Cha Lo, La Lay, Lao Bảo, Bờ Y, Mộc Bài, Xa Mát, Tịnh Biên, Vĩnh Xương and Hà Tiên) and 13 seaports. Resolution 389/NQ-CP of 2/12/2025 added 41 more and brought the total to 83: among the new airports are Vinh and Chu Lai, plus Long Thành and Gia Bình once they come into operation.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: WATCH OUT FOR A CONTRADICTION WITHIN THE VIETNAMESE STATE ITSELF: the old portal (evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn) still links to a PDF titled «List of ports that allowed foreigners enter and exit Vietnam by Vietnamese e-visa» with only 33 checkpoints and 8 airports — Vân Đồn, Thọ Xuân, Đồng Hới, Phù Cát and Liên Khương do not appear. That PDF is out of date: the Government resolution prevails, not the PDF. If your checkpoint appears in the resolution but not in the PDF, carry a printed copy of the resolution.

Arrive with the e-visa printed and with money and your onward ticket at hand

At immigration you present your passport and the printed e-visa. Even if the e-visa is approved, entry is not an automatic right: the officer can ask you for an onward ticket, accommodation booking and proof of means. Have your itinerary and hotel booking on your phone and also printed.

Go to the official site for this step →

Watch out: The passport has to remain valid for the whole stay. Vietnam does not publish a «6 months remaining validity» rule on the e-visa portal, but airlines apply it on their own: if you have less than 6 months left, they may refuse to board you even if the e-visa is perfect.

Go to the official site →

Vietnam Immigration Department (Cục Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh, Ministry of Public Security) — National Electronic Visa System

📋 What you need at hand

Valid passport, the original, the same one you apply for the e-visa with
Scan or photo of the passport biometric page (details and photo), under 200 KB, with the machine-readable zone legible
Recent portrait, facing forward, looking straight at the camera and WITHOUT glasses, plain light background, under 50 KB
International credit or debit card to pay the USD 25 or USD 50 on the portal's gateway
An email address you check: that is where the application code and the result arrive
Planned entry and exit dates, and the border checkpoint you will enter through and the one you will leave through
Address of your accommodation in Vietnam (hotel, hostel or the home where you are staying)
Electronic application code (registration code) written down separately from the email
The approved e-visa PRINTED on paper, two copies
Ticket out of Vietnam and accommodation booking, in case they ask for them at immigration or at check-in
If you are covered by Clauses 1 to 4 of Article 8 of the immigration law: letter of invitation or sponsorship from the Vietnamese agency or organisation, because in that case the application does NOT go through the website

⚠️ The mistakes that cost you

Paying on a site that does not end in .gov.vn. It is the most expensive mistake and the most common: there are clones of the portal that charge between USD 50 and USD 175 for the same USD 25 procedure, and they keep your passport and card details.
Paying someone to «check the status» of the e-visa. Checking on the official portal is free and you do it yourself with the code, the email and your date of birth.
Believing the Vietnamese e-visa lasts 30 days. Since 15/8/2023 the legal maximum is 90 days and it can be multiple entry; the 30-day information still circulating is outdated.
Confusing validity with stay. If you enter late, the e-visa does not stretch: it expires on the day it says, even if you have not used the 90 days.
Getting the SINGLE-entry one and then taking a side trip to Cambodia, Laos or Thailand. It is used up when you leave, and to come back you have to apply and pay for another one.
Uploading the portrait with glasses. The verbatim requirement is «straight looking without glasses» and it is grounds for rejection.
Uploading heavy images: the portrait has to be under 50 KB and the passport page under 200 KB. A scan straight off the printer, as is, will not fit.
Entering the name differently from how it appears on the passport (reversed, without the second surname, with an accent). It cannot be corrected afterwards: you have to apply for another e-visa and pay again.
Booking a flight to an airport that is not among the authorised ones. With an e-visa you cannot enter just anywhere.
Going by the PDF of ports that still hangs off the old portal (33 checkpoints, 8 airports): it is out of date compared with Resolutions 127/NQ-CP and 389/NQ-CP, which today add up to 83 checkpoints.
Applying two days in advance. The official timeframe is 3 WORKING days and there is no urgent service: the Vietnamese Government does not charge any urgency fee.
Taking for granted that the fee is refunded if you are refused. Verbatim: «The fee will not be refunded if the application is refused».
Applying while already in Vietnam. The system is for «outside Vietnam foreigners».
Showing it only on your phone. The portal says «please print E-visa to enter/exit Vietnam», and several airlines ask for the paper at check-in.
Assuming that if Chile enters visa-free, the rest of South America does too. With the other countries in the region Vietnam only has agreements for diplomatic and official passports, which are no use for tourism.
Staying one day past the e-visa end date. The fine and the exit procedure are paid at the airport and can make you miss your flight.

🔎 Where this comes from

← See the full entry requirements