Wei Chen
Most visitors to Vietnam now enter on an electronic visa applied for before departure on the official government portal, and the current version is generous: it is open to citizens of all countries and territories, lasts for up to 90 days, and costs $25 for a single entry or $50 for multiple entries. If your passport qualifies for a 45-day visa exemption, you may not need one for a short trip, but travellers from the United States, Canada, Australia and many other countries do, and applying on the wrong website is the most common and most expensive mistake.
What are the quick facts you need before you apply?
- Official portal: evisa.gov.vn, which also answers at thithucdientu.gov.vn
- Who runs it: Vietnam Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security
- Who qualifies: Citizens of all countries and territories, since 15 August 2023
- Maximum stay: Up to 90 days, single or multiple entry
- Official fee: $25 single entry, $50 multiple entry, non-refundable
- Processing time: About 3 working days after a complete application and payment
- Visa exemption: 45 days for listed nationalities including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea and Russia, under Resolution 44 until March 2028
Which website is the real official portal, and how do you avoid copycat sites?
Use one address only: evisa.gov.vn. The same Immigration Department system also operates under its Vietnamese name at thithucdientu.gov.vn, and the department has directed applicants to those two domains since November 2024. Any other site, however professional it looks, is a private agency or a reseller. Agencies are not illegal, but they charge a service fee on top of the government fee, they hold your passport data, and some deliver the same visa days later than a direct application would have taken.
Three checks take less than a minute. First, the address in your browser should end in .gov.vn, the domain reserved for Vietnamese government bodies. Second, the amount requested at payment should be exactly $25 or $50, with no added handling, processing or service charge. Third, the portal should not promise instant approval, guaranteed approval or an express government lane, because the official system offers none of those. If a site fails any of those checks, close it and start again on the official portal.
Older guides still link to the previous Immigration Department address. That page now carries a notice redirecting applicants to the current domains, so follow the redirect rather than bookmarking the old address. Airlines and hotels sometimes link to agency partners for convenience, which is another reason to type the official address yourself instead of following a search advertisement or a referral link.
Who qualifies for the e-visa, and who can enter without one?
Since 15 August 2023 the e-visa has been open to citizens of all countries and territories, regardless of whether Vietnam maintains a visa exemption arrangement with your country. That universality is the point of the reform: if you hold an ordinary passport and you are applying from outside Vietnam, you can apply. You choose the validity window, up to 90 days, and whether the visa allows one entry or multiple entries within that window.
A separate group does not need the e-visa for shorter stays. Under Government Resolution 44, citizens of a listed set of countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Japan, South Korea and Russia, receive a 45-day visa exemption, a policy extended until March 2028. If your trip fits inside 45 days and your nationality is on that list, you can travel without applying, carrying a passport that remains valid well beyond your stay and evidence of onward travel if asked.
Travellers from the United States, Canada and Australia are not on the 45-day exemption list and should plan on the e-visa. The same applies to most other nationalities outside the exemption lists. When in doubt, the test is simple: check the exemption list for your exact passport first, and if it is not there, apply. Do not assume that a previous visa-free trip under an older, shorter exemption still reflects the current rules, because Vietnam has revised its exemption lists several times since 2023 and each version has carried its own dates.
How do you apply, step by step, without making a costly error?
Start on the official portal and select the option for foreigners applying from outside Vietnam. Complete the form with your name, date of birth, passport number and travel dates exactly as they appear in your passport, upload a recent portrait photo and a clear image of your passport data page, choose your entry and exit points from the portal list, and pay the fee by card. You will receive a registration code: save it, screenshot it and keep it somewhere other than your inbox, because you need it to check the result and download the visa.
The details that cause refusals and delays are unglamorous. A middle name omitted from the form but present in the passport, a transposed digit in the passport number, a photo with glare across the data page, or a validity window that starts after your flight lands can each force a fresh application and a fresh fee. The fee is non-refundable even when the error is yours and even when the application is refused, so the cheapest step in the whole process is ten slow minutes of checking before you press pay.
Processing is normally around 3 working days once the department has a complete application and the fee. That is working days, not calendar days, and it can stretch around Tet and other Vietnamese public holidays when offices close and application volumes rise. Apply at least a week before departure as a sensible buffer, and earlier if your itinerary starts with a land crossing or a small airport where staff see fewer e-visas. When the visa is granted, download it and print at least one paper copy in addition to keeping the file on your phone, because some check-in desks and border posts still ask to see paper.
Which entry and exit points count, and why does your choice matter?
An e-visa is only usable at the border gates the portal lists for e-visa holders, which include the major international airports, a set of land border crossings and several seaports. The gate matters because the visa is tied to the application you submitted: arriving at a crossing that is not on the e-visa list, or in some cases different from the gate you selected, can mean being turned back to re-enter through the correct point. Before you pay, confirm that your actual arrival airport or land crossing appears on the portal list, and select that exact gate in the form.
This matters most for overland itineraries. Flying into Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang is straightforward, but travellers entering from Cambodia, Laos or China by road, or arriving by cruise or ferry, should check the list with particular care and allow extra time at the border. If your plans change after the visa is issued and you need to arrive through a different gate, check the portal guidance before you travel rather than assuming the visa is flexible, and if the guidance is unclear, apply for a new visa that matches the new route.
For inspiration once the paperwork is settled, the south coast rewards a slower pace: our guide to the Anantara Mui Ne Resort on Mui Ne Beach shows the quieter resort side of the country, while in the north the capital deserves time in its own right, as our Hanoi food guide to pho, bun cha and egg coffee explains street by street.
Should you choose single entry or multiple entry?
Choose single entry if Vietnam is your only destination and you will not leave and return during the trip. Choose multiple entry if your itinerary hops out and back, for example flying from Vietnam to Cambodia or Thailand and then returning to Vietnam to fly home, or crossing into a neighbouring country overland and re-entering. The difference is $25, which is far cheaper than a second single-entry application, a changed flight or a refused boarding because your first visa was used up by an earlier exit.
Remember that the 90-day figure is a maximum validity window, not an automatic entitlement to stay 90 days regardless of the dates you entered. You select the start and end dates, you may enter on any day within them, and you must leave by the end date. If your flight moves outside that window, the visa does not move with it. Build a small margin into the dates you request, within the 90-day limit, if your plans are not yet fixed.
What should you check again in the final week before you fly?
Reopen the granted visa and read it as a border officer will: name spelling, passport number, date of birth, entry type, validity dates and entry gate, character by character against your passport. Check that your passport itself remains valid for the period Vietnam requires and has blank space for stamps. Carry the printed visa, keep the digital copy offline on your phone, and arrive with your onward or return booking accessible. If anything on the visa is wrong, contact the Immigration Department through the portal support channel immediately and, if time is short, apply again correctly rather than hoping the error will be waved through at the desk.
Rules in this area change, and Vietnam has changed them repeatedly in the last three years. The portal, not any guide including this one, is the final authority on the day you apply. A two-minute confirmation on evisa.gov.vn before you pay and again before you fly is the simplest protection against a ruined first day.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Vietnam e-visa take to process?
The Immigration Department normally decides within about 3 working days of receiving a complete application and the fee. Allow at least a week before departure to absorb weekends, public holidays and any request to correct your application.
Can I apply for a Vietnam e-visa from inside Vietnam?
No. The portal process is for foreigners applying from outside Vietnam. If you are already in the country and need to extend your stay, that is a different procedure handled through immigration offices or a sponsor, not a fresh tourist e-visa.
Is the Vietnam e-visa fee refundable if I make a mistake?
No. The $25 single-entry and $50 multiple-entry fees are non-refundable, including when an application is refused or contains an error. A corrected application is a new application with a new fee, which is why careful checking before payment matters.
Do British passport holders need a visa for a two-week holiday in Vietnam?
Not under the current rules. United Kingdom citizens are on the 45-day visa exemption list under Resolution 44, extended until March 2028, so a two-week holiday fits inside the exemption. For a stay longer than 45 days, apply for the e-visa instead.
Can I enter Vietnam on an e-visa through any border crossing?
No. You must use a border gate listed for e-visa holders on the portal, and you should select your actual entry point in the application. Check land and sea arrivals especially carefully before you book an overland route.
What happens if my flight changes after my e-visa is issued?
The visa stays tied to the dates and details in your application. If the new flight falls outside the validity window or uses a different entry gate, check the portal guidance and, if needed, apply again for a visa that matches the new itinerary before you travel.
