Vietnam e-visa for Australians: how to apply online

Vietnam e-visa for Australians is a short online application that costs US$25 and covers one visit of up to 30 days. Australia is on the list of countries whose citizens can use it. You apply on the Vietnam Immigration Department's portal, wait about three working days, then print the approval. Keep that printout in your bag next to your passport.

Vietnam reopened to tourists on 15 March 2022, and many Australians are now planning trips. This guide covers who can use the e-visa, the steps, the photos, the fee and the mistakes that cost travellers time and money.

Sources for this section: Vietnam Immigration Department, E-visa frequently asked questions; Wikipedia, Visa policy of Vietnam.

Who can use the e-visa

Vietnam began a pilot e-visa system on 1 February 2017. It started with a short list of countries and has grown since. The Immigration Department's own FAQ says the pilot now covers citizens of 80 countries, and Australia is on the list.

The e-visa suits a holiday, a family visit or a short stay. It is a single entry visa. It is valid for a maximum of 30 days. If you leave Vietnam and want to come back, you need a new one.

Some visitors do not need it. Passport holders from a set of countries, mostly in South East Asia, can enter without a visa for 30 days. Australia is not one of them. Australians who hold an APEC Business Travel Card marked "VNM" on the back can enter for business trips of up to 60 days without a visa, but that card is a separate product for business travel and not a holiday shortcut.

Sources for this section: Vietnam Immigration Department, E-visa frequently asked questions; Wikipedia, Visa policy of Vietnam.

How to apply, step by step

1. Open the official portal. The Vietnam Immigration Department runs it at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn. Check the address in your browser bar before you type anything in.
2. Choose the e-visa application and fill in every required field. The FAQ says you must complete all of them to be eligible.
3. Upload two images: a portrait photo and a scan of your passport data page. More on both below.
4. Enter your trip dates. The validity period starts on the date you give. You can enter on any day inside it.
5. Pay the fee online by one of the payment methods the page lists.
6. Save your registration code. You need it to check the result.
7. Check the result and print it. The portal says no email is sent about the result. You return to the site and enter your registration code, email address and date of birth.

Processing takes three working days after the Immigration Department receives a complete application and the full fee. Do not leave it to the last week before you fly.

Sources for this section: Vietnam Immigration Department, E-visa frequently asked questions.

Photos and passport rules

The portal asks for two uploads. The first is a portrait photo, 4 by 6 cm, taken looking straight at the camera and without glasses. The second is the passport data page, shown in full, with the photo, your personal details and the two lines of machine-readable text at the bottom.

Type your name exactly as it appears in those machine-readable lines. Long names and special characters are a common trouble spot, and the FAQ tells applicants to copy the name from that line.

Check your passport expiry date too. Under Vietnamese law, the visa must expire at least 30 days before the passport does. So your passport needs to be valid for well over a month beyond the last day of your e-visa.

Sources for this section: Vietnam Immigration Department, E-visa frequently asked questions.

Fee and payment

The e-visa fee is US$25. You pay it on the portal using one of four payment methods shown on the payment page. The fee is not refunded if your e-visa is refused or you do not use it, so check every detail before you pay.

The price is the same for everyone who applies on the portal. If a website quotes you a higher figure, ask what the extra money is for. Some businesses will lodge the form for you and charge a service fee on top. The Immigration Department says a foreigner can apply alone or through a guaranteeing agency or organisation in Vietnam, so you do not need a helper to reach the form.

Sources for this section: Vietnam Immigration Department, E-visa frequently asked questions.

At the border and common mistakes

E-visa holders can enter and leave through any of 33 international checkpoints. At the checkpoint you must show the printed e-visa and your passport. A phone screen is a risk, so print a copy, and keep a second one in your bag.

• Arriving too early or too late. You cannot enter before or after the validity period on your approval. If you want to arrive earlier, you must lodge a new application, and the old one is cancelled once the new e-visa is issued.
• Planning a long stay. The e-visa tops out at 30 days. To stay longer, someone in Vietnam must sponsor you and apply for a new visa there.
• Asking a friend in Vietnam to apply. Vietnamese citizens are not allowed to guarantee a foreigner's stay on an e-visa. Apply yourself, or go through an agency or organisation.
• Losing the registration code. Without it you cannot check or print the result.
• Typing the name wrong. Copy it from your passport, not from memory.
• Waiting until the last week. Three working days is the stated processing time, and a fixable error can eat into it.

Rules change, so read the portal's FAQ again just before you apply, and check the Australian Government's travel advice for Vietnam before you book.

Sources for this section: Vietnam Immigration Department, E-visa frequently asked questions.

Sources

1. Vietnam Immigration Department, E-visa frequently asked questions (archived 2 February 2023): evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn
2. Vietnam Immigration Department, National portal on Immigration: evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn
3. Wikipedia, Visa policy of Vietnam (version of 1 February 2023): en.wikipedia.org