Vietnam tourist e-Visa for Indian passport holders

Vietnam opened the e-Visa to all nationalities on 15 August 2023 and extended validity to 90 days with a multiple-entry option, which made Indian travel to Da Nang, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City surge. The application asks for a scan of the passport data page, a portrait photo (4 by 6 cm, white background, no glasses), your passport issue date, intended entry and exit dates, the entry and exit ports and an address in Vietnam such as a hotel. Business travellers to meetings also use the e-Visa; those being paid in Vietnam or posted for work need the DN business or LD work routes.

The portal is evisa.gov.vn (also at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn); copycat sites charge USD 60 to 200 for the same visa and sometimes submit wrong data. Approved e-Visas are retrieved with the registration code, e-mail and date of birth and printed for check-in. The visa states the exact entry port; arriving at a different port, or before the start date, means refusal at the counter, so transit itineraries through Hanoi to Da Nang must name the first international airport.

Diplomatic and official passport holders are visa-exempt under the India-Vietnam agreement, and Indians with a Vietnamese temporary residence card or an APEC Business Travel Card enter on those documents. Stays over 90 days, employment and study need a visa sponsored by a Vietnamese organisation and issued by the Immigration Department or the embassy in New Delhi.

Indian rupee cards work on the portal (USD billed), and the fee covers the decision only; a refused applicant reapplies with a fresh fee. Vistolane completes the form, checks the photo and port details against the Immigration Department's rejection reasons and charges the USD 25 or USD 50 fee at the official rate.

1. 1

   Prepare the scans

   Passport data page (JPG, under 2 MB) and a 4 by 6 cm portrait on white; names exactly as in the passport.

2. 2

   Complete the form on evisa.gov.vn

   Entry and exit dates and ports, hotel address, purpose 'tourism', single or multiple entry.

3. 3

   Pay USD 25 or USD 50

   Card payment; note the registration code shown after payment.

4. 4

   Decision in 3 working days

   Check the status with the code; download and print the PDF.

5. 5

   Travel through the named port

   Show the printed e-Visa and passport at the counter; the officer stamps the stay to your exit date.

Choose the entry date carefully: the 90 days run from the date on the visa, not from arrival, so a traveller who lands late loses days. Multiple-entry visas suit Indian travellers combining Vietnam with Cambodia or Laos.

Immigration officers at Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang and Phu Quoc check the printed e-Visa, the return ticket and hotel booking; funds checks are rare. Overstaying costs VND 500,000 to 2 million for a few days and up to VND 20 million with deportation for longer periods, so ask an agent for an extension before the exit date if plans change.

The e-Visa does not allow paid work or study. Indians who find work convert through the employer's work permit and LD visa, usually with a short trip to a neighbouring country; those marrying a Vietnamese citizen move to the TT visa and temporary residence card.

• Vietnam Immigration Department: official e-Visa portal ↗
• Vietnam Immigration Department: visas and temporary residence ↗
• Embassy of Vietnam, New Delhi: e-Visa guidance ↗
• Circular 25/2021/TT-BTC: fees for visas and residence documents ↗