Vietnam visa requirements for Australian passport holders

Check your circumstances

Read these conditions alongside the entry rule. Where official guidance does not state a condition, that is not confirmation that no condition applies.

Passport type Conditions to check

This covers Australian passports. Smartraveller notes that entry with an "X" gender marker cannot be guaranteed; ask a Vietnamese embassy first.

Official sources: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Trip purpose Confirmed for this scope

The e-Visa covers tourism or business. You cannot change a tourist visa to another type, such as a work visa, inside Vietnam.

Official sources: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Age Not stated in the cited guidance

Smartraveller states no age-based rule for the e-Visa. Each traveler, including a child, needs a visa or exemption.

Official sources: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Residence Conditions to check

Apply from outside Vietnam: the e-Visa is for people who wish to enter, not for foreigners already residing there.

Official sources: Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam.

Other visas or residence permits Conditions to check

If your spouse or parent is a Vietnamese national, you can apply for a visa exemption certificate instead of a visa.

Official sources: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Carrier and arrival route Conditions to check

Some travelers have had trouble showing e-Visas at airline check-in, so carry a printed copy of the approval.

Official sources: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Stay and visa validity Confirmed for this scope

The e-Visa allows up to 90 days, single or multiple entry. Check the exit date stamped on arrival, which can differ from the visa.

Official sources: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Apply only on the official e-Visa site

Apply at evisa.gov.vn, the Immigration Department's e-Visa site; its FAQ also names thithucdientu.gov.vn as official. Other sites can charge fees that are not authorized. You can apply up to 1 year before your planned entry, but only while you are outside Vietnam.

The portal lists the fee as USD 25 for a single entry or USD 50 for multiple entries, paid online. It is not refunded if the e-Visa is refused.

Official sources: Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam; Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam.

Match your passport and dates

Enter your full name exactly as it appears on the machine-readable line of your passport, in capital letters, and declare earlier trips truthfully: false information can lead to refusal. The e-Visa can last up to 90 days and must end at least 30 days before your passport expires. This expiry margin is separate from the passport validity needed for arrival; confirm that minimum with a Vietnamese mission before applying.

Follow the dates printed on the issued visa; the 90-day maximum is not a promise of 90 days from whenever you arrive. Choose the international border gates you will use. Air gates on the portal's list include Noi Bai, Da Nang and Tan Son Nhat airports.

Official sources: Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam; Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam; US Department of State.

What Smartraveller adds

Only apply through the Government of Vietnam's official website or offices: travelers have been scammed by private visa services. Check your details when you apply and again when the visa arrives; errors can mean fees, a refused boarding or refused entry.

Do not plan on extending an e-Visa inside Vietnam. If plans change, contact Immigration before it expires; a possible new sponsored visa is a separate process, not an automatic extension. Register your place of residence within 24 hours of arrival; hotels usually do this at check-in. Dual nationals should travel on their Australian passport and check their obligations, including military service, with a Vietnamese embassy.

Official sources: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; US Department of State; Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam.

On arrival and during your stay

The Immigration Department recommends completing the pre-arrival form at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn before you land. Present your e-Visa to the officer at the border, then check the temporary residence stamp in your passport and point out any error at once.

Carry your passport while traveling, and show it to each hotel or guesthouse so it can declare your stay. If you change accommodation, the new place declares you again.

Official sources: Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam; Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam.

Phu Quoc-only visits follow a separate rule

Foreign passport holders have a separate visa exemption for Phu Quoc-only visits of up to 30 days. It does not cover a mainland sightseeing trip. Before relying on it, confirm your arrival, any mainland airport transit and onward route with a Vietnamese mission.

The e-Visa guidance here covers mainland trips by travelers without an existing exemption. If you hold a residence document or visa exemption certificate, check the conditions of that document separately.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam.