Which visa type to pick on Vietnam's pre-arrival form

Checked 6 November 2026 by Darius Cheung. Independent guide, not a government website.

The ten visa types

The form's list, in its order, with what it then asks. The limits come from the form's own date checks.

For most types with a number, the form also wants the expiry at least 30 days before your passport's. Its message: "The expiry date of the visa or document must be at least 30 days before the passport expiry date."

Exemptions: what the form checks

When you pick Bilateral or Unilateral exemption, the form looks up your nationality and passport type in its own list. If there's no match it says "This country and passport do not have a bilateral visa exemption. Please check again", or the same with "unilateral". Try the other exemption type if it might apply. If neither matches, you may need a visa. The form's check is a lookup, not a decision on your entry, so confirm the rules for your passport before you fly.

Passport type matters here. The choices are Popular Passport (the ordinary kind), Official/Public Service and Diplomatic Passport. A traveller on an ordinary passport who picks Diplomatic by mistake can be told there's no exemption.

The notice you tick

The section opens with notes that the form makes you acknowledge with "I have read and understood this information." They read: "Provide details of your Vietnam visa (if applicable)", "Note: The selected visa type determines your permitted entry period.", and "Important: Please enter your visa number to enable the service at the airport." The last one is why a visa holder shouldn't skip the number.

E-visa numbers

If the number is refused, the form opens its own guide: "Check the 'Số / No.' line on the e-visa and enter the exact number shown. The E-Visa number must be numeric and 9 digits long." A number with letters, or with more or fewer than 9 digits, shows "Invalid visa number". The site also checks visa numbers with its server as you type, and a refusal there reads "Invalid visa number. Please check again."

Date messages in this section

• "Visa issue date cannot be after the expected arrival date." The issue date belongs before the trip.
• "The visa or visa substitute document must remain valid on the intended date of entry." The expiry is before your arrival.
• "An electronic visa (E-Visa) must not be valid for more than 90 days from its date of issue and must expire at least 30 days before the passport expiry date." Usually an issue or expiry date typed wrong.
• "The visa exemption expiry date must not exceed the permitted visa-exempt stay for the country and passport type." Let the form set the date, or recheck the passport type.

Questions people ask

I don't need a visa for Vietnam. What do I pick?

Pick the exemption that matches your passport, Bilateral or Unilateral. The form then skips the visa number. If it says your country and passport have no exemption of that type, try the other type, and check the rules if neither matches.

Where is the number on a Vietnam e-visa?

On the line marked "Số / No.". The form wants exactly that number: 9 digits, no letters.

Is the pre-arrival form a visa?

No. It asks for details of a visa you already have, if any. It doesn't issue one.

Where this comes from

Rules change, so check the official site before you travel. Where we quote a form's message, we copied it from the form's own public code. Some messages may rarely appear, and we don't run test submissions on government forms.

• Vietnam's Pre-arrival Information Submission for Visitors: its English text, scripts and lookup lists (official site of the Immigration Department (Cục Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh), read by us on 6 Nov 2026)