Vietnam Digital Arrival Card: The Pre-Arrival Form, Step by Step

In short: since 15 April 2026, foreign travellers arriving in Vietnam must complete a free online arrival declaration on the official site prearrival.immigration.gov.vn and show the QR code at immigration. It can be filled in up to three days before arrival and takes about five minutes.

The fields and screens described below were checked on the official site on 8 November 2026. Vietnam’s entry rules change often: check the site before you fly. We sell eSIMs for Vietnam, but this page is only about formalities and does not replace official information.

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Who must fill in the Vietnam arrival declaration?

Almost every foreign traveller, whether visa-exempt, on an e-visa or on a regular visa. Only Vietnamese citizens travelling on Vietnamese passports are excluded (Time Out, April 2026).

• Start date: 15 April 2026, first announced for Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City (Time Out).
• Airports named: as of 25 June 2026 the Singapore Embassy in Hanoi lists Noi Bai (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc (Singapore Embassy in Hanoi notice).
• Land and sea borders: the form offers the travel modes “Air”, “Land” and “Sea” (checked 8 November 2026).

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When and where do you fill it in?

On the Vietnamese immigration department’s official site, on the day of arrival or up to three days before. The address is prearrival.immigration.gov.vn; the site banner reads “Immigration Department, Pre-arrival information submission for visitors”.

Home page of prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, screenshot of 8 November 2026. The three buttons: “Create & Submit Pre-arrival Information”, “Lookup & Update Declaration” and “Lookup E-Pass Information”.

• Submission window: “upon arrival or not more than three days before arrival” per the Singapore Embassy in Hanoi, 72 hours per Time Out. On 8 November 2026 the “Expected Arrival Date” menu offered three dates: 8, 9 and 10 November.
• Price: the form has no payment step. Use the official address: look-alike third-party sites charge for a service the government does not.
• Time: about five minutes, per Time Out.

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The form, screen by screen

The form has four steps: passenger information, trip information, review and submit, then the result. A red asterisk marks mandatory fields. This is what each step asks, checked on 8 November 2026.

Step 1: passenger information

Field	Good to know
Passport photo	Optional: the site says the details are filled in automatically when the photo is readable
Expected arrival date	Menu: the same day and the next two days
Passport type, number, expiry date	”Popular Passport” in the type menu; the expiry date is mandatory
Gender, surname, given name, date of birth	Mandatory
Nationality	Drop-down menu
Phone	Country code, then number
Email address	Mandatory
Visa (if you have one)	Visa type, number, issue date, expiry date, place of issue
”Add Passenger”	Adds another traveller to the same declaration

• Visa: the site notes that the selected visa type determines your permitted entry period, and asks you to enter your visa number “to enable the service at the airport”.
• Length of stay: the declaration does not replace checking the visa rules; confirm the stay allowed for your nationality before you fly.

Step 2: trip information

Field	Good to know
First point of departure	Only if you are transiting through several countries
Departure country before arriving	Drop-down, mandatory
Purpose of travel	Drop-down menu
Mode of travel	”Air”, “Land” or “Sea”
Flight number	Mandatory for air travel
Border gate / airport	Menu: your arrival airport (for example Tan Son Nhat)
Accommodation	Type: hotel, residential or others; province or city, ward or commune, address
Workplace information	A “Workplace Information” section
Expected departure date from Vietnam	DD/MM/YYYY

Step 3: review and submit

A summary repeats everything. You must tick “I confirm that the information is correct” to continue. The site states that passengers must truthfully declare their personal information, luggage and goods carried, and that passports must be valid for at least six months. It also notes that the declaration does not replace the temporary residence registration of foreigners (the registration your accommodation normally handles).

Step 4: the QR code

After submission the site produces a confirmation with a QR code. The Singapore Embassy in Hanoi advises saving it on your phone or printing it to show at immigration. The “Lookup & Update Declaration” button on the home page retrieves and edits a declaration you already submitted.

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What if you do not fill it in?

You are not refused entry, but immigration takes longer. Time Out reports that travellers without the declaration will not be turned away but will face longer processing. The Singapore Embassy in Hanoi says Vietnamese authorities “strongly advised” visitors to complete it to avoid longer waits at immigration checkpoints.

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What about your eSIM?

The declaration asks for a phone number and an email address, but not a Vietnamese number: your usual number is fine, and you can get the QR code before you fly. The simplest route is to fill the form in at home on Wi-Fi and save the QR code (screenshot or print) so you have it offline.

If you fill it in at the airport you need a connection, so install your eSIM before you leave, as in our complete guide to SIM cards and eSIMs in Vietnam, and compare plans on the Vietnam eSIM page. This declaration is separate from SIM card registration, a different Vietnamese requirement.

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Sources: official arrival declaration site (form checked 8 November 2026), Singapore Embassy in Hanoi notice of 25 June 2026, Time Out, April 2026.