How the Vietnam e-visa works
Vietnam's e-visa is an online application open to citizens of every country and territory. Since 15 August 2023 the e-visa is valid for up to 90 days with single or multiple entries. You fill in the form online, upload a portrait photo and wait for the decision. The portal checks the portrait automatically when you submit, so it makes sense to prepare the Vietnam visa photo before you start the form.
Vietnam visa photo size explained
Our template for the Vietnam visa photo is 40×60 mm, which is the same as 4×6 cm. The head takes about 40 mm from chin to crown, and there is about 6 mm of white space between the top of the hair and the top edge of the photo. The file is prepared at 300 DPI and stays under 1 MB, so it is sharp enough to print and small enough to upload. This 4×6 cm size is the one most guides cite for the Vietnam visa photo, together with a plain white background.
The official portal publishes its own photo instructions on the evisa.gov.vn instruction page: dimensions, file format, maximum file size, background colour and head position. When we last checked, that page returned SSL certificate errors, so open it yourself before you upload and compare the values with the file you have. If the portal asks for a different size or file size, the online tool can prepare your photo again in a few seconds.
Where to apply online
The Vietnam e-visa portal moved to evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn on 11 November 2024. The old domain, evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn, now only shows a migration notice. Submit a new application only through the updated domains, and be careful with sites that look similar but are not the official Vietnamese portal.
Digital photo file for the e-visa upload
The e-visa is a fully online process, so what you need is a digital photo file, not a paper print. A scan of an old printed photo is a poor substitute: scanning adds blur, colour shifts and dust, and the head size rarely matches. A photo taken with a phone and prepared by the online tool keeps the original sharpness, has the right size and proportions, and is saved as a file under 1 MB that the portal can accept. Keep the downloaded photo file in a folder you can find again, because you may want to reuse the same visa photo if you need to correct the application and submit it again.
What the online tool changes in your photo
The AI does not change your face. It finds the face in your photo, scales the image so the head is about 40 mm tall in the 40×60 mm frame, leaves the right space above the hair and centres you horizontally. Then it replaces the room behind you with a plain white background and checks the result: head position and size, eyes open, neutral expression, even light and sharpness. If the photo fails a check, you see the reason and can take a new photo straight away. When it passes, you download the Vietnam visa photo as a ready file for the online form.
Reusing a photo from another document
A photo you made for another passport or visa is usually a different size and has a different head position, so cropping it by hand to 4×6 cm rarely gives a correct result. The face in it is also often too small or too large for this frame. Making a new Vietnam visa photo takes less time than fixing an old one, and the online check confirms the size before you upload.
Choosing how to prepare your visa photo
There are several ways to get a Vietnam visa photo, and they differ in cost, speed and how sure you can be that the photo passes the portal review:
- Online photo tool. Low cost and quick, available on any device, with the photo size and background checked before download.
- Pharmacy or print kiosk. Low to moderate cost and quick, but staff may not know the Vietnam e-visa photo size, and you usually get a print rather than a digital photo file.
- Photo studio. Higher cost, often needs travel or an appointment; the result is good when the studio knows the Vietnam visa photo requirements.
- Photo booth. Low cost and quick, but the output may not match the digital upload format the portal asks for.
Costs and times vary by region. For a fully online application, a digital photo you make yourself is usually the simplest choice: you can retake the photo as many times as you like at no cost.
Visa photo file checklist
- Photo size 40×60 mm (4×6 cm), portrait orientation.
- Head about 40 mm from chin to crown, centred in the photo.
- About 6 mm of space above the hair.
- Plain white photo background with no shadows.
- File size under 1 MB, in the format the portal accepts.
- Colour photo, sharp, with no filters or retouching of your features.
- Values compared with the instruction page on the official portal.
Why the visa photo check matters
The e-visa portal checks the uploaded portrait at submission. A photo outside the accepted dimensions, file format, file size, background colour or face position fails that check and blocks the application until you replace it. The US State Department also warns that even small discrepancies in an e-visa application can lead to denial of entry at the border. A clean, correctly sized visa photo removes one common reason for a delay.
How to take a Vietnam visa photo with a phone
- Light from the front. Face a window so daylight falls on your face, not behind you. Overhead light alone leaves shadows under the eyes and chin.
- Plain background. Stand near a plain white or light wall with a small gap, so your shadow does not fall on it. Our tool replaces the background with white anyway.
- Camera at eye level. A lens held above or below your eyes changes the proportions of the head in the photo.
- Straight ahead, both ears visible. Keep the head level and upright; even a small tilt is a frequent reason a portrait upload is rejected.
- Neutral expression. Mouth closed, eyes open, looking into the lens.
- Check before you upload. Zoom in and make sure the face is sharp, with no glare or reflections.
Phone camera settings
Any modern phone camera is good enough for a portrait of this size; the settings matter more than the model. Turn off beauty mode, portrait (background blur) mode and any filters, because they smooth the skin and soften the edges of the hair. Do not use digital zoom. If someone can help, let them use the main rear camera, which is sharper than the front one; if you are alone, use the front camera with a timer and prop the phone at eye level on a shelf or a stack of books. Clean the lens before you start and take several shots, then upload the sharpest one.
Getting the light right
Light decides more about a portrait than the camera does. The best setup at home is simple: stand facing a window during the day, about an arm's length away, with no lamp switched on behind you. Daylight from the front fills the face evenly and keeps the eyes clear. Avoid direct sunlight, which makes you squint and leaves hard shadows on one side of the nose. A ceiling lamp alone casts dark areas under the eyebrows and the chin, and a lamp behind you turns your face into a silhouette. If the day is grey, move closer to the window rather than turning on a yellow bulb, which changes skin colour in the photo.
Checking the photo before you submit
Before you upload, open the downloaded file on a large screen and look at it the way an officer would. The face should be sharp around the eyes, with no motion blur. Skin colour should look natural, not orange or grey. The background must be evenly white from edge to edge, with no traces of hair cut off by the editing and no shadow around the shoulders. Your head should sit straight in the middle of the frame, with both ears and the whole face visible. If anything looks wrong, retake the photo: it costs you a minute now and can save days of processing later.
Applying for several travellers
Children who apply for their own e-visa upload their own portrait, just like adults. When a family travels together, take each photo in the same spot by the window, one after another, so the light stays the same. Name the files clearly after you download them, for example with each traveller's name, so you upload the right photo to each form.
If the portal rejects your photo
A portrait that fails the portal check blocks the submission until you replace it. Compare your file with the instruction page: is the size, file format or file size different, is the background not plain, or is the face off-centre or tilted? Make a new photo with better light if the problem is shadows or blur, or prepare the same photo again in the size the portal asks for. Upload the new file, check the preview, and continue with the application.
Glasses, head coverings and children
Taking off glasses before the photo removes any concern about lens glare or hidden eyes. Hats and other head coverings are normally not allowed in a visa photo; an exception applies for religious reasons, and the official portal lists the conditions. Children who apply for their own e-visa follow the same photo upload process as adults: a parent should help the child face the camera with both eyes open and a neutral expression.
Other e-visa rejection reasons
The photo is not the only thing the portal and border officers compare. According to the US State Department, a typo or a missing middle name that differs from the passport may result in denial of entry, so check every name field character by character. The Government of Vietnam may also deny an e-visa application made with an emergency passport, so apply with a full-validity passport. Date of birth, passport number and nationality must match the passport exactly as well.
Processing time and printing the e-visa
Processing typically takes three to five working days after a complete application. When the e-visa is approved, print it: holders must show a printed copy of the e-visa together with their passport at the port of entry, and a copy on a phone is not a substitute. The passport must be valid for at least six months from the entry date and have at least one blank page for the entry stamp.
Before you start the application
Gather everything first, so you can complete the form in one sitting:
- A full-validity passport, valid for at least six months from your entry date, with at least one blank page.
- Your portrait as a digital file, already checked for size and background.
- Your planned entry date and the choice between single and multiple entries.
- Time to check every field against the passport before you press submit.
Leave a margin of a few working days before your trip, since processing usually takes three to five working days, and remember that you will need to print the approved e-visa.
Head size and framing in detail
The frame of a 40×60 mm portrait is taller than it is wide, and the head fills a large part of it: about 40 mm of the 60 mm height. That leaves roughly 6 mm above the hair and the rest below the chin for the neck and the top of the shoulders. A face that is too small, as in a holiday snapshot, or too large, as in a close-up selfie, is one of the most common reasons a portrait is rejected. Our tool measures the face and sets the framing for you, so you do not need a ruler or photo editing software.
Single or multiple entries
When you apply online, you choose between a single-entry and a multiple-entry e-visa. Under the amended law, approved by Vietnam's National Assembly with 470 of 475 deputies in favour, multiple-entry holders may enter and exit an unlimited number of times within the 90-day window without a new visa. Any guide that still mentions a 30-day limit describes the policy before August 2023. The photo rules do not change with the entry type: one visa photo in the right size works for both.
Visa exemption
Vietnam has visa exemption arrangements with a number of countries, whose citizens can enter without an e-visa for a set period. The Embassy of Vietnam in the USA announced expanded exemptions in August 2023 together with the e-visa changes. Check immigration.gov.vn for the current list and stay durations before you apply. If you also need a new passport, see our Vietnam passport photo page.
