- Vietnam has implemented a mandatory Digital Arrival Card for all foreign travelers entering through Ho Chi Minh City’s airport.
- Travelers must submit their declaration within 72 hours of arrival via the official government online portal.
- The system generates a unique Entry QR Code that must be presented to immigration officers upon arrival.
(HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM) — Vietnam required most foreign travelers arriving at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport to file a mandatory Digital Arrival Card from April 15, 2026, replacing paper arrival forms with an online pre-arrival declaration system.
Authorities introduced the electronic form for foreign nationals entering through SGN as airport traffic climbed above 48,000 arrivals on peak days. The system collects passport, flight, accommodation and visa details, then generates an Entry QR Code for immigration scanning.
Officials framed the change as an operational fix for long lines at Vietnam’s busiest airport. The stated target is to cut processing time by up to 30 seconds per passenger, with each form taking about 5 minutes to complete.
The requirement applies to all foreign nationals entering SGN, including visa-free visitors, e-Visa holders, visa-on-arrival users and overseas Vietnamese traveling on foreign passports or visas. Vietnamese citizens using Vietnamese passports do not need to file the form, and neither do airside transit passengers who do not pass immigration.
Vietnam limited the measure to SGN for now. Pilot testing is planned for Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport and Da Nang later in 2026, with a broader rollout under consideration after that trial period.
Travelers must complete the form within 72 hours of arrival, a window the system describes as today plus the next 2 days. Passengers can access it through the official portal, prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, or by scanning QR codes provided by airlines.
The filing process has four stages. Travelers first enter passenger information, including expected arrival date, passport number, passport expiry, full name, gender, date of birth, nationality, phone number, email address and visa or other entry document details.
The same step also asks for flight number and the Vietnam accommodation address. The portal allows an optional passport photo upload to pre-fill some fields, but the information still has to match the travel document and visa data.
After entering the details, applicants review the form and verify it with a 6-digit OTP sent by email. Once submitted, the system issues a unique Entry QR Code and sends it to the same email address.
Passengers then need to save that code, either as a PDF or a screenshot, and present it at immigration in digital or printed form. Immigration officers will check it alongside the passport and visa.
Accuracy is central to the process. Passport information, visa numbers, issue dates, expiry dates and place of issue must match the traveler’s documents, because errors can invalidate the QR code.
Authorities also expect travelers to arrive with a passport valid for at least 6 months and at least 1 blank page, along with an onward ticket. Officials advised keeping a printed or digital backup of both the QR code and the submitted form in case of battery failure or connectivity problems.
Airlines may check for the Digital Arrival Card before boarding. Non-compliance has been tied to longer queues at arrival, though no entry denial linked to the form has been reported.
Ho Chi Minh City Immigration Office oversees the new process, and airlines and travel agencies have been told to inform passengers before departure. That shifts part of the compliance burden to carriers and booking intermediaries, which now have to flag the pre-arrival declaration before travelers reach the airport.
Vietnam’s move follows a regional pattern in which airports replace paper forms with digital entry systems. The SGN rollout mirrors systems already used elsewhere in Asia, but the immediate test is narrower: whether an online declaration filed shortly before departure can keep lines moving at one airport handling more than 48,000 arrivals on its busiest days.
