Vietnam fully digitises country entry: Paper forms become history, mandatory QR code introduced
Foreign travellers must now complete a digital form before departure, and the system, initially tested at airports, is soon to be rolled out to all border crossings.
The entry process Vietnam It has undergone the biggest administrative change in recent years. With the aim of reducing unbearable airport congestion and modernising cross-border traffic, the authorities there have introduced a mandatory digital arrival card. This measure, which has already come into effect, replicates a model successfully implemented by Asian giants like South Korea and Indonesia, and creates a new obligation for European and domestic tour operators in preparing passengers.
Strict deadlines and digital confirmation before departure
New rules do not differentiate between tourists entering Vietnam with a visa and those using the visa-free regime – the rule applies without exception to all foreign nationals. The key change for agencies and travellers themselves lies in the timing. The official online portal only opens 72 hours before the planned landing, meaning that registration must be completed within a narrow three-day window before the flight itself.
The process itself requires the input of detailed data: from classic passport information, through flight number, to the exact address of the first accommodation in the country. Lest the process be completely automated, the system also includes security verification via e-mail, where the traveller must enter a six-digit code in order to generate the final QR code. It is precisely this QR code, in digital form or printed, that is the only entry ticket that immigration officers now recognise at the border.
The system is being extended to land and sea borders
Although in the first phase the focus of official notifications was on Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, the technical infrastructure of the new portal reveals much broader intentions of the Vietnamese government. Road border crossings and seaports are already present in the system's dropdown menus.
Vietnamese authorities have already appealed to airlines and tour operators to promptly inform their clients. Although technically there are channels for last-minute registration at the airports themselves, relying on this option in practice guarantees long waits and logistical chaos at immigration control.
