How long the Vietnam e-visa takes
The e-visa site states 3 working days. In practice it is often 3 to 7 calendar days.
3 working days
What the e-visa site states. Working days are Monday to Friday in Vietnam, without public holidays.
3 to 7 days
What applicants often wait in practice, counted in calendar days.
4 to 6 working days
From November to April, the busy months.
The Tet pause
The e-visa site pauses or slows approvals around Tet. The pause for Tet 2027 is expected from 3 Feb 2027 to 11 Feb 2027, and those dates are an estimate until the holiday schedule is published. Applications filed in the weeks around it can take 7 to 10 days.
Apply before late January.
What slows it down
- Weekends and public holidays do not count. An application filed on a Friday evening starts on Monday.
- The busy months, November to April.
- Tet, and the days around 30 April, 1 May and 2 September.
- A mistake on the form: a name that does not match the passport, a photo that is rejected, the wrong date format, a passport that is valid for too short a time, or the wrong entry point. A refused application means starting again.
- A card payment that fails, which often means a new application.
The five form mistakes are explained in the e-visa guide. For your own flight, apply at least a week ahead.
Work out your own case
Pick your passport and how long you will stay to see whether you need an e-visa at all.