Travel Tips

Vietnam’s Digital Arrival Card: What to Know Before You Fly (2026)

There’s a new small job on the pre-flight checklist for Vietnam, and it’s worth two minutes of your attention now rather than a longer queue later. Since April 2026, Vietnam has been rolling out a Digital Arrival Card - a free online declaration you complete before you land - and as of June it covers the four airports most travellers actually use, including Hanoi.

Here’s the whole thing, plainly told: who needs it, when to do it, and the one scam to sidestep.

The Digital Arrival Card at a Glance

• What it is: a free online arrival declaration (officially the Pre-Arrival Information system) that replaces the old paper slip
• Who needs it: all foreign passport holders - including children, and including visa-free visitors
• When: within 72 hours of your arrival - the portal won’t accept it any earlier
• Where: the official government portal only: prearrival.immigration.gov.vn
• Cost: free. Anyone charging you is not the official channel
• What you get: a QR code that immigration scans on arrival

Which Airports Require It

Vietnam is rolling the system out gateway by gateway, and it has moved quickly. It began at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat on 15 April 2026, added Phu Quoc on 1 June, and by mid-June covered Hanoi’s Noi Bai and Da Nang as well - the four airports that between them handle almost every international arrival.

The rollout is still settling, and the portal already carries options for land and sea borders, so wider coverage looks likely. Our advice is the simple version: complete the card before you fly, whichever airport you’re landing at. It costs nothing and takes minutes; arriving without it where it’s required means filling it in at the airport while the queue grows around you.

How It Works

Inside 72 hours of your arrival, you open the portal and enter your passport details exactly as printed, your flight number and arrival date, your visa or entry type, and the full address of your first night’s accommodation - the actual hotel address, not just the city. The system then issues a confirmation with a QR code and a file number.

Save the QR code to your phone where it works offline - a screenshot does the job - and a printed copy never hurts. At the desk, the officer scans it and your details appear; that’s the whole point, and it’s genuinely faster than the old paper shuffle.

Forgot entirely? You’re not stranded: the arrival halls display QR posters linking to the portal so you can complete it after landing. It works, but you’ll be doing admin on airport Wi-Fi while everyone who did it at home walks past you.

Three Rules Worth Remembering

It’s free, and only one website is real. The official portal is prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, run by Vietnam’s Immigration Department. Lookalike sites have appeared that charge a fee to “submit it for you” - there is nothing to pay and nothing they can do that the two-minute form doesn’t.

It is not a visa. If your passport needs a visa or e-visa for Vietnam, that’s a separate job (and if you’re on a UK or most Western European passports, you likely don’t need one at all for stays up to 45 days). The arrival card is simply the declaration that tells immigration you’re coming - everyone completes it, visa or not.

Do it at the right moment. The 72-hour window catches people out in both directions: the portal rejects submissions made too early, and leaving it to the departure gate means rushing it on airport Wi-Fi. The sweet spot is the day before you fly, at home, with your passport and hotel details in front of you.

The Common Trip-Ups

• Submitting too early - the portal blocks arrival dates more than 72 hours out
• A vague address - enter your hotel’s full street address, not just “Hanoi”
• Not saving the QR code - no code at the desk means redoing the form at the airport
• Mistaking it for a visa - they’re separate; sort both if your passport needs both
• Confusing it with the new health declaration - a separate health-declaration framework took effect on 1 July 2026, but it only switches on for specific disease outbreaks; as we publish there is no routine health form to file and no official online system for it, so ignore any site telling you otherwise

Where We Come In

If you’re travelling with us, the fiddly ingredient is already handled: your first hotel’s full address is in the final documents we send before you fly, ready to copy straight into the form. We flag the arrival card in our pre-trip reminders too, so it never becomes an airport surprise. The form itself takes you two minutes - and everything from the moment you land is ours to run. And if you’d like the landing itself smoothed as well, we’ve looked at whether fast-track entry is worth it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need the Digital Arrival Card if I’m flying into Hanoi?

Yes. Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport joined the requirement in June 2026, alongside Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Phu Quoc. Complete it within 72 hours of arrival, whichever of the four you’re landing at.

Is the Vietnam Digital Arrival Card a visa?

No. It’s an arrival declaration, completely separate from any visa. Visa-free visitors need it too, and travellers who require a visa or e-visa must arrange that separately as before.

How much does the arrival card cost?

Nothing. It’s free on the official portal, prearrival.immigration.gov.vn. Any site charging a fee to complete it for you is a third-party reseller, not the official channel.

When should I complete it?

Within 72 hours of your scheduled arrival - the portal won’t accept it earlier. The day before you fly is the comfortable moment, with passport and hotel address to hand.

Do transit passengers need it?

Not if you stay airside and never clear immigration. But if you’re connecting to a domestic flight - Hanoi down to Phu Quoc, say - you clear immigration at your first international airport, so the card applies.

What if I lose my QR code?

Officers can pull your record up from your passport, but it’s slower - and you’ll feel every second of it after a long-haul flight. Screenshot the code and keep the confirmation email as a backup.

Do children need their own arrival card?

Yes - every foreign passport holder needs one, children included. Parents or guardians can complete the form on a child’s behalf.