What is the  Vietnam Pre-Arrival Declaration?

An online declaration you file before arriving in Vietnam, on a portal the government calls Pre-Arrival Information (PAI). It is not a visa and is free on the official portal. Officials disagree on whether it is compulsory: Ho Chi Minh City’s immigration office announced it as required; Vietnam’s Immigration Department and embassies have called it voluntary, encouraged, or highly recommended.

What is Pre-Arrival Information (PAI)?

Vietnam’s online pre-arrival declaration, filed on the Immigration Department’s own portal, where it is called Pre-Arrival Information.

  • Passport, trip, and stay details, filed online before you land
  • It does not replace the temporary residence registration for foreigners; the portal’s own legal notice says so

Who is asked to file Vietnam’s pre-arrival declaration?

Required

  • Travelers holding a foreign passport
  • Overseas Vietnamese entering on a visa

Not required

  • Vietnamese citizens using a Vietnamese passport
  • Passengers only transiting, without going through entry formalities

Both lists come from Ho Chi Minh City’s immigration office, in its announcement for Tan Son Nhat airport, not from a national text. We looked for a law, decree, or circular behind this system and found none published. Read the transit line narrowly, too: it covers passengers who never go through entry formalities. Clear immigration and travel on, and the official form treats that as an entry, with Transit as one of its purposes.

When can I file the pre-arrival declaration?

3 days

The Ministry of Public Security says within three days before entry, and the form itself offers only three arrival dates: today, tomorrow, or the day after, by your device’s clock.

Missed it? Vietnam’s embassy in Singapore says you can also complete it on arrival, and the US Embassy in Vietnam says the airport offers it by QR code or on paper. Only the US Embassy mentions paper. The one consequence Ho Chi Minh City’s immigration office mentions for not declaring in advance is that processing at the border may take longer.

What is the official Pre-Arrival Information website?

prearrival.immigration.gov.vn

If the address bar does not say prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, you are not on the Immigration Department’s declaration site. The Ministry of Public Security calls that address the one and only link and warns that fake copies of it exist; Vietnam’s embassies add that you should not use third-party sites that ask you to pay for the declaration.

Every official instruction we found gives only the web address and a QR code; none of them mentions an app. The ones we found in the app stores are not the government’s and one of them says so itself.

What is the pre-arrival declaration for?

The portal says it is there to cut waiting time at the immigration area.

How do I fill in Vietnam’s pre-arrival declaration?

Step-by-step guide to the Vietnam Pre-Arrival Declaration

Is the pre-arrival declaration free?

Yes. It is free on the official portal. The form has no payment step and never asks for card details, which is also how you tell it from the fake copies the Ministry of Public Security has warned about.

Does the pre-arrival declaration apply by air, land, and sea?

The form lists five airports. The declaration started at Tan Son Nhat in April 2026; Da Nang’s immigration office says Da Nang joined on 15 June 2026 as the fourth airport, after Tan Son Nhat, Phu Quoc, and Noi Bai; and Vietnam’s embassy in Singapore lists Cam Ranh too. Whether it is required is where the sources we found disagree:

  • Ho Chi Minh City’s immigration office announced it for Tan Son Nhat in April 2026 as compulsory, in Vietnamese “bắt buộc”.
  • Vietnam Airlines says foreign passengers entering via Noi Bai, Da Nang, Cam Ranh, and Tan Son Nhat “are required to complete entry declaration”. The US Embassy in Vietnam wrote on 17 June 2026 that Vietnam is expanding its “mandatory pre-arrival personal information declaration for international arrivals to all airports in Vietnam”.
  • In May 2026, announcing the pilot at Tan Son Nhat, the Ministry of Public Security said “it is optional rather than mandatory for international air travellers to Vietnam”.
  • Vietnam’s embassy in Singapore wrote on 2 July 2026 that “The Vietnamese authorities strongly encourage all foreign travellers to complete the declaration”. When we checked on 19 Sep 2026, Vietnam’s e-visa site said “The Vietnam Immigration Department highly recommends” that passengers complete the form before entering Vietnam.
  • Land and sea: the Ministry of Public Security says it will study a similar system for land border gates. The form already lists one land crossing, Dong Dang, and 14 seaports, but we found no official statement on whether arrivals by sea are asked for it.

We quote each source as it was published and do not decide between them.

Official sources: Ministry of Public Security: pre-arrival information system launch · Embassy of Viet Nam in Singapore: notice on the declaration · Immigration Department: e-visa portal · Da Nang City Police: immigration office notice · US Embassy in Vietnam: notice on the pre-arrival declaration

Can I change my declaration after submitting it?

Something you filed is wrong
“Lookup & Update Declaration” on the portal lets you view, edit, or resubmit
Getting back in
Your PAI Number and passport number, then a code emailed to you
Lost the PAI Number
Look it up with your passport number, email, and arrival date

Never pay a third party to “fix” it.

FAQ

Which airports ask for the pre-arrival declaration?
The form lists five: Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Da Nang, Cam Ranh, and Phu Quoc. Ho Chi Minh City’s immigration office announced it as compulsory for Tan Son Nhat, and Vietnam Airlines and the US Embassy say it is required; Vietnam’s Immigration Department and embassies have called it voluntary, encouraged it, or highly recommended it. The Ministry of Public Security says land crossings are still being studied.
Do I need it if I fly into Hanoi (Noi Bai) or Da Nang?
The declaration runs at both. Da Nang’s immigration office started it on 15 June 2026 and says Noi Bai already had it. Vietnam’s embassy in Singapore says travelers to both are encouraged to file; Vietnam Airlines and the US Embassy say it is required.
I’m visa-exempt. Why does the form ask for a visa number?
The form’s visa notes say “Important: Please enter your visa number to enable the service at the airport.” If you enter without a visa, choose your exemption under Visa Type / Purpose: Bilateral exemption, Unilateral exemption, or Phu Quoc Visa Exemption. With one of those chosen, the form no longer requires the Number box, so leave it empty. If the form turns your choice down, your passport is not on its list for that exemption.
Is the pre-arrival declaration a visa?
No. The Ministry of Public Security says the system is not used to review or grant visas, and Vietnam runs its e-visa applications on separate government sites.
Do I need the pre-arrival declaration if I’m only transiting?
Ho Chi Minh City’s immigration office lists passengers who only transit, without going through entry formalities, as not covered. Clear immigration and fly on, and the form treats that as an entry with Transit as its purpose.
Can one declaration cover my whole family?
One submission can carry several travelers: the official form has an Add Passenger button, and each added passenger’s card asks for their Relationship with lead passenger. The portal itself states no limit on how many.
Does it replace registering where I stay?
No. The portal’s legal notice says the declaration “cannot replace the temporary residence registration for foreigners”, and Vietnam’s e-visa site says that registration goes through the person who manages your accommodation.
How current is this?
We last checked this guide against the official sources on 19 Sep 2026, when the boxes and wording on the official Pre-Arrival Information portal still matched what we recorded on 3 Sep 2026.

What should I do before arriving in Vietnam?

Ho Chi Minh City’s immigration office announced the declaration as required for Tan Son Nhat, while Vietnam’s Immigration Department and embassies have called it voluntary, encouraged it, or highly recommended it. To file it, use prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, the address the Ministry of Public Security calls the one and only link. Pick your arrival date from the three the form offers and keep the QR code and your PAI Number.

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