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Should I apply for a Vietnam e-visa myself or use an agency?
The short answer
You can apply yourself on the government portal, evisa.gov.vn, for US$25 (single entry) or US$50 (multiple entry), paid online and not refunded if the visa is refused. Agencies we checked charged US$38.50 to US$114.99 for a single entry. The extra pays for form and photo checks and support; it cannot change the government's decision.
What does the government portal charge, and what do you get?
The e-visa is issued by the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security. You fill in the form online, pay US$25 for a single-entry or US$50 for a multiple-entry e-visa, and receive the result online. An e-visa lasts up to 90 days.
The fee is paid through the portal's own payment gateway and is not refunded if the visa is not granted. The portal's FAQ gives two addresses for applying, evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn, and says you can apply up to a year before you travel.
What does an agency add for the extra money?
An agency fills in or checks the form for you, checks your photo against the rules, and answers questions by chat or email. Some offer a refund if the application fails. Read those terms closely, because the portal does not refund the government fee.
What an agency cannot do is decide your application: the Immigration Department reviews every e-visa. We found no paid express option on the Ministry's procedure page, so a faster tier sold by an agency is the agency's own service, not a government one.
| Seller | What the price buys | Price |
|---|---|---|
| evisa.gov.vn, the government portal | Single-entry e-visa for up to 90 days; the government fee alone | US$25 |
| Trip.com, listing 103429021 | E-visa service, single entry, at the seller's standard speed; the listing does not say whether the government fee is included | US$38.50 |
| Klook, "Vietnam e-Visa Service from VGS" | E-visa service, 90 days, single entry, at the seller's standard speed | US$39.00 |
| vietnam-evisa.org | One-month single entry: a US$54 service fee plus the US$25 government fee | US$79 |
| iVisa, ivisa.com | E-visa service, 90 days, single entry | from US$114.99 |
How do I tell the government portal from a lookalike?
Vietnam's Immigration Department has warned about copycat e-visa sites since at least 2022. In July 2026 its director and a police cybersecurity officer told the national news agency that fraudsters build sites that resemble the portal, register misleading domain names and buy online ads.
Those sites lean on promises of faster or certain approval. The advice from the authorities is short: use only addresses that end in .gov.vn.
- Type evisa.gov.vn or thithucdientu.gov.vn yourself rather than clicking an ad.
- Read the end of the address. It must be .gov.vn exactly; an address ending in govt.vn, .com or .org is not the government portal, whatever it looks like.
- Look for a line saying the site is not affiliated with the government. An agency that shows one is being open about what it is.
- Compare the total with US$25 or US$50. Anything above that is a service fee.
- Treat a promise of approval by a set time, or of a certain result, as a reason to leave.
- The pre-arrival form has lookalikes too. The only address the Ministry gives for it is prearrival.immigration.gov.vn.
When is an agency worth paying for?
If your photo is clear, your trip is simple and you have a few weeks before you fly, the portal is enough. The form is in English. Travellers interviewed by VnExpress in 2023 were asked to resubmit because of photo problems, so the work is in getting the photo and the name exactly right.
An agency can earn its fee if you fly soon and want someone watching the application, if an earlier application was refused, or if you would rather pay than read the rules. Choose one that names its company, shows the government fee separately and explains its refund terms.
Before paying anyone, check whether you need a visa at all. Citizens of 24 countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Japan and South Korea, can currently stay up to 45 days without one.
What do I need before I start the application?
The Ministry's procedure page and the portal's FAQ list what the form asks for. Have these ready before you open it.
- A passport valid for at least 30 days beyond the end of the e-visa.
- A recent portrait photo: 4 x 6 cm, JPEG up to 2 MB, white background, facing the camera, no glasses and no hat.
- A scan of your passport data page.
- Your full name exactly as on the passport's machine-readable line, in capital letters.
- Your planned entry and exit points, which must be on the government's list of e-visa border gates, and your first address in Vietnam.
- A payment card for the US$25 or US$50 fee.
Questions people ask
Is it safe to use an e-visa agency?
It depends on the agency. You are handing a private company your passport scan and payment details. Pick one that names its company and address, shows the US$25 or US$50 government fee separately and states its refund terms, and walk away from any that promise approval by a set time.
Do I get my money back if my e-visa is refused?
Not from the government. The portal says the fee is paid through its payment gateway and is not refunded if the visa is not granted. Agencies set their own refund terms, so read them before paying and check whether the government part comes back too.
Can I apply on evisa.gov.vn without a sponsor or an agency?
Yes. The portal is built for foreigners outside Vietnam applying personally, and the Immigration Department has said foreigners can apply without being invited or sponsored by anyone in Vietnam. A Vietnam-based company can also apply for you as your sponsor, which is a separate procedure.
Sources
Checked on by the Top Tours Vietnam editor. Rules and prices change: the sources below are where we checked them.
- evisa.gov.vn, home page: fee, payment gateway, refund rule, 90-day validity checked
- evisa.gov.vn, FAQ: the two portal addresses, applying up to a year ahead, passport validity, name format checked
- Ministry of Public Security, e-visa procedure 1.002757: fee, photo and documents checked
- Ministry of Public Security, e-visa at the request of an agency or organisation checked
- VietnamPlus (VNA), 26 July 2026: lookalike sites, misleading domains, paid ads checked
- Vietnam News, 26 October 2022: Immigration Department warning; no sponsor needed checked
- VnExpress International, 24 March 2023: photo refusals and intermediary charges checked
- Ministry of Public Security, 11 May 2026: pre-arrival form and lookalike sites checked
- Government news portal, 7 March 2025: 45-day exemption for 12 countries (Resolution 44/NQ-CP) checked
- Vietnam News, 14 August 2025: exemption for 12 more countries (Resolution 229/NQ-CP) checked
- Trip.com, Vietnam Tourist e-Visa listing 103429021 (price seen) checked
- Klook, Vietnam e-Visa Service from VGS (price seen) checked
- vietnam-evisa.org, fee page for US citizens (price seen) checked
- iVisa, Vietnam e-visa (price seen) checked
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