Vietnam E-Visa Refused? Common Reasons and What to Do Next

A refused e-visa is less final than it sounds. Most refusals are about the file, not the person: a photo the system won't accept, a scan it can't read, a name that doesn't match the passport. Those can be fixed and the application lodged again.

A smaller number are decisions about the applicant - usually their immigration history - and those need a different approach.

How you find out

On the official portal, the Search page shows the result once a decision is made: still being processed, granted, or not granted. The portal also emails the result. It does not always say why. How to check your e-visa status.

If you applied with us, we tell you as soon as the result comes back, with whatever reason immigration gave, and what we suggest doing next.

The usual reasons, and the fix

Reason	What it looks like	The fix
The photo	Background not white, glasses, shadows, head tilted, a cropped selfie, a photo of a printed photo	Take a new one against a white wall in daylight. Photo rules
The passport scan	Glare across the page, blurred or cut-off code lines at the bottom, the cover instead of the photo page	Photograph the whole photo page flat, in daylight, with both code lines sharp
Details that don't match the passport	A missing middle name, surname and given names swapped, one wrong digit in the passport number or date of birth	Copy every detail from the passport's code lines, not from memory or another document
Passport validity	A passport that expires within six months of arrival	Renew the passport first, then apply on the new one
Applying from inside Vietnam	An application lodged while the applicant is already in the country	E-visas are only issued to people outside Vietnam. Options for staying longer
Immigration history	A previous overstay, deportation or unpaid fine	The department decides these and rarely explains them - see below

The first three are the most common causes, and the reason a person checks every file before we lodge it. Nine mistakes to check for.

Can you reapply?

Yes. A refused application is closed, so you submit a new one with the problem fixed. Vietnam does not publish a waiting period before you can apply again.

Two things to know before you do:

• It is a new application, so processing starts again from the beginning: three working days quoted, five to seven common. Processing times.
• If no reason was given and the file looked right, don't reapply unchanged and hope. Each attempt costs the government fee again. Find the problem first - have someone else check the photo and the details against the passport, or ask us to.

If you fly soon

A refusal close to the travel date leaves little room. Apply again straight away with the fix, and choose urgent processing - remembering that Vietnam's immigration offices only work on Vietnamese working days.

If it is already Friday afternoon in Vietnam and you fly at the weekend, the realistic choices are moving the flight or, in a genuine emergency, asking about a visa on arrival approval letter.

What happens to the money

• The government fee (US$25 single entry, US$50 multiple entry) is not refunded by the Vietnamese government when an e-visa is refused.
• If you applied with us, you get a full refund of everything you paid us when a visa is refused. The conditions are in our terms.

When an e-visa isn't the route

• Immigration history. If a past overstay, fine or deportation is the likely cause, a fresh e-visa application is unlikely to change the answer. Contact a Vietnamese embassy or consulate about your options, and settle any outstanding matter first.
• Long stays, work or study. The e-visa is for visits of up to 90 days. Anything longer, or work, needs a sponsored visa. The embassy route.

Frequently asked questions

Why was my Vietnam e-visa refused?

Most often because of the photo, the passport scan, or a detail that doesn't match the passport exactly. Less often because the applicant was already in Vietnam, the passport expires too soon, or there is an issue in their immigration history.

Can I apply again after my e-visa is refused?

Yes. Submit a new application with the problem fixed. There is no published waiting period, but the government fee is payable again and processing starts from the beginning.

Do I get the US$25 back if my e-visa is refused?

Not from the Vietnamese government. If you applied through us, we refund everything you paid, government fee included.

Does a refusal count against future applications?

A refusal for a fixable error, such as the photo, is not held against you - fix it and reapply. A refusal linked to immigration history is likely to recur, because the history hasn't changed.

Can an agency get my refused e-visa approved?

No agency can promise approval. What a good one can do is find and fix the problems in the file - which is what causes most refusals - before it is lodged again.

Does the portal tell me why my e-visa was refused?

Not always. If no reason is shown, compare the photo and every detail with the passport first; that is where the answer usually is.