Vietnam E-Visa Refused: What It Means and What to Do Next
Vietnam’s e-visa portal almost never says “refused”. Instead, your application comes back again and again with “Amendment required” or “Requires additional information”. If you have corrected everything and it still is not approved, or the portal says the application needs more checks and Immigration “will inform you later”, treat it as refused. You will not get a clear reason, and the government fee is not refunded. In most cases you can still travel: what to do depends on how many days you have before your flight.
visa-vietnam.hk is a private visa service, not the Vietnamese government.
What a “refusal” looks like on the Vietnam e-visa portal
| Message you get | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Email “Requires additional information due to the following reason: …” | One field is missing or wrong (for example “complete all the blanks in the application form”) | Open the lookup page, fix that field, resubmit. Processing starts again |
| Status “Amended application”, with a “Denied Reason” such as “You must provide correct address and phone number in Việt Nam” and “Click here to edit” | The officer rejected one detail and lets you edit | Fix exactly what the reason says. If it is not fixed, the application will be refused |
| Pop-up “Amendment required: Your visa application need to verify more information. Vietnam Immigration will inform you later.” | Your application is under extra checks. There is nothing for you to edit | Wait if you have time. If your flight is close, submit a new application with urgent processing |
| You fixed every point, resubmitted several times, and it comes back again, or there is no answer close to your flight | In practice, refused | Stop editing and use one of the options below |
Most first requests are easy to fix. Our guide to common e-visa mistakes shows each message and the fix.
The most common reasons
The Immigration Department does not publish its reasons. In the applications our team sees, a request that never gets approved usually comes from:
- Name not matching the passport. The name must follow the two ICAO lines at the bottom of the passport data page, letter for letter.
- Photo problems. A photo of a printed photo, a screenshot, glasses, a dark background or a face that does not match the passport photo.
- Address and phone number in Vietnam. A city name only, or a phone number that is missing or wrong. Give the hotel name, street, ward, city and a Vietnamese phone number.
- Wrong date of birth, passport number or nationality.
- A child added to a parent’s application. Each person, including children, needs their own application.
- You are still in Vietnam. You must be outside Vietnam when you apply for an e-visa. If you have not left Vietnam yet, the application cannot be approved.
- Reasons that are not published, such as a past overstay, a past deportation or security reasons.
Is the USD 25 fee refunded?
No. When you apply on evisa.gov.vn, you confirm that the government fee (USD 25 single entry, USD 50 multiple entry) is not refunded if the e-visa is denied. A new application means a new fee.
If you applied through us and the Immigration Department rejects the application, we refund 100% of your payment under our refund policy. PayPal keeps its 5% transaction fee, so you receive 95%. There is no refund when the rejection is because of a past violation of Vietnamese law or an overstay.
What to do, by days left before your flight
7 days or more: fix it properly
If the portal lets you edit, fix exactly what the reason says and resubmit. If it keeps coming back, check every field against your passport, take a new photo, write a full address and phone number, and start a new application. Standard processing is 4 working days.
2 to 6 days: new application with urgent processing
Do not wait for an application that keeps coming back. Apply again with a faster option, so the result comes before you fly:
| Processing time | 30 days, single entry | 30 days, multiple entry |
|---|---|---|
| 2 working days | USD 100 | USD 130 |
| 1 working day | USD 160 | USD 190 |
| 4 working hours | USD 190 | USD 220 |
Working days exclude Saturdays, Sundays and Vietnamese public holidays. Order cut-offs (Vietnam time): 1 working day before 08:00; 4 working hours before 07:00 or 14:00. When you order through us, our team checks every detail before submitting. See our urgent visa guide.
Less than 2 days, or at the weekend
- Urgent new e-visa: 4 working hours on a working day, or our weekend urgent e-visa service.
- Visa on arrival: an approval letter in 4 working hours (USD 140), then the visa at the airport (15 days, single entry, USD 25 stamping fee in cash). See our visa on arrival guide.
- Public holiday or very urgent case: email our partner info@vietnamimmigration.org.
- Visa-exempt passport? If your nationality is on the visa exemption list and your stay fits the allowed days, you may not need the e-visa at all.
When a new application will not help
Vietnamese law (Article 21 of Law 47/2014/QH13, as amended in 2019 and 2023) lists cases where a foreigner is not allowed to enter, for example:
- forged documents or false statements to get a visa;
- deported from Vietnam less than 3 years ago;
- forced to leave Vietnam less than 6 months ago;
- a mental illness or an infectious disease that is dangerous to public health;
- children under 14 travelling without a parent, guardian or authorised person;
- reasons of disease prevention, natural disaster, national defence, security or public order.
If one of these applies to you, a new e-visa will not be approved either, whoever submits it. If you overstayed or had a problem with immigration before, email info@vietnamimmigration.org before you apply again.
How to avoid it next time
- Apply from outside Vietnam, at least a week before you fly.
- Copy your name from the ICAO lines, not from the front of the passport.
- Scan the whole data page in colour, with no glare.
- Take a new photo: facing the camera, plain light background, no glasses.
- Fill in every field, including a full address and a phone number in Vietnam.
- One application per person, children included.
- Check the approved e-visa against your passport as soon as you receive it.
Your e-visa was approved but shows a wrong detail? See mistake on your Vietnam e-visa: what to do.
FAQ
Does Vietnam tell you when an e-visa is refused?
Rarely in those words. Usually the application keeps coming back with “Amendment required” or “Requires additional information”. If it still is not approved after you fixed everything, treat it as refused.
Can I reapply after my Vietnam e-visa was not approved?
Yes, straight away. There is no waiting period in the law or on the portal. Fix the likely cause first.
Will I get my USD 25 back?
Not from the government. Through our service, a rejection by the Immigration Department is refunded 100% (you receive 95% after PayPal’s 5% fee), except when it is because of past violations or overstays.
What does “Your visa application need to verify more information” mean?
Your application is under extra checks and there is nothing to edit. If your flight is close, do not wait: submit a new e-visa application with urgent processing, or get a visa on arrival.
Can I apply for an e-visa while I am in Vietnam?
No. You must be outside Vietnam when you apply.
My flight is tomorrow. What is the fastest option?
An e-visa or visa-on-arrival approval letter in 4 working hours, if tomorrow is a working day. At the weekend, use our weekend urgent e-visa or email our partner.
Facts checked on 9 November 2026 against evisa.gov.vn, messages received by our customers in 2026, Law 47/2014/QH13 (consolidated text 30/VBHN-VPQH of 2023), our application form and our refund policy.
Sources
- Official e-visa portal evisa.gov.vn
- Law 47/2014/QH13, consolidated text 30/VBHN-VPQH (2023), Article 21
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