Who can file here from 31 August 2026
Vietnamese citizens and holders of a Vietnamese residence permit, and no one else. The rule sits in the e-visa form itself and applies identically to both Vietnamese consulates: the application is taken by the country of citizenship or permanent residence. If you do not live in Vietnam, this is not your consulate and filing here is closed to you.
Inside the country the split is unchanged: the north files in Hanoi, the south in Ho Chi Minh City. Phu Quoc belongs to Hanoi, though geography would suggest otherwise. Which consulate your country is assigned to is on the map.
How filing works
Filing is entirely online: the application goes into the electronic system, the $340 fee is paid by card, interviews are rarely scheduled. A decision takes two to three weeks.
The document package since 31 August:
- a police clearance certificate — from the country of citizenship or the country of filing;
- three months of bank statements with a minimum balance of 500,000 ฿ per applicant, children included; for the main applicant a sponsorship letter is the formal alternative;
- proof of status in Vietnam — citizenship or a residence permit.
Applications filed before the rule
Applications submitted and paid before 31 August are still being worked through. Document requests on them arrive in the old format, and translations are accepted only from an official agency with its stamp. New applications from non-residents no longer pass the system.
How it worked before 31 August
Hanoi had a reputation as a “50/50 lottery” — as if the outcome had nothing to do with the applicant. In June 2026 we blind-coded a large sample of cases from our base, and the myth did not hold: the spread came from how complete the package was, not from the consul’s mood. Applications where income was backed by several kinds of document went through markedly more often than applications carrying a single balance statement.
From the same coding: the consulate handled family applications more leniently than single ones, and a previous refusal — at any consulate — pulled the outcome down noticeably. All of that still holds for the people who file here by right of residence.
What we track here
Timelines and document requests on the pending applications, and which papers the consulate treats as sufficient proof of Vietnamese residence.
A package you have assembled yourself we check before filing — the Preflight Check: $300, a written report within two working days. Full support all the way to the visa is the Solo Route and Family Route.
The state of every consulate is on the live board, and the consulate assigned to your country is on the map.