To apply for a Vietnam visa, travellers have to provide a photograph in addition to an image of their passport. The passport requirements are fairly straightforward, but the photograph requirements are a lot more complicated. This article explains these requirements to ensure you start your Vietnam visa application well-prepared.
Submitting the required documents
To complete your visa application, you have to provide a photograph and a digital image of your passport after filling in your personal details in the online application form and completing the payment. In the case of a group application, a passport image and photograph need to be provided for each individual traveller. A visa application can only be submitted to the Vietnam immigration service when the documents of each traveller are in order. It is therefore not only important that you provide the documents on time but also that they meet all requirements.
Does my photograph meet all the requirements?
In order to apply for a visa, you do not need an official photograph. This means that it can also be a self-made photograph, as long as it meets all requirements. One of the requirements is that the traveller in the photograph has a neutral facial expression. In addition, the background should be neutral and light in colour.
When you submit your Vietnam visa application via e-Visa.ie , it will automatically ensure that the photograph you upload has the correct dimensions. However, you need to make sure that the face of the traveller is fully in focus by zooming in or out and dragging the selected part of the photograph. This way, you can correctly crop the photograph. In addition to having the correct dimensions, a photograph for a Vietnam visa needs to meet other requirements.
Shoulders need to be covered
The Vietnam immigration service is very strict in assessing the provided photographs. This also concerns the clothing the traveller wears in the photograph. Photographs in which it looks like the traveller’s upper body is bared will also be rejected. Additionally, about 90% of photographs in which the traveller’s shoulders are not completely covered get rejected. This could happen when, for instance, the traveller is pictured wearing a shirt or a sleeveless top.
To ensure your visa application can be processed as quickly as possible, it is recommended to make sure your shoulders are completely covered in the photograph you submit. In addition, by cropping the photograph, you can ensure the upper body is visible as little as possible. Be careful with this if you are wearing a shirt with a wide neckline in the photograph. If you crop the photograph too much, it can still look as if you have no clothes on.
It must be a recent photograph
It is important that you provide a photograph taken no more than six months ago. How is this checked? For example, if you submit the photograph used for your current passport and this passport is older than six months, the photograph is older as well. If your passport is not yet six months old, you can use the same photograph as the one in your passport. Keep in mind that in this case, you need to provide a digital copy of the original photograph. A cutout of the photograph in your passport is not accepted. In many cases, it is easier to take a photograph yourself that meets all requirements prior to the visa application.
Does my passport image meet the requirements?
The requirements for the passport image are less strict. The image or scan of the passport can be provided both in colour and greyscale. However, it is important that the entire information page be in focus. It is especially essential that all personal details are clearly visible and readable. Especially on the bottom part of the passport, the machine-readable zone (MRZ) needs to be clearly readable. Additionally, it is essential that the scan or image not show any reflections. You should therefore always make sure to take a photograph without a flash. For more information about the passport requirements, you can go to the page about the Vietnam e-visa requirements.
Prevent delays
All Vietnam visa applications that are submitted via e-Visa.ie are checked both automatically and manually before they are sent to the Vietnam immigration service. If the submitted passport image or photograph does not completely meet all the requirements, you will receive a notification about this. This gives you the possibility of correctly submitting the documents. Keep in mind that the average delivery time of 13 days for the Vietnam e-visa only starts once all documents have been correctly provided.
Please note: this news article about the visa for Vietnam is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for Vietnam.