Vietnam's New Digital Arrival Card: What Families Need to Know
If you've travelled to Vietnam before and don't remember filling in any "arrival card" — you're not forgetting. It's new. Vietnam switched on a digital pre-arrival form on 15 April 2026, so any trip before then didn't involve it.
It's officially called the Pre-Arrival Information system (PAI), though you'll see it called the Digital Arrival Card too. Here's what it is, where it applies, and whether your family actually needs to worry about it.
What it is
It's a free online form you complete before you fly. You enter your passport, visa, flight, and accommodation details, and the system gives you a QR code. When you land, immigration scans the code instead of typing everything in by hand. The whole point is to move the queue along faster.
It's a separate step from your visa or e-visa. It doesn't replace anything — it sits alongside whatever entry approval you already need.
Where it applies
The rollout has moved quickly, so this is the part to keep an eye on.
The arrival card is now live across Vietnam's four main international airports:
Tan Son Nhat (SGN) — Ho Chi Minh City, since 15 April 2026
Phu Quoc (PQC) — since 1 June 2026
Noi Bai (HAN) — Hanoi, since 10 June 2026
Da Nang (DAD) — the gateway for Hoi An, now added to the system
That last one is the change that matters most for our camp families. Da Nang used to sit outside the system — it doesn't any more.
One honest note: with Da Nang only just added, reports differ on whether it's strictly required there yet or simply now accepted. Either way, the sensible move is the same — fill it in before you fly, whichever airport you land at. It's free and takes about five minutes, so doing it when you didn't strictly need to costs you nothing. Turning up without it when it is required can mean a slower queue. Land and sea borders look to be next, with no date confirmed.
A day or two before you travel, it's worth a quick check of the official portal for the current status at your airport.
Who needs it
If it applies at your airport, then it covers nearly every foreign arrival.
Every traveller needs their own declaration — including children. Parents can fill it in on behalf of each child using the child's passport and details. So for a family of six, that's six forms.
Vietnamese citizens travelling on a Vietnamese passport are exempt.
Passengers in direct airside transit who don't clear immigration are exempt.
Having a visa or e-visa doesn't get you out of it. They're two different things.
How and when to do it
The official portal is prearrival.immigration.gov.vn. That's the one to use.
It's free.
You can only submit within 72 hours of your scheduled arrival — the system won't let you do it earlier, so don't try to knock it out weeks ahead.
Save your QR code once you've finished. If you turn up without it, you'll be redoing the form at the airport, which defeats the purpose.
Don't confuse it with the health declaration
There are two separate forms floating around for 2026, and people keep mixing them up:
The Digital Arrival Card (this one) — Immigration Department, now live at Vietnam's four main international airports, QR code at the counter.
The Health Declaration — Ministry of Health, starts 1 July 2026, applies at every border gate in the country.
Different departments, different forms, different rules. Filling in one doesn't cover the other.
A word of warning
As with the health declaration, third-party sites have sprung up offering to "do the arrival card for you," sometimes for a fee. The real form is free and lives on the government immigration portal. Don't pay a lookalike site or hand over your family's passport details to one. If it isn't prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, give it a miss.
Our take
For our Hoi An camp families flying into Da Nang, this used to be a non-event — it isn't any more, now that Da Nang's in the system. The simplest approach: complete it before you fly, whichever airport you land at. It's a five-minute job per person, done inside the 72-hour window, with the QR code saved to your phone.
We'll keep watching the rollout and let you know as things shift. If you've booked a trip with us, we'll walk you through what you need before you go.
Official sources
Only use the government portal. Everything else is unofficial.
Official arrival card portal: prearrival.immigration.gov.vn
Vietnam Immigration Department — for current rules at your specific airport
Your airline — confirm requirements at check-in
The form is free. Avoid any third-party site offering to file it for you.
