Vietnam has launched the Pre-Arrival Information (PAI) system, replacing the paper arrival card that travelers previously filled out at the border with an online declaration submitted within 72 hours before arrival.
The system collects passport details, flight information, purpose of visit, and accommodation details, transmitting them to immigration electronically in advance. Upon validation, travelers receive a QR code that officers scan at the airport.
The card went live first at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on 15 April. Vietnam’s busiest gateway, Tan Son Nhat handles over 25 million passengers annually and has become known for lengthy immigration queues, some travelers report lines of 500 people or more during evening peaks, with waits stretching one to two hours.
The system then expanded to Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and Phu Quoc International Airport in June.
All foreign nationals entering Vietnam must submit the card, including those on visa exemptions and overseas Vietnamese holding foreign passports with a valid Vietnamese visa. Vietnamese citizens on Vietnamese passports and transit passengers who do not clear immigration are exempt.
As of June 2026, the requirement applies only to those three airports.
Travelers crossing land and sea borders must still complete a physical Entry/Exit form. The official portal already includes fields for air, land, and sea travel, suggesting a broader rollout is in preparation, though authorities have not announced a timeline.
Vietnam’s ASEAN neighbors have taken varied approaches.
Laos operates its own digital arrival card system.
Thailand requires the TDAC (Thailand Digital Arrival Card) for most foreign visitors.
Indonesia launched its Digital Immigration System in October 2025.
Ebola Response
Starting 1 July, Vietnam is also set to require all travelers entering, exiting, or transiting the country to submit a health declaration form, online up to seven days before travel or physically at the border, and undergo mandatory temperature screening at every checkpoint in response to the global Ebola threat.
