Vietnam Entry Requirements 2026: Health Declaration + Digital Arrival Card for Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City & Hanoi
Two separate steps from July 1, 2026, untangled so you breeze through immigration.
| Starts | July 1, 2026 (health declaration) — Digital Arrival Card rolls out airport by airport |
|---|---|
| Health declaration | Everyone (arrival, departure, transit) — in the 7 days before you travel — online or paper — free |
| Digital Arrival Card | Foreign visitors — in the 72 hours before arrival — online only — free — emails you a QR code |
| Official site | prearrival.immigration.gov.vn (watch for paid ‘agent’ copycats) |
| Arrival card live at | Ho Chi Minh City & Hanoi now — Da Nang not yet |
| Da Nang (DAD) | Health declaration only (Digital Arrival Card not rolled out there) |
| Visa | Separate, and depends on your nationality — many travelers need an e-visa |
1. What actually changes on July 1, 2026
2. Health declaration vs Digital Arrival Card, side by side
3. The health declaration, in detail
4. The Digital Arrival Card, in detail
5. Where it’s live: airport-by-airport status
6. Your before-you-go checklist
7. Filling in the Digital Arrival Card, step by step
8. City-by-city notes
9. Common mistakes to avoid
10. How this fits with your visa
11. After you land: what happens at the airport
1. What actually changes on July 1, 2026
From July 1, 2026 everyone files a health declaration. If you land in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi you also file a free Digital Arrival Card. Da Nang: health declaration only. Your visa, if needed, is separate.
Two brand-new, completely separate steps land on July 1, 2026 — and the big mistake is treating them as one thing.
Everyone crossing the border — arriving, leaving, or transiting — at every air, land, and sea entry point. Yes, that includes Da Nang. Online or on paper, and it’s free.
Foreign visitors pre-submit their info online before they fly. This one is rolling out airport by airport: live at Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, not yet at Da Nang.
Different agencies run them, different laws back them, and they apply to different people. Keep them in two separate mental boxes and everything else falls into place. The quick-scan table below covers both at a glance.
2. Health declaration vs Digital Arrival Card, side by side
Same trip, two unrelated forms. Here’s how they line up.
| Health declaration | Digital Arrival Card | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A health questionnaire for border crossing | Pre-arrival info that replaces the old paper NA1 card |
| Who runs it | Ministry of Health | Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security) |
| Who files it | Everyone — any nationality, any visa, any airline | Foreign visitors (Vietnamese passport holders and same-day transit are exempt) |
| When | In the 7 days before your arrival, departure, or transit | In the 72 hours before you arrive |
| How | Online or paper form | Online only, at the official site |
| Cost | Free | Free |
| Where it applies | Every entry point, including Da Nang | Only at airports where it’s live (Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi now) |
| If you skip it | It’s a legal requirement — expect delays and extra health screening at the checkpoint | Possible delays or refusal at immigration |
3. The health declaration, in detail
Everyone files this from July 1, 2026 — and it covers people leaving and transiting, not just arrivals.
It’s backed by Vietnam’s disease prevention law and Decree 165/2026/NĐ-CP. The form asks about your current health, any symptoms, and recent travel history. It comes in English and Vietnamese, and you can submit it electronically or on paper — the paper version is the official annex form, handed out by airlines and at border counters.
Timing is generous: you can file it any time in the 7 days before your arrival, departure, or transit date. On arrival, expect a quick temperature and quarantine check. If you have symptoms, staff may review your form and ask a few questions (usually sorted within a couple of hours). Keep any vaccination or medical paperwork handy, just in case they ask.
4. The Digital Arrival Card, in detail
This online form replaces the old paper NA1 card, and every foreign visitor at a live airport needs to file it — separately from any visa.
The Immigration Department runs it. You complete it at the official site, prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, anytime within 72 hours before you arrive (file too early and the system won’t take it). You’ll enter your passport details, your name exactly as printed in the passport, your flight and arrival date, your accommodation address in Vietnam, and an email. A few minutes later you get a QR code by email — show that at immigration.
Who’s exempt: Vietnamese passport holders and same-day airport transit passengers. For minors, a parent or guardian files on their behalf.
5. Where it’s live: airport-by-airport status
The Digital Arrival Card is rolling out in stages. As of June 2026, here’s the picture — but it moves fast, so confirm your own arrival airport before you fly.
| Airport / city | Digital Arrival Card | Health declaration |
|---|---|---|
| Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City, SGN) | Live (since Apr 15, 2026) | Required |
| Noi Bai (Hanoi, HAN) | Live (since Jun 10, 2026) | Required |
| Phu Quoc (PQC) | Live (since Jun 1, 2026) | Required |
| Da Nang (DAD) | Not yet live | Required |
| Land & sea borders | Not yet live | Required |
6. Your before-you-go checklist
Do these five things in order and you’re set.
Check whether your nationality needs an e-visa or qualifies visa-free. Details in our Vietnam visa rundown.
File at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn within 72 hours of arrival, then save the QR code.
File online in the 7 days before you travel, or be ready to fill the paper form on the plane.
Screenshot and print your QR code and any confirmations.
Make sure everything you entered matches your passport exactly.
7. Filling in the Digital Arrival Card, step by step
It’s a short online form — five minutes if you have your details ready.
- Go to the official site, prearrival.immigration.gov.vn.
- Enter your passport info, flight number and arrival date, accommodation address, and email.
- Submit the form.
- Open the confirmation email and save the QR code it sends you.
The official portal is brand new and can be slow or unreachable from outside Vietnam. Try a different browser or network (mobile data often works), or come back a little later. Best of all, finish it before you fly and screenshot the QR, because airport WiFi is patchy. If you still can’t, you can fill it in on arrival, but leave extra time; the health declaration can also be done on paper.
8. City-by-city notes
What you actually need depends on where you land.
Both forms: Digital Arrival Card + health declaration. Planning time down in the south? Get the card done before you fly.
Both forms: Digital Arrival Card + health declaration. Same drill if you’re headed up north.
Health declaration only for now; the Digital Arrival Card isn’t live here yet (confirm officially). More on the central coast.
Phu Quoc (PQC) is live too, so if that’s your gateway, file the card before you fly.
9. Common mistakes to avoid
Most slip-ups come from copycat sites and bad timing. Here’s what trips people up.
10. How this fits with your visa
Neither form replaces a visa. They sit on top of whatever visa or visa-free entitlement you already have.
Visa rules depend on your nationality — many travelers need an e-visa, while some passports get visa-free entry for a set number of days. Whatever your situation, you still complete the health declaration, and the Digital Arrival Card too if your airport is live. Sort the visa side first with our e-visa step-by-step.
11. After you land: what happens at the airport
Quarantine check, then immigration, then you’re through.
First you pass the health screening (a temperature and quarantine check). At immigration, you show your Digital Arrival Card QR code — at airports where it’s live — along with your passport. Once you’re stamped in, grab your bags and go.
A Vietnam eSIM activates as soon as you arrive — handy for showing your QR codes and finding your ride. No SIM queue.
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Vietnam entry FAQ for 2026
Two things, depending on where you land. Everyone files a health declaration (in the 7 days before you travel, online or on paper, free). On top of that, if you arrive at an airport where the Digital Arrival Card is live — Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi right now — you also file that card online in the 72 hours before arrival. Both are free and neither is a visa.
No — they’re completely separate. The health declaration is run by the Ministry of Health, applies to everyone at every border, and can be filed on paper. The Digital Arrival Card is run by the Immigration Department, applies only to foreign visitors at live airports, and is online only. Different agencies, different laws, different scope. You may need both.
Not right now. The Digital Arrival Card isn’t rolled out at Da Nang yet, so you only need the health declaration. It’s expected to arrive eventually, but there’s no confirmed date — so check the official portal for your arrival airport before you fly.
It’s free. The only official site is prearrival.immigration.gov.vn. If a website charges you a fee to file it, it’s a third-party copycat, not the real thing. Same goes for fake visa sites — be careful where you enter your details.
The Digital Arrival Card opens within 72 hours before you arrive — not earlier, or the system rejects it. The health declaration can be filed any time in the 7 days before your arrival, departure, or transit. So in practice, the health declaration is the one you can knock out first.
The health declaration is a legal requirement, so skipping it can mean delays at the checkpoint, extra health screening, and trouble getting in. Skipping the Digital Arrival Card where it’s required can mean delays or even refusal at immigration. Neither is worth the hassle when both are free and quick.
Yes. The e-visa and the Digital Arrival Card are separate steps. Having an e-visa doesn’t file the card for you, and filing the card doesn’t get you a visa. If your arrival airport is live, you complete both.
The health declaration, yes — paper is accepted, and airlines or border counters hand out the form. The Digital Arrival Card is online only. The upside: once you’ve filed the Digital Arrival Card, you don’t need the old paper NA1 card at all.
Yes. The health declaration covers arrival, departure, and transit — all three. A lot of travelers forget the departure part, so plan to file it again in the 7 days before your flight home.
For the Digital Arrival Card, it’s prearrival.immigration.gov.vn — and only that. Anything charging a “service fee” or promising to speed things up is a paid agent or a scam. The official card is free.