Vietnam Pre-Arrival Declaration (PAI): How to File It and Get Your Entry QR Code

If you are flying into Vietnam, you may now be asked to complete an online Pre-Arrival Information (PAI) declaration before you reach the immigration counter. It is a government system, separate from your visa, that lets border officers process your entry data in advance so you spend less time in line.

TL;DR: Vietnam's Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security) runs the official PAI portal at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn. Foreign air travelers submit personal, visa, and travel details within three days before entry, and the system issues a QR code to show at the border. It started as a pilot at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN) on April 15, 2026 and is rolling out to more airports nationwide. PAI does not grant a visa or guarantee entry. Use only the official .gov.vn site and ignore third parties charging a "filing fee".

Direct answer: what the Vietnam PAI declaration is

Item	Official rule	What to check
System	Pre-Arrival Information (PAI) online entry declaration	Use only `prearrival.immigration.gov.vn`
Who	Foreign nationals arriving by air (visa holders and visa-free travelers)	It does not replace your visa or visa-free eligibility
When	Submit online within 3 days before entering Vietnam	Have passport, visa, flight, and hotel details ready
Proof	The system generates an entry QR code	Save it to your phone or print it for the border gate
Airports	Piloted at Tan Son Nhat (SGN) since April 15, 2026, expanding nationwide in phases	Confirm on the official portal whether your arrival airport is covered

What PAI is (and what it is not)

The PAI System is an online utility that lets foreign air travelers provide travel information before entering Vietnam. Once you submit the declaration, the local immigration authority can carry out entry checks in advance, which cuts waiting time at the counter, especially during peak hours.

PAI is a declaration of travel information, not a visa service. The system does not receive or process visa applications, and a completed PAI does not by itself authorize entry. You still need the correct visa or visa-free eligibility, and immigration officers make the final entry decision.

PAI is expanding quickly — check the current rule before you fly. The system launched as a pilot at Tan Son Nhat Airport and is being extended to more airports across Vietnam. Whether it is required at your specific airport can change. Treat the declaration as expected, complete it before departure, and verify the current scope on the official portal.

How to complete the PAI declaration

Open the official portal: https://prearrival.immigration.gov.vn (or scan the QR code shown by the Immigration Department at the airport).
Select your language. The portal supports Vietnamese, English, Chinese, French, and others.
Choose "Create and submit declaration" and enter the CAPTCHA verification code.
Fill in your personal information, visa information, and travel details (flight, dates, accommodation) exactly as they appear on your documents.
Submit. The system generates a QR code for your entry. Save it on your phone or print it, and show it to immigration officers at the border gate.

Most travelers finish in a few minutes when their passport, visa, flight, and hotel details are ready.

Common mistakes that cause a failed declaration

During the SGN pilot, a share of declarations failed because of input errors — most often the flight number and the Passenger Name Record (PNR) flight data. To avoid problems at check-in or the border:

Enter your name and passport number exactly as printed on your passport (match the machine-readable zone), not a nickname or reordered name.
Copy the flight number and PNR directly from your airline confirmation.
Make sure the airport you arrive at matches a covered PAI airport.
Complete the form within the 3-day window before entry, not earlier.

Only the official government portal is correct. The official PAI declaration is filed at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn. Avoid third-party sites that copy the form and charge a "filing" or "processing" fee for a government declaration. Confirm the domain before entering any passport details.

If you travel often or manage several travelers, repeated manual typing across the visa form and the PAI form is where most errors appear. The eVisaFlow Chrome extension can fill saved passport and travel details into supported official Vietnam forms, including the pre-arrival declaration, to reduce manual re-entry. eVisaFlow is not a government website and does not submit or approve anything for you — review every field, especially name spelling, passport number, flight number, and dates, before you submit.

For choosing and matching your entry airport, see Vietnam eVisa entry ports. For the visa side, see the Vietnam eVisa official website guide and Vietnam visa exemption rules.