I’ve been running group trips across Vietnam since 2023, and the question I get before almost every departure is “can you just get us one visa for the whole group?” You can’t - evisa.gov.vn has no bulk product, and every one of your 10-30 travelers files an individual e‑visa under their own passport. That single fact is what drives most of the planning headaches below.
Why there’s no such thing as a “group visa”
An organizer can register an inviting-organization account on evisa.gov.vn under Form 03 with a digital signature and submit every traveler’s data from one login, but each person still ends up with a separate application, a separate reference number, and a separate decision. The account removes thirty personal logins and puts the submission under one dashboard - it doesn’t merge anyone’s visa into a single file.
Practically, that means “we’re filing for the group” is really “we’re running thirty individual applications through one door.” The difference shows up the moment one traveler gets a request for clarification and the other twenty-nine don’t.
What passport details trip up a 10-30 person group?
The name on the e‑visa application has to match the passport’s MRZ line exactly - surname, middle name, given name, all uppercase, in the machine-readable zone’s own order. A single character off is a common rejection reason, and checking it by hand across 20-30 passports is tedious but not optional.
Every passport also needs at least 6 months of validity from the date of entry, and Vietnam won’t issue an e‑visa expiring within 30 days of the passport’s own expiry date. Photos need to be 4x6 cm, white background, no glasses, taken within the last 6 months, face forward. None of this is different from a solo application - it’s just multiplied by however many people are on your list.
Where group applications actually break
The most common failure isn’t a rejected application - it’s an e‑visa issued for the wrong entry or exit border gate after the group’s itinerary changed post-submission. Every e‑visa is locked to one specific gate chosen from a list of roughly 83 designated crossings, selected at the time of filing, and it can’t be changed once the visa is issued.
This is the step I actually handle myself: I lock the group’s passport list, cross-check every name against the MRZ line, and freeze the entry route before we file, not after. On your end you only need to send scanned passports and confirmed entry and exit dates. There’s plenty worth doing while that paperwork clears - I built a 12-day Sapa and Central Vietnam route for groups that already know they’re waiting.
Which mistakes keep repeating on group applications?
- Changing the itinerary or entry gate after the e‑visa is filed - the visa stays locked to the original gate regardless.
- Typing a name that doesn’t match the passport’s MRZ line character for character.
- Filing on a passport with less than 6 months validity, or less than a 30-day buffer past the visa’s own expiry.
- Treating the e‑visa as work authorization - it’s a tourist or business entry, and work in Vietnam requires a separate work permit under evisa.gov.vn’s own rules .
How many days a group of this size actually needs
Officially, e‑visa processing takes 3 working days when an application is filled out correctly. I don’t plan groups around that number. My working buffer is 10-15 calendar days in a regular month and 15-21 days during peak season, because the risk isn’t portal speed - it’s that at least one of 20-30 applications will have a typo, a bad photo, or a mismatched name that needs fixing before it clears.
Do you still need the Digital Arrival Card?
Starting April 15, 2026, every foreign passenger arriving through Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City must file a Digital Arrival Card online within 72 hours of arrival, regardless of whether they’re entering on an e‑visa or visa-free. The rule is rolling out to Hanoi and Da Nang too, so any group flying through those airports needs this card on the pre-departure checklist - a stack of approved e-visas doesn’t replace it.
My filing timeline for a group of 20-30
This is the sequence I run myself, built from years of doing this, not an official regulation:
- 21-28 days out: freeze the final passport list and cross-check every name against the MRZ line.
- 10-15 days out: submit the full e‑visa batch with the entry gate already locked in.
- 7 days out: last point to resolve any problem application - after this there’s no time left to refile.
- 1-3 days out: print the visa confirmations and brief the group leader on what to show at the border.
Group visa or solo filing: what to decide before you commit
Under 10 travelers, filing through the personal portal yourself is realistic without outside help. Once you’re at 10-30 people, the odds of losing one or two travelers to an MRZ mismatch or a last-minute itinerary shift climb fast, and without someone dedicated to cross-checking passports and holding one unified batch, someone gets dropped from the group at the worst possible moment.
If you’re already bringing your own group to Vietnam and don’t want to cross-check 20-30 passports by hand, I run groups this size and handle the visa batch as part of it. Message me on Telegram with a rough group size and departure date, and I’ll tell you what’s realistic on your timeline.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if part of the group's e‑visa hasn't arrived by departure day?
If you filed 10-15 days out, you usually have a 2-3 day cushion to refile for anyone rejected or delayed. That’s exactly what the buffer is for - filing at the last minute leaves no room, and part of the group risks flying without a visa.
Does a child traveling with the group need their own e‑visa?
Yes. E-visas are issued per traveler, including children with their own passport - there’s no family or group product on the portal. A child’s application goes through the same MRZ name check as an adult’s.
What if a group member had an overstay on a previous trip to Vietnam?
A past overstay is checked separately from the e‑visa at the border and can lead to an entry refusal even with a valid visa in hand. That traveler should confirm their status through official channels ahead of time rather than assume a new e‑visa resets it.
How much does it cost to refile if a name was entered wrong?
The e‑visa fee isn’t refunded on a rejected application - refiling means paying again, $25 for single entry or $50 for multiple entry. Checking every name against the MRZ line before submission is cheaper than paying twice.
Does a 10-30 person group need travel insurance with a valid e‑visa?
Insurance isn’t a condition of getting the e‑visa, but for a group this size I still recommend one shared policy. Emergency medical costs on the ground usually run higher than the policy itself, and sorting coverage for the whole group at once is cheaper than handling it person by person after something goes wrong.
