Vietnam's official e-visa portal asks for a **recent 4 x 6 cm portrait in JPG or JPEG format, under 2 MB**, front-facing, with **no hat, no glasses, formal attire and a white background**. That is everything the Immigration Department's own instructions say about the photo. Nothing on the pages we read gives a head size, a pixel size or a resolution, and the portal runs an automatic check on the image you upload before it lets you submit.

<Callout type="note" title="Quick answer">
**Size:** 4 x 6 cm, recent. **File:** JPG or JPEG, under 2 MB.

**Face:** front-facing, no hat, no glasses. **Clothes:** formal attire. **Background:** white.

**Not stated:** head height, pixel dimensions, resolution, minimum file size, or what the automatic check tests.
</Callout>

<SpecTable
  document="Vietnam e-visa portrait (evisa.gov.vn)"
  verifiedOn="September 18, 2026"
  source={{ label: "Vietnam Immigration Department - e-Visa instructions", href: "https://evisa.gov.vn/instruction" }}
  rows={[
    { label: "Size", value: "Recent 4 x 6 cm image" },
    { label: "Format", value: "JPG or JPEG" },
    { label: "File size", value: "Less than 2 MB" },
    { label: "View", value: "Front-facing" },
    { label: "Headwear", value: "No hat" },
    { label: "Glasses", value: "No glasses" },
    { label: "Clothing", value: "Formal attire" },
    { label: "Background", value: "White" },
    { label: "Head size, pixels, resolution", value: "Not stated" },
  ]}
/>

We read the portal's instruction, FAQ and home pages in a browser, as an ordinary visitor, on September 18, 2026. The site is a JavaScript application, so a plain page fetch returns an empty shell. We did not start an application, so we have not seen the upload screen or its error messages, and nothing below describes them.

## What the portal actually says

The instruction page describes the application in steps. In step 1 you "upload a portrait and biometric passport photo", after which the system displays the personal information it reads from your passport for you to check. The note on that step carries the photo rules in the table above.

Step 2.1 says the system "automatically verifies the portrait and passport images", and fills the passport fields in if they are valid. Step 2.2 says that if the passport photo is invalid, the system will not allow you to submit the application. So there are two uploads, a portrait and an image of your passport, and both are checked.

Read the rules for what they leave out. There is no head-size band, so unlike the [US](/blog/us-passport-photo-requirements) or [UK](/blog/uk-passport-photo-requirements) photo you cannot measure a pass or fail against a chin-to-crown range. There is no pixel size, and no statement of what "invalid" means. When the requirement is this short, the safest photo is the plainest one: face centered, level, looking straight at the lens, neutral light, nothing on the head.

## What "4 x 6 cm" means for your file

The 2 MB limit and the JPG or JPEG format are easy to check. The 4 x 6 cm size is less obvious for a file, because centimetres only mean something when a photo is printed. Here is arithmetic, not an official figure: 4 x 6 cm is 40 x 60 mm, a **2:3** portrait shape, taller and narrower than the 35 x 45 mm passport photo or the square 2 x 2 inch one. The page does not say which side is which; we read it as 4 cm wide and 6 cm tall, the normal way to write a portrait size.

At 300 pixels per inch, 40 x 60 mm comes to about 472 x 709 pixels. That is our conversion for a sensible export size, not a number Vietnam publishes, and a larger image of the same 2:3 shape should not be a problem for the size rule as it is worded. For the 2 MB limit we would aim under 2,000,000 bytes, the stricter of the two ways of reading "2 MB". If a phone photo is larger, reduce the JPEG quality or dimensions, not the framing: our [passport photo file size guide](/blog/passport-photo-file-size-kb) explains how the kilobyte limits work in general.

Crop your photo to 2:3 in any editor, keep the whole head and the top of the shoulders in it, and export as JPEG. Cropping changes the frame, not your face. Do not stretch a photo to reach 2:3, which distorts the face, and do not use a beauty filter.

<Steps items={[
  { title: "Shoot against a plain white wall", text: "Stand well clear of it so your shadow does not land on it. Face a window or two matching lamps, phone at eye level, held in portrait orientation." },
  { title: "Take everything off the head and face", text: "No hat, no glasses. Look straight at the lens with your mouth closed and eyes open." },
  { title: "Wear something formal", text: "The page says formal attire without defining it. A plain collared shirt or jacket in a color that contrasts with the wall is the cautious reading." },
  { title: "Crop to 2:3 and export a JPEG", text: "About 472 x 709 pixels or larger, in the same 2:3 shape. Check the file is under 2 MB before you upload." },
  { title: "Photograph your passport page too", text: "Both images are verified. Keep the data page flat, sharp and fully in frame." }
]} />

<ToolCTA document="vietnam-e-visa" title="A 4 x 6 cm file, checked before the portal sees it" text="Our Vietnam e-visa setting crops to the 4 x 6 cm, 2:3 shape and keeps the JPEG under the portal's 2 MB limit. The portal publishes no pixel or head-size figure, so the framing window we check against is ours — we mark it not fully verified. Checking is free; $4.99 for the digital file, pay only at download, no subscription." />

## Glasses, hats and formal attire

The Vietnamese page says no glasses and no hat, and lists no exception for either. The general rules on why glasses fail photos everywhere, including glare and hidden eyes, are in our [glasses in passport photos](/blog/glasses-in-passport-photo) guide. If you wear a head covering for religious reasons, the Vietnamese instructions we read do not say what happens, and we will not guess; the Immigration Department's contact details are on the home page, and ask before you pay.

"Formal attire" is not defined. Our [passport photo clothing guide](/blog/passport-photo-what-to-wear) covers colors that blend into a white wall, which is the more likely practical problem.

## Fee, validity and official addresses

The home page says the e-visa fee is 25 USD for a single-entry visa or 50 USD for a multiple-entry one, paid through the portal's e-payment gateway and not refundable. An e-visa is valid for a maximum of 90 days. The FAQ adds that the validity must be at least 30 days shorter than the remaining validity of your passport, and that you can apply up to one year before your planned entry.

The FAQ also gives the two official addresses, evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn, and warns that unofficial e-visa pages may charge fees Vietnam does not authorize. The portal itself lists the fee, so any third-party price should be checked against it.

If you are comparing other Asian e-visas, do not reuse this file: India's e-Visa has its own shape and file rules, covered in [India e-visa photo](/blog/india-e-visa-photo) and the [India passport photo guide](/blog/india-passport-photo-requirements), and Thailand's are in [Thailand e-visa photo](/blog/thailand-e-visa-photo). If your route continues to the Gulf, the [UAE visa photo](/blog/uae-visa-photo) rules differ again. For a photo we can help with, [start here](/photo).

## Checklist before you upload

<RuleList items={[
  { text: "Portrait shape, 2:3, cropped from a recent photo", ok: true },
  { text: "JPG or JPEG, under 2 MB", ok: true },
  { text: "Facing the camera, no hat, no glasses, eyes open", ok: true },
  { text: "Plain white background with no shadow", ok: true },
  { text: "Formal, plain clothing that contrasts with the wall", ok: true },
  { text: "A clear, flat, full image of the passport page as well", ok: true },
  { text: "A square or 35 x 45 mm photo stretched to fit 4 x 6", ok: false },
  { text: "A filter, beauty mode or an edited background", ok: false },
  { text: "A PNG, HEIC or screenshot renamed to .jpg", ok: false },
  { text: "Paying a third-party site before you reach evisa.gov.vn", ok: false }
]} />

## Frequently asked questions

### What size photo does the Vietnam e-visa need?

A recent 4 x 6 cm image in JPG or JPEG format, under 2 MB, according to the Immigration Department's instructions on evisa.gov.vn. It must be front-facing, with no hat, no glasses, formal attire and a white background. The page gives no pixel size, head size or resolution.

### Can I wear glasses in a Vietnam e-visa photo?

No. The official instructions say the photo must show no hat and no glasses, and they list no medical or religious exception. Photograph your bare face against a plain white wall, with your eyes open and fully visible, and reshoot if any reflection or shadow crosses them.

### Can I upload a phone photo for the Vietnam e-visa?

The instructions do not say who must take the photo. They ask for a recent, front-facing image with a white background, and the portal verifies it automatically before you can submit. A phone photo against a plain white wall can meet those words, but the portal decides, not us.

### Why won't the Vietnam e-visa portal let me submit my application?

The instructions say that if the passport photo is invalid, the system will not allow submission. No list of error messages is published, so check the stated basics: JPG or JPEG, under 2 MB, front-facing, no hat or glasses, white background, and a clear passport image, since both images are checked.

### How much is the Vietnam e-visa fee?

The portal's home page states 25 USD for a single-entry e-visa and 50 USD for a multiple-entry one, paid through the portal's e-payment gateway and non-refundable. An e-visa is valid for a maximum of 90 days. In the instructions the photo upload is step 1, before payment.

### Which website is the official Vietnam e-visa site?

The Immigration Department's FAQ names two addresses: evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn. It warns that unofficial e-visa pages may charge unauthorized fees. If a site asks you to pay before you reach the government's own upload screen, check its address against those two.

<Sources items={[
  { label: "Vietnam Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security - e-Visa instructions (photo and application steps)", href: "https://evisa.gov.vn/instruction" },
  { label: "Vietnam Immigration Department - e-Visa home page (fee, validity)", href: "https://evisa.gov.vn" },
  { label: "Vietnam Immigration Department - e-Visa FAQs (official addresses, validity, name format)", href: "https://evisa.gov.vn/faq" }
]} />