The Core Rule: Everyone Needs a Valid Entry Document
Before anything else, it helps to know the one rule that governs everything in this guide: every traveler entering Vietnam needs a valid entry document tied to their own passport — including infants. There’s no blanket family exemption or “kids travel free” policy on the visa side. That said, how each family member gets their document depends on one specific detail: does your child have their own passport, or are they listed inside yours?
The Two Scenarios
Scenario A: Your Child Has Their Own Passport
This is increasingly the norm — many countries, including Australia, Italy, and several EU nations, require children to hold individual passports for international travel. If your child has their own passport, they need their own separate e-visa application, following the same process as any adult traveler: their own passport scan, their own portrait photo, and their own application form.
Scenario B: Your Child Under 14 Is Listed in Your Passport
Some countries still allow children under 14 to be listed inside a parent’s passport rather than holding their own. If this applies to your child, you generally have a choice: include them in your own e-visa application under the “accompanying minors” section (sometimes labeled “Add Another Person”), or apply for them separately. Including them in your application is usually the more straightforward route if this option applies to your situation.
Important: this option is becoming less common as more countries move toward requiring individual child passports — check your own country’s passport policy rather than assuming this applies to your family.
Step-by-Step: Applying for the Whole Family
- Gather every family member’s documents first — passport, a clear passport data page scan, and a compliant portrait photo for each person, before starting any application
- Check each family member’s nationality separately — see the note on mixed-nationality families below, since exemption status is tied to each individual passport
- Decide how each child under 14 will apply — jointly with a parent (if sharing that parent’s passport) or as an individual application (if holding their own passport)
- Complete each application accurately — names, dates of birth, and passport numbers should match each document exactly
- Pay the fee for each person individually — there’s no family bundle discount on the government fee itself
- Download and print every approved e-visa separately — including children’s — since each person needs their own document at check-in and immigration
Photo Requirements for Children and Infants
Children’s photos follow the same basic standard as adults — 4×6 cm, plain white background, taken within the last 6 months — with a few extra considerations:
- The child must be alone in the frame — no parent’s hand, arm, or any other person visible in the shot
- Eyes should be open and facing the camera, as with any passport-style photo, though this is understandably harder with very young children
- For infants specifically, a commonly recommended technique is laying the baby on a plain white sheet or blanket and photographing from directly above — this gives a clean, compliant background without needing anyone to hold the child in frame
Getting a compliant photo of a toddler or infant is often the most frustrating part of the whole process for parents — budgeting a bit of extra patience (and a few retakes) for this specific step is worth it before assuming something is wrong with your camera or the requirements themselves.
Mixed-Nationality Families: Check Each Passport Separately
If your family holds different passports — one parent from a visa-exempt country, another from a country that always needs an e-visa, or children with a different nationality than either parent — check each person’s requirement individually rather than assuming the family follows one rule. It’s entirely possible for one family member to need nothing at all (if exempt) while another needs a full e-visa application, even on the exact same itinerary. See our guide on Vietnam Visa Requirements by Nationality to check each family member’s specific situation.
Don’t Forget the Pre-Arrival Card
If your family is flying into Tan Son Nhat Airport (Ho Chi Minh City), remember that the Pre-Arrival Card is a separate requirement from the visa itself, and it applies to each family member individually, including children — a parent can complete a child’s declaration on their behalf, but each person still needs their own entry in the system. This is easy to overlook when you’re focused entirely on visas, since it’s a completely separate step with its own process.
Cost: No Family Discount on the Government Fee
Each family member’s e-visa — including every child — incurs the same $25 (single entry) or $50 (multiple entry) government fee as an adult. There’s no bundled family rate on the government side; a family of four pays four times the individual fee. Applying through a service that reviews all applications together can simplify the process, but it doesn’t change the underlying government fee structure — see our full Vietnam E-Visa pricing for current rates.
A Practical Tip for Arrival: The Family Lane
At several of Vietnam’s major airports, including Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City) and Noi Bai (Hanoi), immigration halls often have a Priority or Family Lane for travelers arriving with small children. It’s worth looking for signage indicating this option when you land, since it can meaningfully shorten the wait for families compared to the general queue — particularly relevant given how long standard immigration waits can run during peak arrival windows.
A Worked Scenario: A Family of Four
To make this concrete, consider a family of four — two parents and two children (ages 3 and 10) — planning a 2-week trip to Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc:
- Check each child’s passport situation — the 10-year-old has their own individual passport (common at this age in many countries), while the 3-year-old is still listed inside one parent’s passport
- Apply for 3 separate e-visas: one for each parent, and one for the 10-year-old, all with matching Tourism purpose and travel dates
- Include the 3-year-old in that parent’s application under the accompanying minors section, since the toddler is still listed in that passport
- Take the toddler’s photo separately using the white-sheet technique, since it’s still required even though the application itself is joint with the parent
- Print all documents before departure — three separate e-visa PDFs (two adults, one older child) plus the parent’s e-visa showing the toddler’s included details
This illustrates how a single family can end up with a mix of individual and joint applications depending purely on each child’s passport situation — there’s no single rule that applies to “children” as a blanket category.
Traveling With Only One Parent or a Guardian
While this doesn’t affect the e-visa application itself, it’s worth a brief mention since it often comes up alongside family travel planning: if a child is travelling with only one parent, a grandparent, or another guardian, it’s worth checking your airline’s specific documentation requirements (such as a consent letter from the non-travelling parent), since this is a separate airline and immigration practice issue from the visa application process covered in this guide. Requirements vary by airline and situation, so confirming directly with your airline before departure is the safest approach.
Common Mistakes Families Make
Assuming children are exempt from needing any document. There’s no blanket exemption for minors — every traveler, regardless of age, needs a valid entry document tied to their own passport, unless they individually qualify for visa exemption based on their own nationality.
Forgetting to check visa exemption per passport, not per family. A family where one parent holds an exempt nationality and the other doesn’t is a common source of confusion — each person’s status depends on their own passport, not the family as a whole.
Only printing the “main” applicant’s e-visa. Every approved e-visa, including each child’s, needs to be printed and carried separately — missing even one family member’s document can mean that person isn’t permitted to board or clear immigration.
Rushing children’s photos and getting them rejected. Non-compliant child photos are one of the more common causes of delays in family applications — see our broader guide on common e-visa mistakes for the full list of photo issues to avoid.
Not accounting for the Pre-Arrival Card as a separate step for each child. As covered above, this is easy to miss when the family’s attention is entirely on visas.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do infants need their own Vietnam e-visa? Yes — every traveler, including infants, needs a valid entry document. If the infant is listed in a parent’s passport and under 14, they may be includable in that parent’s application; otherwise, they need their own.
2. Can I include my child in my own e-visa application? Only if your child is under 14 and listed inside your own passport, rather than holding their own individual passport. If they have their own passport, they need a separate application.
3. Is there a discount for children’s e-visa fees? No. The government fee is the same $25 (single entry) or $50 (multiple entry) per person, regardless of age.
4. What if my child’s passport photo keeps getting rejected? This is a common frustration with young children. Ensure the child is alone in the frame against a plain white background — for infants, photographing from above while lying on a white sheet is a commonly used technique.
5. Do all family members need to apply for the same visa purpose? Generally yes, if travelling together for the same reason (typically Tourism) — but each application is still submitted individually per person.
6. What if my children hold a different nationality than my spouse and me? Check each family member’s visa requirement separately, based on their own passport’s nationality — it’s entirely possible for family members to have different requirements on the same trip.
7. Does each family member need to complete their own Pre-Arrival Card? Yes, if arriving at Tan Son Nhat Airport — this applies individually to each traveler, including children, though a parent can complete a child’s declaration on their behalf.
8. Is there a family or priority lane at immigration? Several major airports, including Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai, offer a Priority or Family Lane for travelers with small children — look for signage upon arrival.
9. What happens if I forget to print one child’s approved e-visa? That family member may not be permitted to board their flight or clear immigration without their own printed (or digital) approved document — every person’s e-visa needs to be available individually.
10. Can a visa service handle the whole family’s application together? Yes — a service can review and submit all family members’ applications as a coordinated group, which can simplify document collection and reduce errors, even though each application remains a separate government submission tied to each individual’s passport.
11. Do I need a consent letter to travel with my child if my spouse isn’t coming? This isn’t a visa requirement, but a separate airline and immigration practice matter — check your specific airline’s documentation requirements for a child travelling with only one parent or a guardian before departure.
Traveling to Vietnam With Your Family?
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This article is for general informational purposes and reflects publicly available guidance current at the time of writing. Visa requirements can change; always confirm current details for each family member before booking travel.
