Tan Son Nhat Arrival: Immigration, Pre-Arrival Form, Cash

International flights use the T2 terminal. Tan Son Nhat is a listed e-visa gate. A pre-arrival declaration has run here since April 2026. The newest dated text found, 25 June 2026, calls it encouraged and gives the window as on arrival or up to three days before. Declare cash above US$5,000 or VND 15,000,000 to customs.

By Vincent Nguyen

One form decides how smooth the arrival is, and official notices disagree on whether it is compulsory. Everything else on arrival is a short, fixed sequence.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport has three passenger terminals: T1 and T3 for domestic flights and T2 for international services. If you fly in from abroad you land at T2.

Check your entry document first

Tan Son Nhat is on the e-visa portal’s list of air border gates. An e-visa is valid for a maximum of 90 days, for single or multiple entries. E-visa holders must enter and exit through the border gates the Government designates. Applying is covered in the Vietnam e-visa guide.

Citizens of a country Vietnam exempts unilaterally get 45 days of temporary stay at the border. Their passport must be valid for at least 6 months.

Người nước ngoài nhập cảnh theo diện đơn phương miễn thị thực thì hộ chiếu phải còn thời hạn sử dụng ít nhất 06 tháng

A foreigner entering under a unilateral visa exemption must hold a passport valid for at least 6 months. Law 51/2019/QH14, Điều 1 khoản 11

Resolution 44/NQ-CP gives 45 days from entry to citizens of 12 named countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan and South Korea. A separate list of 12 European countries gets 45 days for tourism purposes. See the visa exemption guide for the lists.

The pre-arrival declaration: what the dated notices say

The Immigration Department piloted the Pre-arrival Information (PAI) system for foreign nationals at Tan Son Nhat from April 15, 2026. The wording differs between notices, so the dates matter.

April 2026 coverage called it mandatory. Vietnam introduced a mandatory declaration for certain travellers on 17 April, and a 20 April notice told foreign nationals and overseas Vietnamese using visas to submit personal information before arrival.

Later official text softened it. The ministry’s article of 13 May described the pilot as optional for international air travellers, and an 18 June notice calls it encouraged, not compulsory.

The U.S. Embassy’s 17 June notice still calls it mandatory, expanding to all airports in Vietnam, for international passengers without a Vietnamese passport. You can also file on arrival by QR code or paper form.

A 25 June update encourages visitors to file on arrival or up to three days before and says the authorities strongly advise it. File inside that window, because the QR code speeds up the immigration check.

Transit passengers are exempt.

How to fill it in

• Submit from any internet-connected device, on arrival or not more than three days before entering Vietnam.
• Use only prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, because fake websites impersonating the system have been found.
• Enter your flight number and flight data carefully, because some declarations failed on mistakes there.
• Save the QR code on your phone or print it for use at border gates.

The system gives pre-arrival travel information and does not process visa applications. The department says completing it lets the immigration authority carry out procedures in advance, so you do not wait in line for entry procedures. It plans to install the system at other international airports.

For other 2026 changes, see new visa rules for Vietnam in 2026.

From the aircraft to the exit

1. Hold your entry document and your QR code ready: an e-visa or an exemption, plus the declaration QR code if you filed it.
2. Collect your bags at baggage claim, which comes before the customs exit.
3. Declare cash above the limit at customs if you carry it.
4. Walk out into the arrival hall, where the SIM counters are.

Cash and customs declaration

A person entering by passport must declare cash above US$5,000 or VND 15,000,000 to border-gate customs.

Cá nhân khi xuất cảnh, nhập cảnh qua các cửa khẩu quốc tế của Việt Nam bằng hộ chiếu mang theo ngoại tệ tiền mặt, đồng Việt Nam tiền mặt trên mức quy định dưới đây phải khai báo Hải quan cửa khẩu

An individual entering or leaving by passport with foreign-currency or Vietnamese-dong cash above the stated level must declare it to border-gate customs. Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN, Điều 2 khoản 1

Cash of US$5,000 or less also needs a declaration if you will deposit it into your own foreign-currency account. Decree 169/2026/NĐ-CP, in force from 1 July 2026, sets fines for not declaring or under-declaring. The general customs declaration is not needed if you carry no baggage over the tax-free allowance.

That is a separate duty from the cash rule above, so cash over the limit must still be declared even with ordinary luggage.

SIM, rides and getting out

Viettel’s Tan Son Nhat counters are in the international terminal arrival hall, after baggage claim and the customs exit. Viettel runs official counters and kiosks at major airports with setup support in English, and setup usually takes less than 10 minutes. Unofficial SIM sellers in terminals may sell SIMs already activated under someone else’s name. Registration rules are in the SIM card guide.

At the international terminal, a Xanh SM guide dated 16 September 2024 puts its taxis at columns A01 to A04 on lane A. Reach it by going straight from doors A1 and A2. Bus 152 picks up at the International Terminal. Fares, hours and the T3 pickups are in the airport-to-city guide.

After you land, the first week checklist covers the next steps.

Photos and clips uploaded to Google Maps (Tan Son Nhat International Airport on Google Maps (opens in a new tab)) by Bo-Wen Zheng, Thuy Nguyen Huu.

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Not confirmed: Compulsory or not is unclear: the newest text, 25 June 2026, encourages it, but a U.S. Embassy notice of 17 June calls it mandatory. File it anyway. For cash, use an ATM inside the terminal and avoid changing large sums at the airport.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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