Short answer: type your name on the Vietnam eVisa exactly as it appears in the two machine-readable lines at the bottom of your passport photo page. Put your surname (family name) in the surname field and every given name, including middle names, in the other field. Use plain letters with no accents. The eVisa is checked against your passport at airline check-in and again at immigration, so how you normally write your name doesn't matter. What's printed in the passport does.
Where to read your name
The photo page shows your name twice:
- The printed fields ("Surname", "Given names"). These can contain accents and special letters, such as MÜLLER or GONZÁLEZ.
- The machine-readable zone (MRZ): the two lines of capital letters and
<signs at the bottom. Here the surname comes first, followed by<<and then the given names, all in plain A–Z letters.
Scanners at check-in and immigration read the MRZ. Copy your name from there and you avoid most problems. For example, P<USASMITH<<JOHN<MICHAEL<<<< means surname SMITH, given names JOHN MICHAEL.
The most common name mistakes
| Mistake | Example | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Surname and given name swapped | Surname: JOHN, Given: SMITH | Surname: SMITH, Given: JOHN |
| Middle name left out | Given: JOHN | Given: JOHN MICHAEL |
| Middle name moved to the surname | Surname: MICHAEL SMITH | Surname: SMITH, Given: JOHN MICHAEL |
| Nickname or short form | BOB, KATE, ALEX | ROBERT, KATHERINE, ALEXANDER (as in the passport) |
| Initial instead of the full name | JOHN M | JOHN MICHAEL |
| Name from the ticket or credit card | Married name not yet in the passport | The name in the passport you will travel on |
Accents and special letters
The eVisa form only takes plain letters, so accented names have to be converted. The safest choice is the spelling the passport itself uses in the MRZ. Passports follow an international standard, and some letters are written as two letters there:
| In the printed name | Usually in the MRZ |
|---|---|
| É, È, Á, Ñ, Ç, Ã and similar | The plain letter: E, A, N, C |
| Ä, Ö, Ü (German) | AE, OE, UE (so MÜLLER becomes MUELLER) |
| ß | SS |
| Å, Æ, Ø (Nordic) | AA, AE, OE |
If the MRZ says MUELLER, type MUELLER, not MULLER. The system compares letters, and two different spellings of the same name can look like two different people.
Hyphens, apostrophes and spaces
Names like O'BRIEN, SMITH-JONES or VAN DER BERG are fine. In the MRZ the apostrophe is dropped (OBRIEN) and a hyphen becomes a space. If the form won't accept the punctuation, type it the way the MRZ shows it. Officers compare the letters. Punctuation alone is not what gets people stopped. A missing or swapped name is.
Special cases
Only one name (no surname)
Some passports, particularly Indian and Indonesian ones, show a single name and leave the surname or the given name blank. Put the name in the field that matches where your passport prints it, and leave the other field empty if the form allows. Don't add "FNU", "LNU", "UNKNOWN" or a repeat of your name unless your passport itself prints it that way. If the form won't let you continue with one field empty, ask us before you submit. It's easier to fix before submitting than after.
Two surnames (Spanish and Latin American names)
If the passport shows GARCÍA LÓPEZ as the surname, both go in the surname field: GARCIA LOPEZ. Don't drop the second surname because you don't normally use it.
Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese names
The family name usually comes first when written in your own language, but on the eVisa it always goes in the surname field, whatever order you're used to. For WANG XIAOMING the surname is WANG and the given name is XIAOMING. Some passports split the given name: XIAO MING or XIAO-MING. Type it the way the passport does.
Arabic names with BIN, BINTI, AL or ABDUL
Copy every part, in the same order and the same field as the passport. Don't shorten "MOHAMMED BIN ABDULLAH AL HARTHI" to what fits on a business card.
Very long names
The MRZ has limited space, so long names are sometimes cut off at the end of the line. If the MRZ is clearly cut short, type the full name from the printed fields instead, without the accents.
Name changed after marriage or divorce
Use the name in the passport you will actually travel on. If you've booked your ticket in a new name but your passport is still in the old one, the problem is the ticket, not the visa. Fix it with the airline. Your eVisa, passport and ticket should all match.
Check your name before you pay the government fee. An issued eVisa can't be edited. A wrong name normally means a new application and a new fee. Read the name back against the MRZ, letter by letter.
Already submitted with a wrong name?
It depends on what's wrong and whether the eVisa has been issued:
- Still processing: the portal may let you send a correction request. See eVisa amendment requests.
- Already issued with your typo: you need a new application. See mistake on your eVisa.
- Flying in the next few days: an urgent application is usually quicker than waiting for a correction. See the urgent options.
Not sure how your name should go in?
Send us a photo of your passport page. We fill in the name fields and check every one against the passport before you pay.
Start application Ask on WhatsAppQuick answers
Should I use capital letters?
It doesn't matter. The system stores the name in capitals anyway. Focus on the letters and the order.
Can I travel if my middle name is missing from the eVisa?
Sometimes it's accepted, sometimes not. It depends on the airline and the officer. If there is time, get an eVisa with the full name. Don't count on it being waved through.
My passport has a different spelling from my other documents. Which one do I use?
The passport. The eVisa is checked against the passport, nothing else.
Is the name on the eVisa the same as on my flight ticket?
Both should match your passport. Airlines check the ticket and the visa against the passport at check-in.
This guide is general information. Vietnam visa rules and processing times change — always check the current requirements. evisavietnamexpress.com is a private visa assistance service, not the official government portal.