What to Do If Your Vietnam e-Visa Photo Has a Low Match Rate?

The Vietnam e-visa portal requires two separate images: a portrait photo and a passport data page image. The portrait photo must be clear and recent, and the passport page image must show the full biodata page clearly and completely.

Many travelers report receiving approvals even after seeing a low match photo warning, but those cases are only informal examples, not a guarantee. A warning means your application carries more risk, so the safest way is to improve the photos before submission.

Why this warning?

• Your passport photo is old and your current face looks different because of weight change, facial hair, hairstyle, or age.
• Your portrait photo does not closely match the expression or angle in the passport photo.
• The passport data page image has glare, blur, shadows, or missing edges.
• The portrait image looks like a scan, a cropped passport photo, or a reused image taken from another source.
• Your face is too small, off-center, overexposed, or partly covered by glasses, hair, or shadows.

Can I still submit the application?

Yes, you can still submit if the system allows you to continue. However, a low match warning means there is a higher chance of delay, a request for correction, or refusal. It is strongly recommended that you fix the images before submission.

What should I do to fix the low match rate notice?

1. Use a new portrait photo

• Take a fresh photo instead of uploading a scan of a printed passport photo.
• Face the camera directly and keep your head straight.
• Use a plain light background.
• Keep a neutral expression or an expression as close as possible to your passport photo.
• Do not wear glasses, hats, or anything that hides your face.
• Use even lighting so there are no dark shadows on your face.

2. Make your face fill the frame properly

• Crop the image so your face is clear and centered, without cutting off the top of your head or chin.
• Do not leave too much empty space around your head.
• Do not over-edit, smooth, filter, or beautify the photo.

3. Retake the passport data page image carefully

• Photograph the actual passport biodata page in color.
• Lay the passport flat and keep the camera directly above it.
• Make sure the entire page is visible, including all corners and the ICAO line at the bottom.
• Remove glare and reflections before taking the picture.
• Check that all text, numbers, and your passport photo are sharp and readable.

4. Keep the files within the portal limits

• Portrait photo: under 2MB.
• Passport data page image: under 2MB.

What to avoid

• Uploading a photo of the passport photo instead of taking a new portrait photo.
• Submitting dark, blurry, filtered, or heavily compressed images.
• Letting hair, glasses, glare, fingers, or shadows cover important parts of the face or passport page.

When to redo the application

• You keep seeing a red warning message.
• The passport page image is not fully readable.
• Your current appearance is very different from the passport photo.
• You still have enough time before traveling to correct the files safely.

Feedbacks from our customers

“I’m applying for an Evisa and one of the questions ask if I have multiple nationalities, I was born in Glasgow in 1968 moved to Australia in 1982 I’ve never had a British passport only Australian passport. Do I put dual citizen? Also it says my visa might be rejected because the photo is 79% match, I think this could be because my passport photo was taken 9 years ago, do you think this will be a problem?” Grace Draper

“Hello, I've tried several times to upload my photo but the website keeps saying my application may be declined. I've tried several current photos of myself but it's always around a 74% match.” - Eamon

“I have done a request on the 17th for all of our 5 family members, but it is still processing. I redid my husbands because the form said the photo was only an 85% match but I did get an email on his second application that had this text: Requires additional information due to the following reason: Please fill in all required information. I filled in all information but saw an additional possibility to add photos and readied the pass photo an passport photo... we arrived in Vietnam the 25 of July, what is the best time for us to ask for your help and assistance and what is the best way, visa on arrival or our pending applications? and what would be the cost per person.” vivek srikakulapu

“ I have tried like 10 photos of my daughter and it keeps saying: Match: 74.68% Portrait photo was captured from another source. Your application may be rejected. Please upload another photo. I am not sure what to do…” - Melissa

“I have a green tick on the photo even though I have lost weight since the passport photo was done and I am only getting a 68% match” - Lindabutler

“The official website is still showing "In Processing", I am concerned that they may take issues with my selfie and passport photo as their system stated it was a 72% match and that this may affect the application and I should upload another selfie. I didn't do this because the selfie was not going to change, if anything the photo on my passport needs to change but I can't do that.” - Calvin

Match rate and possible visa rejection

From our 10 years of experience with customers, the rejection rates based on photo match rates are as follows: