Vietnam e-visa photo from your phone, checked first

The official e-visa portal (evisa.gov.vn) says the photo must be a recent 4 × 6 cm image in JPG or JPEG format, under 2 MB, front-facing, with no hat, no glasses, formal attire and a white background.

4 × 6 cm, which is taller than it is wide (2 : 3). A square 2 × 2 U.S. passport photo is the wrong shape. Our file is 480 × 720 pixels, a 4 × 6 cm photo at about 300 dpi, and well under 2 MB.

After you upload your portrait and your passport page, the portal checks them automatically. A sharp, evenly lit photo of your face, without glasses, taken straight on, gives the check the best chance. Don't upload a photo of a printed photo or a screenshot: send the file itself.

It's a warning the e-visa portal shows, next to a "Match" percentage, after it compares your portrait with the photo on your passport page. The message says your application "may be rejected", not that it is, and the portal doesn't explain it further. The safest fix is a new portrait taken for this application, facing the camera, without glasses, on a white background, as the portal's instructions ask. Don't crop the photo from your passport page, and don't upload a scan, a screenshot or a photo of a printout.

No. The portal asks for a photo with no glasses. Take them off: our check can't see glasses yet.

Formal clothes, as the portal asks: a shirt with a collar works well. Avoid white, which blends into the white background.

No. The U.S. Department of State says not to change your photo using computer software, phone apps or filters. We only check your photo and crop it to the official size. We never smooth skin, change the background or alter your face.

No. Your photo is checked and prepared on your own phone or computer. It is never uploaded to our servers.