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Vietnam APEC Business Travel Card photo requirements

The 30 × 40 mm photo rules set by Government of Vietnam for the Vietnam APEC Business Travel Card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 3 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Vietnam APEC Business Travel Card photo?

A Vietnamese APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) application needs two photos of 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm), taken no more than 6 months before you apply, on a white background. Face the camera with your head bare and without tinted glasses. One photo is glued into the box on form AP05 and stamped across by your employer; the other is handed in loose.

The APEC Business Travel Card lets Vietnamese business people enter participating APEC economies without applying for a visa each time. Since 1 July 2026 the rules are set by the Prime Minister's Decision 28/2026/QĐ-TTg of 29 May 2026, which replaced Decision 09/2023/QĐ-TTg. The card is issued by the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security, once a ministry, a provincial People's Committee or another competent body has given written consent for the business person to use it.

Cards come in two forms with equal legal value: a hard card printed to the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization, and an electronic card in the ABTC app. You can hold either or both. Each card shows the holder's portrait with their name, date of birth, nationality, passport number and the economies that have approved entry. The employer files the dossier, including form AP05 and two 3 x 4 cm photos, with the Immigration Department in person, online or by post.

Vietnam APEC Business Travel Card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Government of Vietnam:[1]

Print size3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm, 1.18 x 1.57 in)
Digital sizeNo digital photo specification: the dossier lists two printed photos
BackgroundWhite (phông nền màu trắng)
Photo ageTaken no more than 6 months before the application
Print qualityOne print glued in the AP05 photo box with the employer's seal across it; one print loose
Pixels when printed354 × 472 px at 300 dpi · 709 × 945 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
30 mm40 mm
30 × 40 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: white.

Key requirements

  • Two prints, one glued in

    Article 14 of Decision 28/2026/QĐ-TTg asks for two photos. The note on form AP05 says to glue one into the box marked 3 x 4 cm and hand in the other loose.

  • Seal across the photo

    The agency, organisation or company stamps its seal across the edge of the glued photo (đóng dấu giáp lai). Its head or legal representative, or an authorised person, also certifies the form.

  • Bare head, straight face

    The photo must show you looking straight ahead with nothing on your head. The Vietnamese text is "mặt nhìn thẳng, đầu để trần".

  • No tinted glasses

    The ABTC rule bans "kính màu", tinted or coloured glasses. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are out; the text does not mention clear glasses.

  • White and recent

    Use a white background and a photo taken within the last 6 months. Both points appear in Article 14 of the decision and again in the note on form AP05.

  • Portrait printed on the card

    Article 4 lists the portrait photo first among the details shown on the card, and the details must match the passport you are using.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Prepare two identical 3 x 4 cm prints
  • Use a white background
  • Look straight at the camera with your head uncovered
  • Have your employer stamp its seal across the glued photo
  • Use a photo taken within the last 6 months

Don't

  • Do not wear sunglasses or tinted lenses
  • Do not wear a hat or other head covering
  • Do not send a 4 x 6 cm passport-size print in place of a 3 x 4 cm one
  • Do not glue both photos to the form; one stays loose
  • Do not reuse a photo older than 6 months

Sample photos

How a Vietnam APEC Business Travel Card photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 30 × 40 mm and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

Decision 28/2026/QĐ-TTg and the note on form AP05 both say "không đeo kính màu": do not wear tinted or coloured glasses. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are therefore not accepted.

The text does not mention clear prescription glasses either way. Keep in mind that the Vietnamese passport photo rule bans all glasses, so a photo without glasses works for both documents.

Headwear and religious dress

The photo must show a bare head (đầu để trần) and a face looking straight at the camera. Remove hats, caps and other head coverings.

The decision gives no exception for religious head coverings. If this applies to you, ask the Immigration Department before you have the photos taken.

The ABTC dossier asks for photos on paper: two prints of 3 x 4 cm, one glued into form AP05 under the employer's seal and one loose. Neither the decision nor the form sets a pixel size or file format for a digital photo.

The dossier can be filed online. In that case the decision allows the form and the consent document to be sent in electronic form. The photo requirement itself is still worded as two newly taken 3 x 4 cm photos.

A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to 3 x 4 cm. Take care not to use the 4 x 6 cm passport size by mistake.

Where to submit the photo

Applying is a two-step process run by the employer. First, the agency, organisation or company obtains written consent for the business person to use the card from the competent body: a ministry or sector, or for many companies the provincial People's Committee.

Within 6 months of that consent, the employer sends one dossier for a new or reissued card to the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security, in person, online or by post. The dossier contains form AP05 with the photo and seal, the two photos, the employer's request on form AP03 and the consent document, and the fee is paid. If the business person asks for it, an electronic ABTC is issued and they are told by email. A hard card is printed on request with form AP04 once the APEC economies have approved entry.

How to get your Vietnam APEC Business Travel Card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Vietnam APEC Business Travel Card: 30 × 40 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two prints, one glued in; seal across the photo; bare head, straight face; no tinted glasses.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The ABTC dossier asks for photos on paper: two prints of 3 x 4 cm, one glued into form AP05 under the employer's seal and one loose. Neither the decision nor the form sets a pixel size or file format for a digital photo. The dossier can be filed online.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Applying is a two-step process run by the employer.

Make this photo online

Vietnam APEC Business Travel Card photo FAQ

3 x 4 cm, which is 30 x 40 mm. Decision 28/2026/QĐ-TTg sets this size, and the photo box on application form AP05 is marked 3 x 4 cm. It is smaller than the 4 x 6 cm Vietnamese passport photo.

Two. One is glued into the photo box on form AP05 and stamped across with the seal of your agency, organisation or company; the other goes in the dossier loose.

Not tinted ones. The rule says no coloured or tinted glasses (kính màu), so sunglasses are out. Clear glasses are not mentioned, but the Vietnamese passport rule bans all glasses, so a photo without them avoids any doubt.

Your agency, organisation or company. Form AP05 must carry its seal across the edge of the photo, and its head or legal representative, or a person they authorise, certifies the form.

Yes. The employer can file the dossier with the Immigration Department in person, online or by post. When filing online, the consent document is sent as an electronic copy. The photos are still specified as two 3 x 4 cm prints.

Yes. A new passport is one of the grounds for replacing the card, and the replacement dossier must again include form AP05 and two 3 x 4 cm photos taken within 6 months, plus the old hard card if you have one.

Up to 5 years from approval by the APEC member economies, but never beyond the expiry of your passport, and it cannot be extended. After that you apply for a reissued card with new photos.

Related photo specifications

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Official sources

  1. Government of Vietnam. Decision 28/2026/QĐ-TTg on the procedure, authority, issue and management of the APEC Business Travel Card vanban.chinhphu.vn. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Government of Vietnam. Decision 28/2026/QĐ-TTg, signed text with forms AP01 to AP10 (PDF) datafiles.chinhphu.vn. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Hue City People's Committee. Decision 28/2026/QĐ-TTg in the legal documents database hue.gov.vn. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Government of Vietnam before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Vietnam APEC Business Travel Card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/vietnam/apec-business-travel-card-photo

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