Vietnam visa in 2026: every option explained
Do you need a visa for Vietnam? It depends on your passport. Many nationalities enter visa-free for up to 45 days; everyone else — and anyone staying longer — gets a 90-day e-visa for $25 at evisa.gov.vn. Here are all the routes: visa exemption, e-visa, visa runs and long-term visas.
| Type | Stay | Cost | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa-free entry | up to 45 days | Free | Eligible nationalities, short trips |
| E-Visa, single entry | up to 90 days | $25 | Longer stays, remote workers |
| E-Visa, multiple entry | up to 90 days | $50 | Frequent regional trips |
| Work visa | per contract | Via employer | Contract employees |
| Business visa | up to 1 year | Via invitation | Entrepreneurs |
| Residence card (TRC) | up to 10 years | Via immigration | Expats, long-term |
Information current as of July 2026. Source: Vietnam Immigration Portal. Rules change often — always confirm on the official e-visa portal before you travel.
Answer a couple of questions and we’ll point you to the right guide.
Visa-free entry — who qualifies
Skipping the visa entirely comes down to your passport. As of 2026, the allowance is not the same for everyone: 24 nationalities get 45 days — the UK, Norway, Switzerland and 18 EU countries, plus Japan, South Korea and Russia. Some neighbouring countries get shorter windows under bilateral agreements (Kazakhstan, for example, gets 30 days). It covers the mainland and every island, whatever your reason for coming — a beach holiday, business meetings, visiting family. For the full list and how it plays out at the border, see our guide to visa-free entry to Vietnam.
One island runs its own scheme. According to Vietnam Airlines, Phu Quoc waives the visa for every nationality — US, Canadian and Australian passports included — for up to 30 days, as long as Phu Quoc is your final destination, you hold an onward ticket and you stay on the island. You do not need a nonstop flight: connecting through Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi is fine provided you stay airside and never clear mainland immigration (more on the catches in the FAQ).
What you don't need
- A PCR test or vaccination certificate is not required (dropped back in 2022)
- Travel insurance is not officially mandatory, but we strongly recommend it
- A hotel booking is not checked at passport control
The arrival card itself is now largely digital — if you are unsure what to fill in, our walk-through of the Vietnam arrival QR and entry form covers it screen by screen.
How the days are counted
Your arrival day counts as day one. Land on 1 March with a 45-day allowance and your last visa-free day is 14 April; on 15 April you must have left the country or hold a valid visa. If your allowance is 30 or 15 days, count from the same starting point.
At passport control things usually go smoothly: proof of funds, hotel bookings and printed itineraries are seldom asked for — a valid passport and an onward ticket are generally enough. If you want to know exactly what to show at the border and what occasionally trips people up, we cover it separately.
Can you extend the visa-free stay without leaving?
Usually not. Law 23/2023/QH15 allows an extension through a sponsoring host, but that is at the immigration service's discretion, not a right. The two dependable ways to stay longer:
- Apply for an e-visa before your visa-free days run out
- Or do a visa run — leave and re-enter to reset the clock
Passport requirements for Vietnam
The core rule: your passport must be valid for at least 6 months on the date you enter. Not on the date you fly out of your home country — on the date you cross the Vietnamese border.
- Entering in March 2026 — passport valid at least until September 2026
- Entering in June 2026 — passport valid at least until December 2026
- Entering in December 2026 — passport valid at least until June 2027
Blank pages
There is no official rule on blank pages, but keep at least 2 blank pages for the entry and exit stamps.
The e-visa for 90 days — step by step
You need an e-visa if you:
- Plan to stay longer than your visa-free allowance
- Want to enter and leave multiple times (multiple-entry visa)
- Are from a nationality with no visa-free entry at all
The e-visa lets you stay up to 90 days — and since August 2023 it is open to holders of every passport, single or multiple entry.
E-visa cost
A visa agency costs more, but it takes the whole process — and any payment headaches — off your plate:
| Tier | Cost | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $45–49 | 7–10 days |
| Express | $89 | 3 days |
| Urgent | $114 | 1 day |
| Rush | $125–155 | 4 hours |
We file e-visas too, on the same tiers: we pay the government fee ourselves and refund it in full if the application is refused. Turnaround, paperwork and pricing are on our visa services page.
How to apply for the e-visa yourself
- Go to the official site evisa.gov.vn — beware of look-alike commercial sites that charge extra
- Click "E-visa Issuance" → "Outside Vietnam" → "For foreigners"
- Choose the visa type: single or multiple entry
- Fill in the form: full name exactly as in your passport, date of birth, nationality, passport number, date of entry and port of entry
- Set "Intended length of stay" to 90 — the field defaults to 30, and this is the single most expensive mistake on the form. A 30-day visa cannot be stretched to 90 afterwards; you buy a second one
- Upload two images: a portrait photo — 4x6 cm, white background, face forward, no glasses or headwear — and a scan of the passport data page
- Pay the fee by card — Visa or Mastercard
- Note down your Registration code — you need it to check the status
- After 3 working days, check the status on the site. If approved, download the PDF and print it
It is very important at this step to change 30 to 90 in the 'Intended length of stay in Viet Nam (number of days)' field. Otherwise the visa will be issued for 30 days instead of 90Alexey Ivanov, vc.ru, 2024, translated by VietnamSpot
Most correctly filled applications clear in 3 working days, but a real wait of 5 to 7 days is common in high season (January–April, November–December).
Photo requirements
Paying the fee
The portal accepts Visa and Mastercard. A couple of things trip people up:
- UnionPay is not accepted from any country (per applicants' reports as of July 2026)
- Some foreign cards get declined on the first try — a common quirk of the gateway
If your card bounces:
- Try a second card or a different browser — the payment step is temperamental and often works on the retry
- Use a visa agency — costs more ($45–155), but they take the payment and paperwork off your hands
Fast Track — no queue at the border
5–10 minutes instead of an hour in the immigration queue
from$11per passenger
Visa runs — how to extend your stay
A visa run means leaving Vietnam for a neighbouring country and coming straight back. On re-entry, your visa-free allowance starts over. Here is the short version; for routes, border-crossing tips and whether it is still worth it, we have a full Vietnam visa run guide.
Popular visa-run destinations
- Cambodia — the most popular option. From Ho Chi Minh City the border is about 3 hours by bus
- Laos — handy if you are in northern Vietnam
- Thailand — if you want to fold the run into a short break
Cost of a visa run
| Option | Cost | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Organised tour from Mui Ne | ~$115 | Transfer + Cambodian visa + assistance |
| DIY (by bus) | 1,150,000–1,300,000 VND (~$46–52) | Transport only |
| Flight (HCMC → Phnom Penh) | from $50–80 | Flight; Cambodian visa paid separately |
Visa run or e-visa: which to choose
| Criterion | Visa run | E-Visa |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $50–150 | $25–50 |
| Stay afterwards | Your visa-free allowance | up to 90 days |
| Convenience | You have to physically travel | Online, from the sofa |
| Time | 1–2 days on the road | 3 days of waiting |
| Catch | No formal limit | Card payment can be fiddly |
| Bonus | You get to see Cambodia | No travel needed |
How many visa runs can you do?
The law sets no limit, but the border officer decides on each entry. Frequent in-and-out trips can prompt questions at immigration — keep an onward ticket and proof of accommodation to hand.
The budget routes are into Cambodia via Mộc Bài, or into Laos on a sleeper bus from Nha Trang. Bear in mind: the Cambodian visa takes a full passport page, so frequent runs burn through pages fast.
What happens if you overstay
Since 15 December 2025, Decree 282/2025/ND-CP has roughly doubled the ceiling on visa penalties. The fine scales with how far over you are, and even one day counts:
- Under 16 days — 500,000 to 2,000,000 VND (~$20 to ~$80)
- 16 to 29 days — 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 VND (~$190 to ~$385)
- 30 to 59 days — 10,000,000 to 15,000,000 VND (~$385 to ~$575)
- 60 to 89 days — 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 VND (~$575 to ~$770)
- 90 to 179 days — 20,000,000 to 25,000,000 VND (~$770 to ~$960)
- 180 days to a year — 25,000,000 to 30,000,000 VND (~$960 to ~$1,150)
- Over a year — 30,000,000 to 40,000,000 VND (~$1,150 to ~$1,540)
You settle the fine before you leave; at the airport, carrying cash in dong makes it simpler. Payment options are in our overstay guide. Better to sort it before it comes to that — see how to extend your stay from inside Vietnam.
Fines are set by Decree 282/2025/ND-CP, effective 15 December 2025. Confirm the current figures on the official immigration portal.
Long-term visas — work, business and residence
Ninety days is the ceiling on tourist-style entry. Past that you are into work, business or residence territory, and each one hangs on a sponsor — an employer, a company invitation or family. None of them is something you can just buy online.
Work visa
First your employer obtains a Work Permit for you from the provincial labour authority, then arranges the work visa through the immigration service. Without a Work Permit you cannot work legally — and there are fines for both the worker and the employer.
Business visa
Issued on an invitation from a Vietnamese company. It lets you conduct business, attend meetings and conferences, and lasts up to a year. A business visa does not grant the right to take up employment.
Residence card (TRC)
A temporary residence card (TRC) is issued for up to 10 years, depending on the grounds, and lets you enter and leave Vietnam freely without limit. It is granted through the immigration authority on qualifying grounds: work, family or investment. For the terms, documents and cost, see our guide to the Vietnam residence card.
Permanent residence
Permanent residence in Vietnam is hard but possible. The grounds:
- Marriage to a Vietnamese citizen
- Special service to the state
Most expats follow the chain: e-visa → work visa → residence card. If you are aiming all the way, our guide to permanent residence in Vietnam covers who actually qualifies.
New visas of 2025–2026: what is live and what is not
Beyond the familiar visas, a few new statuses have appeared or are under discussion:
- Golden visa — for investors. Discussed in spring 2025. Check its status before you count on it
- Visa exemption card for top talent (Decree 221/2025/NĐ-CP) — up to 5 years, live since 15 August 2025. It goes to seven groups of foreigners at the request of a Vietnamese body: scientists, executives of the largest companies, athletes and others. It is not a route for digital nomads
- UĐ1 and UĐ2 visas — since 1 July 2026, for digital-industry specialists and their families. UĐ1 needs a Vietnamese sponsor: an employer, university or research institute
- Retirement visa — under discussion, not yet adopted
None of these is a dedicated remote-worker visa. How the talent card differs from UĐ1 is in our Vietnam 5-year talent visa guide. Plan around the rules that exist today, not the ones in the pipeline.
Visa rules by nationality
Entry rules turn entirely on your passport. Here is how the main groups stand in 2026 — always confirm your own on the official portal, since allowances shift.
| Passport | Visa-free | E-Visa single | E-Visa multi |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 45 days | $25 | $50 |
| Germany | 45 days | $25 | $50 |
| France | 45 days | $25 | $50 |
| Italy | 45 days | $25 | $50 |
| Spain | 45 days | $25 | $50 |
| USA | None | $25 | $50 |
| Canada | None | $25 | $50 |
| Australia | None | $25 | $50 |
Visa-free nationalities
The length of the visa-free window varies by passport. Twenty-four passports get 45 days — the UK, Norway, Switzerland and 18 EU countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and others), plus Japan, South Korea and Russia. Some neighbours get shorter windows under bilateral agreements: Belarus and Kazakhstan, for example, get 30 days. For the full list, see our guide to visa-free entry to Vietnam. If you plan to stay longer than your allowance, apply for an e-visa before you fly.
Nationalities with no visa-free entry
Big passports like the US, Canada and Australia currently get no visa-free entry — you must arrange an e-visa in advance through evisa.gov.vn. The process is identical for everyone, and the 90-day e-visa is open to all passports. One exception worth knowing: you can still fly straight to Phu Quoc and get 30 days visa-free there, no e-visa needed, as long as you stay on the island and do not head to the mainland.
What you can bring in — customs limits
You fill in a customs declaration on arrival. The limits below are generous enough that most travellers never think about them, but a few catch people out.
Duty-free allowance
Two things people get wrong here. The tobacco allowance is 200 cigarettes, not a carton per person per duty-free bag — buy two cartons in the airport shop on your way in and the second one is over the line. And there is no separate allowance for tea, coffee or food: those count against the same 10,000,000 VND ceiling as everything else.
Allowances are set by Decree 134/2016/ND-CP, Article 6. Enforcement at tourist airports is light, but the limits are what a customs officer will hold you to if you are stopped.
Declaring currency
- Foreign currency over $5,000 must be declared on entry
- Vietnamese dong (VND) over 15,000,000 must also be declared
Electronics (laptops, cameras, phones) are technically declarable on entry. In practice it is a formality for tourists, but undeclared gear can be charged duty on exit — keep receipts for big-ticket items.
What you cannot bring in
- Weapons, ammunition, explosives
- Narcotics and psychotropic substances
- Pornographic material
- Fireworks and pyrotechnics
Travelling with children
Documents for a child
- Their own passport — every child needs one, whatever their age
- The child's own e-visa if their nationality is not visa-free — issued separately and costing the same ($25/$50)
Special cases
- Different surnames for the child and the accompanying parent — carry the birth certificate (ideally a notarised translation)
- One parent travelling — a notarised consent letter from the other parent is recommended. Vietnam rarely asks for it, but your home-country border control might on departure
- The child's e-visa is applied for separately, same process and price as an adult's
FAQ
It depends on your passport. Citizens of the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Russia and 18 EU countries get 45 days visa-free; some neighbouring countries get shorter windows under bilateral agreements. Everyone else needs an e-visa, which any nationality can now get for up to 90 days at evisa.gov.vn for $25. As a rough guide (July 2026), processing takes 3 working days, up to 7 in high season, so apply at least three weeks before you fly.
The cheapest route is a single-entry e-visa for $25 on the official site evisa.gov.vn. A multiple-entry e-visa is $50 and only worth it if you plan to leave and re-enter (say, a visa run to Cambodia and back). Agencies charge $45–155 but handle the paperwork and payment for you.
Any regular passport works, but check three things before you book: 1) it must be valid at least 6 months from your date of entry, not your date of departure; 2) keep at least 2 blank pages — there is no official rule, but it is the safe choice; 3) children need their own passport. Vietnam does not enforce an onward ticket in practice, but keep one handy.
Yes. Since August 2023 Vietnam issues the e-visa to holders of all passports for stays of up to 90 days, single or multiple entry. You apply online, upload a photo and passport scan, pay by card and get a PDF in about 3 working days.
The official portal takes Visa and Mastercard. UnionPay is not accepted, and payments occasionally fail with foreign cards, so try a second card or a different browser if the first attempt bounces. If your card will not go through at all, a visa agency can process the application for you for a fee.
The law sets no limit, but each entry is at the border officer’s discretion. There are also practical catches: 1) each Cambodian visa fills a whole passport page, so after 3 or 4 runs you run out of pages; 2) frequent in-and-out trips draw questions at immigration, so keep an onward ticket and accommodation booking; 3) do the maths — one run costs $50–150, while a 90-day e-visa is just $25.
You have to settle the fine before you leave: for a short overstay it is usually processed at the airport, and in practice it helps to carry cash in dong. Payment options are covered in our overstay guide. If you overstay by 1 to 2 days, go to the nearest Immigration Office, explain and pay on the spot. Over 16 days can mean deportation. Do not try to slip out quietly — the system records your entry date and the fine is charged at the border anyway.
Not necessarily. Phu Quoc has its own 30-day visa exemption open to every nationality — handy if your passport gets no visa-free entry to the mainland. To use it, Phu Quoc must be your final destination, you need an onward ticket out within 30 days, and you must not cross to the mainland. The point that trips people up: a connection through Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi does not void the exemption, as long as you stay in the international transit area and never pass mainland passport control. Clear immigration on the mainland — or plan a mainland leg at all — and the nationwide rules apply instead: visa-free if your passport qualifies, otherwise an e-visa.
Legally, no — you need a Work Permit. In practice thousands of remote workers stay on the visa exemption or an e-visa. The risks: a check can bring a fine and deportation, and income paid into a Vietnamese account attracts the tax office. The safe pattern is to work for foreign clients, get paid to a foreign account and not register a business in Vietnam. There is no dedicated remote-worker visa: the new UĐ1 visa, live since 1 July 2026, needs a Vietnamese sponsor.
Not for entry, but going without it is a gamble. Without a policy you pay for international clinics and evacuation yourself, and that gets expensive fast. Pick a policy that covers motorbike riding if you plan to rent one — most standard plans exclude it unless you hold a valid licence.
Key takeaways
- Visa-free entry depends on your passport — up to 45 days for eligible nationalities
- The 90-day e-visa is $25 and open to every passport — the go-to if you need more time
- Passport valid ≥ 6 months — check before you buy tickets
- Pay by Visa or Mastercard — UnionPay is not accepted; have a backup card ready
- Overstay fines rose in December 2025 — don't risk it, watch your dates
- Apply for the e-visa on evisa.gov.vn only — avoid the look-alike commercial sites
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