Vietnam visa — what you actually need
45-day visa-free entry for many EU/UK passports, $25–50 e-visa (up to 90 days), visa-run routes, overstay fines, the Phu Quoc 30-day exemption, entry with children. Updated for 2026.
Do you need a visa
Two answers — your passport and how long you stay — give you the basis for entry and the maximum length of stay. Everything below explains where that limit comes from, what extends it and what breaks it.
On what basis, and for how long
The rules differ by nationality, and the difference matters: some passports get 45 days on arrival, others need an e-visa before boarding. How the regime works — in the guide to 45-day visa-free entry, and the border itself — in what happens at immigration.
Visa-free days are counted consecutively from the date of entry; leaving and returning restarts the count. Every other nationality can apply for an e-visa online.
Six legal ways to be here
Every option compared, from visa-free entry to an investor visa. Not every basis can be extended: a tourist resets the clock only by leaving and coming back, while an employer or the sponsoring company renews a long-term visa. Each type in detail — in the full Vietnam visa guide.
No extension — you must exit
| Basis | Length | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-freeShort trips and first winters | up to 45 days | Free |
| E-visa (single entry)One trip, no border runs | up to 90 days | $25 |
| E-visa (multiple entry)Long stays with border runs | up to 90 days | $50 |
- Visa-freeShort trips and first wintersLengthup to 45 daysCostFree
- E-visa (single entry)One trip, no border runsLengthup to 90 daysCost$25
- E-visa (multiple entry)Long stays with border runsLengthup to 90 daysCost$50
Extended in-country
| Basis | Length | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Work (DN / LĐ)A contract in Vietnam | 1–2 years | $100–200 |
| Business (DN)Your own company or a partner | 1–12 months | $100–200 |
| Investor (ĐT)Investment in a local business | 1–5 years | On request |
- Work (DN / LĐ)A contract in VietnamLength1–2 yearsCost$100–200
- Business (DN)Your own company or a partnerLength1–12 monthsCost$100–200
- Investor (ĐT)Investment in a local businessLength1–5 yearsCostOn request
We can file your e-visa
We fill in the form, check the documents and follow the application through to the finished PDF. All we need from you is a photo, a passport scan and your travel dates
E-visa in four steps
The e-visa is issued on the official portal evisa.gov.vn in 3 working days. Single and multiple entry run for the same length of stay — up to 90 days — and differ only in how many times you may enter: $25 against $50.
- Photo and scanA 4×6 cm photo on a white background and the passport data page, JPEG up to 2 MB each. A selfie works if the background is even and the shot is sharp.
- The form, in EnglishNames exactly as printed in your passport. The port of entry and exit is fixed at submission and cannot be changed later, so choose the airport carefully.
- Payment — $25 or $50The gap is the number of entries, not the length of stay: both run up to 90 days. Any international Visa or Mastercard works on the official portal. The fee is not refunded, even if the application is rejected.
- ApprovalBy regulation a decision takes 3 working days; track it with your application code. Leave a week before departure anyway. The visa arrives as a PDF — print two copies.
What immigration checks
Refusals almost always come down to the same things: a passport with under six months left, no onward ticket, or an arrival card that was never filled in.
Running out of days: what moves the date
Neither visa-free entry nor an e-visa can be extended — only work, business and investor visas can, through an employer or an agency and at least two weeks before expiry. Everyone else does a visa run. Prices and timings — in the visa run guide and the extension walkthrough. If you need years rather than months, the date moves by changing the basis, not by running the border: the residence card and how to pick a long-stay route and the remote-worker routes.
Three hours by bus from Ho Chi Minh City; you can be back the same day. At the border: $30 for the Cambodian visa and a 4×6 photo.
From Da Nang or Hue, a full day. Quieter than the Cambodian crossing.
A flight from any major city — worth combining with two or three days off. Visa-free for up to 60 days.
Overstay fines
Fines rise in tiers, and from day 30 deportation and a re-entry ban are added. They are paid in cash in dong only — at the immigration office Phòng Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh or at the airport desk on departure.
| Overstay | Fine |
|---|---|
| 1–15 daysPay at the airport or immigration office | 500,000 – 2,000,000 VND |
| 16–29 daysDeportation possible | 5,000,000 – 10,000,000 VND |
| 30–59 daysDeportation + entry ban | 10,000,000 – 15,000,000 VND |
| 60–89 daysDeportation + entry ban | 15,000,000 – 20,000,000 VND |
| 90–179 daysDeportation + entry ban | 20,000,000 – 25,000,000 VND |
| 180–364 daysDeportation + entry ban | 25,000,000 – 30,000,000 VND |
| 365+ daysDeportation + entry ban | 30,000,000 – 40,000,000 VND |
- 1–15 daysPay at the airport or immigration officeFine500,000 – 2,000,000 VND
- 16–29 daysDeportation possibleFine5,000,000 – 10,000,000 VND
- 30–59 daysDeportation + entry banFine10,000,000 – 15,000,000 VND
- 60–89 daysDeportation + entry banFine15,000,000 – 20,000,000 VND
- 90–179 daysDeportation + entry banFine20,000,000 – 25,000,000 VND
- 180–364 daysDeportation + entry banFine25,000,000 – 30,000,000 VND
- 365+ daysDeportation + entry banFine30,000,000 – 40,000,000 VND
Overstay calculator
Work out your exit deadline and the overstay fine
Enter your entry date to calculate.
If you need more depth
Primary sources, 12–19-minute reads and PDFs that open offline.