Extending your visa in Vietnam in 2026

Since 15 December 2025 Vietnam has doubled its overstay fines (Decree 282/2025). The maximum penalty is now 40,000,000 VND (~$1,600). Even a single day of overstay is logged in the database and can affect future visas and work permits.

Which visas can (and can't) be extended

Not all visa types allow an in-country extension. That is the first thing to check.

Visas that can be extended

Each of these needs a sponsor — an organisation or person in Vietnam confirming the need for the extension. You cannot extend a work or business visa on your own, without a sponsor.

Visas that CANNOT be extended

Arrived on the 45-day visa-free entry or the 90-day e-visa? Neither can be extended in-country. Your options are a visa run or, if you have a sponsor, converting to another visa type (more on that below).

Cost of a visa extension

Government fees (official)

Through an agency

If you go through a visa agent (and for tourist visas that is the only route), the cost is higher:

• Tourist visa extension, 30 days — $150–185
• Via an agent in smaller towns (Vung Tau, Da Lat) — from $50
• Work / business visa via an agency — $100–300

💬 "A tourist visa extension in Vietnam is a bit of a grey area. Agents will do 30 days for around $150-185, but they can only stretch it two or three times before you have to leave and come back." — expat threads on r/VietNam, 2025

Extension or visa run — which is cheaper?

For work and business visa holders, an extension is cheaper and easier. For tourists and freelancers, a visa run is often simpler and more reliable.

Documents you need

General list (all visa types)

• Passport — valid for at least 6 months, with at least 2 blank pages
• Application form NA5 — available at the immigration office or online
• Temporary residence registration (giấy tạm trú) — confirmation from the local police where you live
• Photo, 4×6 cm — on a white background

Extra documents by visa type

Work visa (LĐ1, LĐ2):

• Valid work permit
• Employer company's incorporation documents
• A letter of support from the company
• Company seal imprint

Business visa (DN1, DN2):

• A letter of support from the sponsoring company
• Certified copies of the sponsor's incorporation documents
• Proof of the business relationship

Investor visa (ĐT1–ĐT4):

• Investment certificate
• Business registration certificate
• Proof of bank transfers
• Quarterly tax filings for the last 3 months

Family visa (TT):

• Documents proving the relationship (marriage or birth certificate)
• Copy of the sponsoring relative's visa / work permit

The extension process — step by step

There are three ways to extend: in person, through an agency, or online.

At the immigration office (in person)

Step 1. Gather the full document pack.

Step 2. Go to your nearest immigration office:

Saturday: 8:00–11:30 (not at every office). Sunday is closed.

Step 3. Submit the documents. Staff will check they are complete.

Step 4. Get a receipt and pay the government fee.

Step 5. Collect your passport with the extended visa after 5–7 working days.

Through an agency

The simplest route, but also the most expensive.

1. Find a visa agency and send scans of your passport and current visa
2. Hand over the physical passport and pay for the service
3. Get your passport back with the extension in 5–8 working days

Upside: the agent handles the paperwork. Downside: higher cost, and your passport is gone for a week (without it you can't check into a hotel or board a domestic flight).

Online (via the government portal)

Vietnam has launched extensions through the National Public Service Portal: register on the portal, fill in the forms, mail your passport, pay online, track the status.

This suits people living far from the big cities, but it requires Vietnamese or English.

Extend, run, or convert — which one fits you

Extending is not always the right move. If you are on an e-visa, the visa-free entry, or a refused tourist extension, you cannot extend at all — so it comes down to a visa run or converting to a sponsored visa.

Do a visa run when

• You are on an e-visa or the 45-day visa-free entry (neither can be extended)
• Your tourist visa extension was refused
• You want a fresh, longer stay (a 90-day e-visa instead of another 30)
• You have hit the extension limit (roughly three times in a row for a tourist visa)

A visa run means leaving Vietnam for a neighbour — Cambodia, Laos or Thailand — and coming back on a fresh visa. A land hop from Ho Chi Minh City to the Cambodian border and back is a same-day trip; flying out to Bangkok for a weekend does the same job. Routes, border-by-border costs and the step-by-step are all in the dedicated guide.

Convert instead of running

A visa run buys you another 90 days but no path to residence. If you have a sponsor lined up — an employer, a business partner, or a Vietnamese spouse — you can convert a business e-visa to a work, investor or family visa without leaving. The catch: you have to start the paperwork inside Vietnam before your current visa expires, and a tourist e-visa cannot be converted this way.

How long can you keep running?

As long as you want, on paper. There is no cap on e-visas, and the old 30-day cooldown between visa-free entries is gone — you can fly to Bangkok for the weekend and re-enter on a fresh 45-day stamp the same trip. 45 days visa-free, exit, 90 days on an e-visa, exit, 45 again.

In practice, run every month and an immigration officer may start asking what you actually do here. Documented refusals are still rare, but the risk is real. Living here for years on back-to-back tourist stamps is a hassle you will eventually want to trade for a work or investor visa.

Overstay fines in 2026

Fine amounts

💬 "Overstays of 16 days or more may result in deportation. If police identify an offender during a raid, the violation is recorded with high risk of additional measures including deportation and an entry ban." — vietnamteachingjobs.com, 2025

Consequences beyond the fine

• Deportation — possible from 16 days of overstay
• Entry ban — up to 10 years (blacklisting)
• Problems with future visas — even 1–2 days of overstay are logged

What to do if your visa has expired

1. Go to the immigration office — the sooner the better. Coming forward before you are caught reduces the consequences. If you are unsure which visa to move to next, the visa guide lays out every option
2. Contact a visa agency or lawyer — they can help with paperwork and minimise the fine
3. Do not try to leave on an expired visa without settling it — you will be stopped at the border and may be blacklisted
4. Keep every document — fine-payment receipts will matter for future applications

Long-term residence — TRC and PRC

If you plan to live in Vietnam for more than a year, a visa run every 45–90 days is not the best answer.

TRC (Temporary Residence Card)— issued for 1–5 years. It lets you stay without a visa and enter and leave freely.

PRC (Permanent Residence Card)— requires 5+ years of residence, Vietnamese-language ability and a source of income.

For freelancers and remote workers, the most realistic path is opening a company in Vietnam or getting a work visa through a local employer. Vietnam still has no dedicated digital-nomad visa — see what remote workers actually use instead.

What matters: common mistakes

Mistake 1: "I'll apply on the last day."Processing takes 5–7 working days. Apply the day before expiry and you slide straight into overstay.

Mistake 2: "An e-visa can be extended." No. The e-visa cannot be extended under any circumstances. Only a visa run.

Mistake 3: "A visa run needs a night abroad." There is officially no minimum time abroad. At a land border you can turn around the same day.

Mistake 4: "A couple of days overstay is nothing."It isn't. Even 1 day is logged. Since December 2025 the fines are doubled, and from 16 days it means deportation.

Mistake 5: "I'll get an e-visa while I'm in Vietnam." An e-visa only activates on entry. You can apply online, but you can only use it after leaving and re-entering.

Mistake 6: "Tết doesn't affect visa matters."It very much does. During Vietnamese New Year the immigration offices are shut and e-visas aren't processed. Plan your extension well ahead.

FAQ

Can you extend an e-visa?

No. The e-visa cannot be extended. After 90 days you have to leave. You can apply for a fresh one at evisa.gov.vn ($25 single entry, $50 multiple entry) and re-enter.

How much does a visa extension cost?

The government fee is $25 (single entry) up to $135 (multiple entry, one year). Through an agency, $50–185 depending on the city. A tourist visa via an agency is around $150–185 for 30 days.

Can visa-free entry (45 days) be extended?

No. Visa-free entry has no extension path. The only option is to leave and re-enter, and you then get another 45 days. There is no longer any waiting period between entries — a weekend in Bangkok resets the clock. The exemption runs until 14 August 2028.

How many visa runs can you do?

Officially, no limit — there is no cap on e-visas. With very frequent runs (every 30 days) officers may start asking questions. For a long stay, a work or investor visa is better.

What happens if you overstay by one day?

A fine of 500,000 to 2,000,000 VND (~$20–80). The overstay is logged. Fines were set by Decree 282/2025 (in force from 15 December 2025).

What passport do you need to extend?

Valid for at least 6 months, with at least 2 blank pages. Any standard passport works.

Can you extend a visa online?

Yes, through the National Public Service Portal. You fill in the forms and mail your passport. Processing takes 5–7 working days. The portal is in Vietnamese and English.

How far ahead should you apply?

7–10 days. Processing takes 5–7 working days, plus a buffer for extra requests. Don't leave it late — you risk a fine.

Data current as of July 2026. Prices and rules can change — check on evisa.gov.vn and immigration.gov.vn.