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. Each type in detail — in the full Vietnam visa guide.
| Type | Length | Cost | Extension | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | up to 45 days | Free | No, you must exit | Short trips and first winters |
| E-visa (single entry) | up to 90 days | $25 | No | One trip, no border runs |
| E-visa (multiple entry) | up to 90 days | $50 | No | Long stays with border runs |
| Work (DN / LĐ) | 1–2 years | $100–200 | Yes, via employer | A contract in Vietnam |
| Business (DN) | 1–12 months | $100–200 | Yes | Your own company or a partner |
| Investor (ĐT) | 1–5 years | On request | Yes | Investment in a local business |
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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 | Consequences |
|---|---|---|
| 1–15 days | 500,000 – 2,000,000 VND | Pay at the airport or immigration office |
| 16–29 days | 5,000,000 – 10,000,000 VND | Deportation possible |
| 30–59 days | 10,000,000 – 15,000,000 VND | Deportation + entry ban |
| 60–89 days | 15,000,000 – 20,000,000 VND | Deportation + entry ban |
| 90–179 days | 20,000,000 – 25,000,000 VND | Deportation + up to 5-year ban |
| 180+ days | 25,000,000 – 30,000,000 VND | Deportation + up to 10-year ban |
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Overstay calculator
Work out your exit deadline and the overstay fine
Enter your entry date to calculate.
Short answers
It depends on your passport. Citizens of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and 20+ other countries get 45 days visa-free. US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passport holders need an e-visa (up to 90 days). Everyone can apply for an e-visa online at evisa.gov.vn regardless of nationality.
Apply at the official site evisa.gov.vn (the second official domain is thithucdientu.gov.vn). You need a passport scan and a 4x6 cm photo on a white background. The fee is $25 for single entry or $50 for multiple entry; both run for the same length of stay — up to 90 days — and differ only in how many times you may enter. By regulation a decision takes 3 working days, but leave a week before departure. The fee is not refunded if the application is rejected. The e-visa arrives by email as a PDF to print.
Fines follow Decree 282/2025: 1–15 days — up to 2,000,000 VND, 16–29 days — up to 10,000,000 VND with possible deportation, 30–59 days — 10–15,000,000 VND with deportation, 60–89 days — 15–20,000,000 VND, 90–179 days — 20–25,000,000 VND, 180+ days — 25–30,000,000 VND with a re-entry ban of up to 10 years. Fines are paid in cash (VND) at the immigration office or airport.
A visa run means leaving Vietnam and re-entering to reset your allowed stay. Popular routes: Cambodia via Moc Bai (3 hours from Ho Chi Minh City, ~$100–150), Laos via Lao Bao (from Da Nang, ~$100–150), or a flight to Thailand ($150–300). There is no 30-day cooldown — you can return immediately.
Yes. Phu Quoc island is a special economic zone: citizens of ALL countries can stay up to 30 days visa-free, even nationalities that need a visa for mainland Vietnam. The condition is a direct international flight to Phu Quoc (not via another Vietnamese city). To continue to the mainland you need an e-visa or your country’s visa-free entry.
Cigarettes — up to 200 (10 packs) or 100 cigars or 500 g of tobacco. Alcohol — 2 litres (under 22%) or 1.5 litres (over 22%). Currency — up to $5,000 without declaration. VND over 15,000,000 must be declared. Personal goods up to ~10,000,000 VND ($400) are duty-free.
If you need more depth
Primary sources, 12–19-minute reads and PDFs that open offline.