Vietnam is one of the easiest countries to get a visa in Southeast Asia. Tourists can do it through the official government portal at evisa.gov.vn (for the 90-day eVisa). Citizens of more than 35 countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea, can enter Vietnam without a visa for stays of up to 45 days. US citizens, Australians, Canadians, and Indian passport holders are not on the exemption list and must apply for a visa online before they travel to Vietnam. This guide will offer information about the current Vietnam travel visa requirements, walk through the visa application step by step, and cover fees, processing time, extensions, and the mistakes that get travelers turned away at check-in. 

What is a Vietnam travel visa?

A Vietnam travel visa is an official entry permit provided by the Vietnamese government, allowing a foreigner to get an exit from Vietnam in a timely manner. The document capacity contains all of the information, such as visa validity, the number of entries allowed, your date of entry, and your date of exit.

 The Vietnam Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security is in charge of managing visa policy from the law on entry, exit, transit, and residence, which sets the conditions for foreigners to enter and exit the country. 

Travelers can apply for a visa in two ways: 

• The online eVisa portal run by the immigration authority, and 
• The network of Vietnamese embassies and consulates abroad.

Who needs a visa to visit Vietnam?

Passport	Visa needed?	Visa-free stay	Recommended option
United States	Yes	None	90-day e-Visa, 25 USD
United Kingdom	No, up to 45 days	45 days	eVisa only for stays over 45 days
Australia	Yes	None	90-day e-visa
Canada	Yes	None	90-day e-visa
Germany, France, Italy, Spain	No, up to 45 days	45 days	eVisa only for longer stays
India	Yes	None	90-day e-visa

Vietnam visa exemption countries

Vietnam grants visa-free entry to citizens of more than 35 countries. The stay limit ranges from 14 to 90 days depending on nationality. You can travel to Vietnam without a visa if your passport is on this list and you stay within the limit.

Nowadays, the Vietnamese government grants visa-free entry to citizens of more than 35 countries with limit stay from 14 to 90 days depending on nationality. So, tourists can easily enter Vietnam without a visa if their passport is on the list of visa-free countries. 

90 days: Chile and Panama, under bilateral agreements.

45 days, all purposes of short-term travel

• United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia
• Japan, South Korea
• Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland
• Added from 15 August 2025 through 14 August 2028: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech
• Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland

30 days or less (mostly ASEAN)

• Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia: 30 days
• Philippines: 21 days
• Brunei, Myanmar: 14 days

However, if tourists travel to Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam. You totally have a 30-day visa-free period for every nationality (except Schengen membership such as Austria, Greece, Ireland, and Portugal) when arriving directly on the island and staying there. So, this is an opportunity for those who do not qualify for any other exemption. Besides, if you hold APEC Business Travel Card, you can stay up to 60 days without a visa at Phu Quoc. 

Types of Vietnam travel visas

There are 3 applications for tourists, such as 

• eVisa - This is a popular choice, winning on cost, speed, and simplicity.
• An embassy-issued visa
• The older visa on arrival route

Type	Max stay	Entries	Cost	Where to apply
eVisa	90 days	Single or multiple	25 or 50 USD	evisa.gov.vn
Embassy visa	90 days or more	Single or multiple	Varies by consulate	Vietnamese embassy or consulate
Visa on arrival	30 to 90 days	Single or multiple	Approval letter fee plus stamping fee	Via a sponsoring agency in Vietnam

Vietnam eVisa

The Vietnam eVisa is an electronic visa issued entirely online by the Vietnamese immigration department. No embassy visit, no mailing your original passport, no approval letter. You complete the online application, pay by card, and receive a PDF to print and carry.

You can do eVisa online by yourself. Only complete the online application, pay by card, and receive a PDF to print and carry.

 Vietnamese eVisa in 2026

• Open to all nationalities
• Valid for up to 90 days from your chosen start date
• Single entry (25 USD) or multiple entries (50 USD)
• Accepted at 83 international checkpoints as of December 2025, including all major airports, land borders, and seaports
• Time: 3 days, however, it can be longer in peak season. 

The official website only to apply for an eVisa is evisa.gov.vn. 

Single-entry visa

This is a visa to admit you once. When you leave the country, the visa is expired, although the validity period has time remaining. If you are planning to go to Vietnam with one continuous trip, you should choose this visa. Besides, the price for a single-entry visa is cheaper than the multiple-entry version. You don't need to pay more if you are not returning. 

Multiple-entry visa

A multiple-entry eVisa allows you to come and leave Vietnam many times within the 90-day validity window. The cost of a multiple-entry eVisa is 50 USD. This is the best right for tourists combining Vietnam with some countries, or business travelers. You can fly into Hanoi, cross overland into Laos, loop through Thailand and Cambodia, and re-enter Vietnam in the south. 

Vietnam visa requirements

Whether you apply online or at a consulate, you need to check four things before visa issuance and again when you enter Vietnam.

• Ensure your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond your arrival date. A passport expiring 5 months after arrival means denied boarding, even with an approved visa in hand.
• Your passport needs at least 2 blank pages for the entry and exit stamps.
• Apply for a visa to match your visa type. A Vietnam travel visa only covers sightseeing, visiting friends and family, and attending short business meetings; it does not permit employment.
• Travelers previously deported from Vietnam or flagged for an immigration violation on a previous visa may be refused.
• If you enter Vietnam at the border, the requirements need proof of onward travel (a health declaration completed within 7 days before travel from 1 July 2026). You should prepare a round-trip ticket. 

Required documents

Some documents to apply for a Vietnamese eVisa include the following: 

• Passport valid for at least 6 months from your entry date, with 2 blank pages
  A clear scan or photo of your passport data page (the page with your photo)
• A recent portrait photo, plain background, no glasses, straight face, roughly passport style
• Your travel dates and intended entry and exit checkpoints
• A temporary address in Vietnam, such as your first hotel booking
• A credit or debit card to pay the required fee online
• An email address

• Original passport, since the visa is stamped or glued into it
• Completed application form from the embassy website
• One or two passport photos
• Visa fee, often payable only by money order or cash depending on the consulate
• Supporting documents for long-stay or non-tourist visas, such as an invitation letter or business registration from a sponsor

You should photograph or scan every document before you go to Vietnam. Keep digital copies of your passport, visa PDF, and hotel bookings in cloud storage. Replacing lost travel documents abroad is far faster when you can show copies to your embassy and the local immigration office.

Step-by-step application process

• Step 1. Go to evisa.gov.vn. 
• Step 2. Start a new application. Select "For foreigners" and confirm you have read the instructions.
• Step 3. Upload your passport scan and portrait photo. Using a sharp and complete image. 
• Step 4. Fill in your personal details exactly.
• Step 5. Choose single or multiple entries, your validity dates, and your checkpoints. Pick an entry date a few days earlier than your flight if your plans might shift. You can enter any time after the start date, but never before it.
• Step 6. Pay the fee by card. The fee is non-refundable, even if the application is refused.
• Step 7. Save your application code. You will need it to check your status and download the result.
• Step 8. Download your visa PDF. Print at least one paper copy and keep a digital copy on your phone. Check every field on the PDF the moment it arrives. If you spot an error in your name, passport number, or dates, you cannot edit an issued eVisa. You can contact the immigration department at foreigners@immigration.gov.vn with your application code, but in most error cases the practical fix is a fresh application with a new fee, so careful data entry the first time is worth the effort.

Vietnam visa fees

Item	Official fee
eVisa, single-entry, up to 90 days	25 USD
eVisa, multiple entry, up to 90 days	50 USD
Visa on arrival stamping fee, single entry	25 USD, cash at the counter
Visa on arrival stamping fee, multiple entry	50 USD, cash at the counter
Embassy visa	Varies by consulate, typically 70 to 160 USD

Vietnam visa processing time

If you apply for a Vietnam tourist visa online, you should avoid the following:

• Tet, the lunar new year holiday in late January or February, effectively freezes processing for a week or more. Applications around Tet routinely take 7 to 10 business days.
• Peak tourist season, November through March, brings volume delays even outside holidays.
• The time takes about 5 to 10 days plus mailing time. You should apply 2-4 weeks before departure. If the CV is denied, you can apply secondary without threatening your flight. 

How long can tourists stay in Vietnam?

Entry method	Maximum continuous stay
Visa exemption (UK, EU list, Japan, Korea...)	45 days
Visa exemption (most ASEAN passports)	14 to 30 days
eVisa	Up to 90 days
Embassy visa	Per the visa, up to 90 days or more for special categories
Phu Quoc exemption	30 days, island only

Note: The count starts on your date of entry, and the entry day counts as day one.

Example: A 45-day exemption beginning on 1 March ends on 14 April, not 15 April. 

Can you extend a Vietnamese travel visa?

Due to visa-free stays cannot be extended inside the country, so if you want to remain in Vietnam longer. You have 3 options: 

• Option 1: Exit to Cambodia, Laos, or Thailand and re-enter. 
• Option 2: Apply for a new visa before the current stay ends. You cannot hold two visas at once or apply from inside the country, so this works together with option 1: leave, apply, re-enter. 
• Option 3: A genuine visa extension through the immigration office. Formal extension or renewal at the immigration offices in Hanoi, Da Nang, or Ho Chi Minh City exists mainly for specific visa categories with a Vietnamese sponsor, such as business visas. 

Overstay fines run roughly 10 to 50 USD per day at current enforcement levels, settled at the immigration office or the airport before departure, and a recorded overstay can block future visa approval. 

Common reasons for visa rejection

Some reasons for the refused visa, includs

• Blurry or non-compliant photos. Glare on the passport scan, glasses in the portrait, a cropped data page.
• Data mismatch. Passport number, name spelling, or date of birth entered differently from the passport. 
• Passport under 6 months of validity. The system may accept the application, but the visa is refused or becomes unusable at the airport.
• Prior immigration violations. 
• Wrong document type. Applying for an emergency travel document or a passport category the eVisa does not cover.
• Duplicate applications. Submitting several parallel applications to "hedge" can flag both.
• If your application is refused, there is no formal appeal channel for tourists. The fix is a corrected new application. Since the fee is not refunded, careful preparation is cheaper than repetition. 
• If the journey occurs from January to late February, you should apply for a Vietnam tourist visa before Tet. 

Tips before traveling to Vietnam

Practical advice from patterns we see across thousands of travelers each year:

• Print your e-visa
• Match your checkpoint plans loosely, not rigidly.
• Carry proof of onward travel.
• Screenshot the exemption rules for your passport from an official source before flying.
• Register your residence. 
• Comply with the purpose of your visa

In the case your ship calls at multiple Vietnamese ports, you enter and exit Vietnam more than once, so a multiple-entry visa or an exemption that permits re-entry is the safe choice. Confirm with your cruise line, since some arrange group paperwork.

Frequently asked questions

Do US citizens need a visa for Vietnam?
Yes. There is no exemption for US passports. The standard route is the 90-day eVisa at 25 USD single entry, applied for online at evisa.gov.vn.

Is Vietnam visa-free for UK citizens?
Yes, for stays up to 45 days. For longer trips, apply for the 90-day eVisa before departure.

How much does a Vietnam visa cost in 2026?
25 USD for a single-entry eVisa, 50 USD for multiple entries. Embassy visas cost more and vary by consulate. Exemptions are free.

How long does the Vietnam eVisa take?
Officially 3 working days. Around Tet and in peak season, allow 7 to 10 business days. Apply 2 to 4 weeks ahead.

Can I get a Vietnam visa on arrival without anything prepared?
No. Visa on arrival requires a pre-arranged approval letter from a sponsoring agency. Arriving with no visa and no exemption means denied boarding at your origin airport.

Can I extend my visa inside Vietnam?
Usually not. Visa-free stays are non-extendable, and eVisa extension is not reliably available. The practical path is to leave the country and re-enter on a new visa or a fresh exemption.

Can I enter Vietnam twice on one visa?
Only with a multiple-entry visa. A single-entry visa is consumed the first time you exit, regardless of remaining validity.

What happens if I overstay my Vietnam visa?
Fines of roughly 10 to 50 USD per day, paid before departure, plus a record that can affect future applications. Longer overstays risk detention and entry bans.

Do children need their own Vietnam visa?
Yes, every traveler with their own passport needs their own visa or exemption, including infants.

Is the Phu Quoc exemption really for everyone?
Yes, all nationalities get 30 days visa-free on direct international arrival to Phu Quoc. It applies only while you stay on the island; traveling to the mainland requires a visa.

Which website is the official one for the Vietnam eVisa?
Only evisa.gov.vn, run by the Vietnamese government. Every other domain is a commercial intermediary.

Do I need a visa to transit through Vietnam?
If you stay airside in the international transit area, no. If you pass through immigration to change airports or terminals landside, you need a visa or an applicable exemption.

Vietnam travel visa takes less time if you do it in the right order. If you plan to stay longer, you should apply for a 90-day eVisa with the cost of 25 USD. Remember to prepare clean document scans, enter your details exactly as printed in your passport, apply well before departure, and carry a printed copy when you travel.

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