Vietnam e-visa and visa exemption: 45 days or a 90-day e-visa

Vietnam has two routes in for most visitors. Citizens of 24 countries, mostly in Europe plus Japan and South Korea, can arrive without a visa and stay up to 45 days. Everyone else applies online for an e-visa, which since August 2023 can be valid for up to 90 days, for single or multiple entries.

The split catches people out because it does not follow the usual lines. British, French and German travelers are visa-free. American, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand travelers are not, and need the e-visa before they fly. Some other countries may have separate agreements with different day counts.

The 45-day exemption comes from two government resolutions, each covering 12 countries and each running for three years. You do not apply for it. You arrive with an eligible passport and the border officer admits you for up to 45 days from the date of entry.

The Vietnam Government News portal set out both groups in its article on visa waivers for citizens of 24 countries from mid-August. The Vietnamese embassy in Japan published the earlier resolution in its notice that Vietnam extends visa exemption policy, with the March 2025 to March 2028 dates.

For everyone who is not covered by an exemption, the answer is the e-visa. Plan on an exemption or an approved e-visa before you fly, rather than expecting to buy a visa at the airport.

The first group, under Resolution 44, is Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The second group, under Resolution 229, is Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. Both give the same 45 days.

The countries missing from those lists are the ones travelers most often assume are covered. The United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Austria, Portugal and Greece are not on them, nor are India and China. Their citizens use the e-visa unless a separate agreement says otherwise.

Some other countries may have separate agreements with their own day counts, so check with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or your nearest Vietnamese embassy if your passport is not on either list. Phu Quoc island has a separate rule: foreign tourists can stay up to 30 days without a visa as long as they remain on the island throughout, which does not cover travel on to the mainland.

Vietnam's e-visa is open to citizens of every country and territory, apart from the categories the portal says must apply through an inviting organization. Since August 2023 it can be issued for up to 90 days, with single or multiple entry. The portal's steps are to fill out the form, complete payment and receive the e-visa online, which you can print or keep on your phone.

The Vietnamese embassy in Japan's e-visa page names the two official portals, evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn, and says embassies cannot help with the application. The Government News portal reported the expansion of e-visa ports in December 2025, under Resolution 389/NQ-CP.

Apply on the official portal only. The portal lists the fee as USD 25 for a single-entry e-visa and USD 50 for a multiple-entry one, paid through its own e-payment gateway and non-refundable if the visa is not granted. Any site that asks for much more is not the official one. Apply well before departure and check the processing time the portal states. The Immigration Department also recommends completing the pre-arrival form at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn before you enter.

What you need

Your passport, the details of your trip including planned entry and exit dates, and the border gate where you will arrive. The portal's instruction and FAQ pages list the exact documents and the passport validity it expects, so read them before you pay. Enter your name exactly as in the passport so the e-visa matches.

At immigration, visa-exempt travelers show their passport and are stamped in for 45 days. E-visa holders show the passport and the e-visa printout or file. The officer checks that you are arriving through a gate the e-visa accepts. Keep a return or onward booking and the address of your first night to hand in case you are asked.

If you are on the 45-day exemption and your plans change, count the days from the entry stamp. The resolutions grant up to 45 days from entry and do not describe an extension, so the simplest fix for a longer trip is to arrive on an e-visa instead. Do not overstay, because penalties are set by Vietnamese law.

If you are combining Vietnam with Cambodia, Laos or Thailand by land, check that your e-visa covers the land gate you plan to use, and choose multiple entry if you will leave and return. For weather and routes across the north, center and south, see the best time to visit Vietnam.

If you are on the 45-day list and your trip is shorter than 45 days, you need nothing more than your passport. If your trip is longer, or you plan to cross into a neighboring country and come back, compare the two routes before you book. An e-visa of up to 90 days with multiple entries covers a slow trip from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City with a loop into Cambodia or Laos, without counting days from each re-entry.

Travelers on the list can still choose the e-visa if it suits them better. That is often the case for people who volunteer or take a course for a few weeks, where the length of the stay goes past 45 days. The e-visa application asks for your purpose, and the officer at the border can ask about it too. Work needs a work visa and permit, not a tourist e-visa.

If your nationality is not on either list, there is no decision to make: apply for the e-visa. Choose single entry for a simple trip, and multiple entry if you will leave Vietnam and return within the validity. The border gate you name in the application is where you should first arrive, so put the airport you are actually flying into.

For families, check the portal's rules for children before you apply. Apply for everyone at the same time so that the approvals arrive together, and check every name against the passport before you pay.

If you hold a passport on the 45-day list and your trip is a single holiday of under six weeks, the exemption is the easiest route, and you should not pay anyone for a visa you do not need. Choose the e-visa instead if you want to stay more than 45 days, if you plan to leave and re-enter within the validity, or if you would rather have a document in hand before you board.

The mistakes to avoid are predictable. Some travelers assume that being European means being exempt, when Ireland, Austria, Portugal and Greece are not on either list. Some count 45 days from the day they book rather than from the date of entry. Others choose an e-visa gate that is not the airport they actually fly into. And a few pay a lookalike site because it ranked first in a search. Check the official portal address before you enter any personal details, and keep a screenshot of your approval.

In August 2023 Vietnam issued Resolution 127/NQ-CP, which opened the e-visa to citizens of all countries and territories, and the e-visa now runs to 90 days. In March 2025 it renewed the exemption for that list for three years under Resolution 44. In August 2025 it added 12 more countries, all in Europe, under Resolution 229. In December 2025 it raised the number of border gates that accept e-visas to 83.

Both 45-day resolutions end in 2028, and the sources above announced no change before then as of 3 October 2026. Government News has reported the Prime Minister asking for visa exemptions to be expanded, so check the lists again if your country is not on them. For cover while you travel, see our travel insurance guides.