Vietnam Visa Exemption
As of 2024, citizens of 25 countries can travel to Vietnam without having to apply for a visa. To enter Vietnam, you only need a valid passport with at least two blank pages for stamping. You can find the full list of visa-free countries below. However, if your country is not on the visa exemption list, then you will need to obtain a visa to enter Vietnam.
Special notes
- British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders are not eligible for the 15-day free visa exemption. Hence, BNO passport holders are required to obtain a valid visa to visit Vietnam.
- Foreign passports are exempt from visa requirements to Phu Quoc island for no longer than 30 days. If they transit through other international airports in Vietnam before arriving Phu Quoc, they are still eligible for the exemption.
- APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) holders with valid passports are exempt from Vietnam visa requirements for stay of no longer than 60 days.
- From July 01, 2020, the 30-day gap between 2 entries was removed. Therefore, visitors from visa-free countries can exit and re-enter Vietnam immedately without having to wait 30 days.
- There is a proposal for 45-day visa-exempt stay for travelers from European countries, Japan and South Korea. Update: This proposal was approved on 24/06/2023. (See our news & updates)
Map of visa-exempt countries
List of countries with visa-free entry (2024)
Countries | Passport Required | Maximum Stay |
---|---|---|
Belarus | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Brunei | Yes | Maximum 14 days |
Cambodia | Yes | Maximum 30 days |
Chile | Yes | Maximum 90 days |
Denmark | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Finland | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
France | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Germany | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Indonesia | Yes | Maximum 30 days |
Italy | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Japan | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Kyrgyzstan | Yes | Maximum 30 days |
Laos | Yes | Maximum 30 days |
Malaysia | Yes | Maximum 30 days |
Myanmar | Yes | Maximum 14 days |
Norway | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Panama | Yes | Maximum 90 days |
Philippines | Yes | Maximum 21 days |
Russia | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Singapore | Yes | Maximum 30 days |
South Korea | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Spain | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Sweden | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Thailand | Yes | Maximum 30 days |
United Kingdom | Yes | Maximum 45 days |
Vietnam visa-waiver policy 2024
What is Vietnam visa exemption?
Vietnam visa exemption (also called visa waiver or visa-free policy) is Government’s policy when a foreigner can enter and stay in Vietnam for a certain period of time without applying for a visa and paying related visa fees. Accordingly, foreigners must be citizens of one of the 25 countries eligible for Vietnam visa exemption and comply with the attached conditions.
Visa exemption in brief
Number of visa-free countries (2024) |
|
Longest visa exemption period |
|
Shortest visa exemption period |
|
European visa-free countries (2024) |
|
The 30-day gap between 2 consecutive entry policy |
|
APEC card holders |
|
Phu Quoc island visa exemption |
|
Documents required |
|
List of countries with visa exemption
In regard to Resolution No. 32/NQ-CP issued on 15 March 2022, there are a total of 25 countries that are exempted from the Vietnam visa. Foreigners just need an ordinary passport which is valid for 6 months minimum and includes 2 blank pages for the stamp. Besides, Vietnam supports many other foreigners with diplomatic passports to enter Vietnam without a visa.
Ordinary passports
Citizens with an ordinary passport from one of the 25 following countries will be waived from a visa to Vietnam:
No. |
Country |
Duration of stay |
Purpose of entry |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
Chile |
90 days |
Purpose of generating income is not allowed |
2 |
Panama |
90 days |
Purpose of generating income is not allowed |
3 |
Cambodia |
30 days |
N/A |
4 |
Indonesia |
30 days |
N/A |
5 |
Kyrgyzstan |
30 days |
N/A |
6 |
Laos |
30 days |
N/A |
7 |
Malaysia |
30 days |
Tourism, conference, seminars, visiting relatives, business negotiation |
8 |
Singapore |
30 days |
Purpose of generating income is not allowed |
9 |
Thailand |
30 days |
N/A |
10 |
Philippines |
21 days |
N/A |
11 |
Brunei |
14 days |
N/A |
12 |
Myanmar |
14 days |
N/A |
13 |
Belarus |
45 days |
N/A |
14 |
Denmark |
45 days |
N/A |
15 |
Finland |
45 days |
N/A |
13 |
France |
45 days |
N/A |
17 |
Germany |
45 days |
N/A |
18 |
Italy |
45 days |
N/A |
19 |
Japan |
45 days |
N/A |
20 |
Norway |
45 days |
N/A |
21 |
Russia |
45 days |
N/A |
22 |
South Korea |
45 days |
N/A |
23 |
Spain |
45 days |
N/A |
24 |
Sweden |
45 days |
N/A |
25 |
United Kingdom (Not applicable to BNO) |
45 days |
N/A |
Diplomatic passports
With a diplomatic passport, foreigners can enter Vietnam without a visa and stay for 15 to 90 days.
Reference: The list below is based on data obtained from the official website: https://lanhsuvietnam.gov.vn/
No. |
Country |
Duration of stay |
---|---|---|
1 |
Afghanistan |
30 days |
2 |
Albania |
30 days |
3 |
Algeria |
90 days |
4 |
Angola |
30 days |
5 |
Argentina |
90 days |
6 |
Armenia |
90 days |
7 |
Azerbaijan |
30 days |
8 |
Bangladesh |
90 days |
9 |
Belarus |
30 days |
10 |
Bolivia |
90 days |
11 |
Botswana |
90 days |
12 |
Brazil |
90 days |
13 |
Brunei |
14 days |
14 |
Bulgaria |
90 days within 180 days period from the date of entry |
15 |
Cambodia |
30 days |
16 |
Cameroon |
90 days |
17 |
Chile |
90 days |
18 |
China |
30 days |
19 |
Colombia |
90 days |
20 |
Costa Rica |
90 days |
21 |
Croatia |
30 days |
22 |
Cuba |
30 days |
23 |
Cyprus |
90 days |
24 |
Czech |
90 days |
25 |
Denmark |
15 days |
26 |
Dominican (Republic) |
90 days |
27 |
Ecuador |
90 days |
28 |
Egypt |
90 days |
29 |
El Salvador |
90 days |
30 |
Estonia |
90 days within 180 days period from the date of entry |
31 |
Finland |
15 days |
32 |
France |
03 months within 6 months period from the date of entry |
33 |
Germany |
15 days |
34 |
Greece |
90 days within 180 days period from the date of entry |
35 |
Hungary |
90 days |
36 |
India |
90 days |
37 |
Indonesia |
14 days |
38 |
Iran |
30 days |
39 |
Iraq |
90 days |
40 |
Israel |
90 days |
41 |
Italy (Republic) |
90 days within 6 months period |
42 |
Ivory Coast |
90 days |
43 |
Japan |
90 days |
44 |
Kazakhstan |
30 days |
45 |
North Korea |
30 days |
46 |
South Korea |
90 days |
47 |
Kyrgyzstan |
30 days |
48 |
Kuwait |
90 days within 06 months period from the date of entry |
49 |
Laos |
30 days |
50 |
Liberia |
90 days |
51 |
Macedonia |
03 months within 06 months period from the date of entry |
52 |
Malaysia |
30 days |
53 |
Malta |
90 days |
54 |
Mexico |
90 days |
55 |
Moldova |
90 days |
56 |
Mongolia |
90 days |
57 |
Montenegro |
90 days |
58 |
Morocco |
90 days |
59 |
Mozambique |
90 days |
60 |
Myanmar |
30 days |
61 |
Nepal |
90 days |
62 |
Nicaragua |
30 days |
63 |
Nigeria |
90 days |
64 |
Norway |
15 days |
65 |
Pakistan |
90 days |
66 |
Panama |
90 days |
67 |
Paraguay |
90 days |
68 |
Peru |
90 days |
69 |
Poland |
90 days within 180 days period from the date of entry |
70 |
Philippines |
30 days |
71 |
Romania |
30 days |
72 |
Russia |
90 days |
73 |
Serbia |
90 days |
74 |
Seychelles |
90 days |
75 |
Singapore |
90 days |
76 |
Slovakia |
90 days |
77 |
Slovenia |
3 months within 6 months period from the date of entry |
78 |
South Africa |
90 days |
79 |
Spain |
90 days within 180 days from the date of entry |
80 |
Sri Lanka |
90 days |
81 |
Sudan |
90 days within 180 days period from the date of entry |
82 |
Sweden |
15 days |
83 |
Switzerland |
90 days |
84 |
Tanzania |
90 days |
85 |
Thailand |
30 days |
86 |
Tunisia |
90 days |
87 |
Turkey |
90 days |
88 |
Ukraine |
90 days |
89 |
United Arab Emirates |
90 days |
90 |
United Kingdom |
15 days |
91 |
Uruguay |
90 days |
92 |
Uzbekistan |
60 days |
93 |
Venezuela |
90 days |
Other visa exemptions
Apart from 25 countries whose citizens are eligible for the visa exemption as listed above, there are some other visa-free categories you can refer to.
5 year visa exemption for Overseas Vietnamese
According to Clause 5, Article 12 in the Law of entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners, Vietnam Government grants a 5-year visa exemption to the following objects:
- Overseas Vietnamese having a valid passport or international travel documents issued by competent foreign agencies and foreigners who are their spouses and children.
- Foreigners who are spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens.
A 5-year visa waiver allows foreigners/overseas Vietnamese to enter and exit Vietnam at any time during 5 years but the maximum stay for each entry is not exceeding 180 days. If you do not want to exit and en-enter Vietnam, you must extend your visa to continue to stay. The extension time is up to 180 days (6 months).
Requirements
To get a 5-year visa waiver, you have to submit all required documents at the Vietnam Embassy or Consulate in your residing country if you are staying outside Vietnam or at Vietnam Immigration Office if you are currently staying in Vietnam territory.
Phu Quoc Visa exemption
For the development of Phu Quoc Island (Kien Giang Province), Vietnam issued Decision 80/2013/QĐ-TTg on 27/12/2013 that foreigners can enter, exit, and stay on Phu Quoc Island without a Vietnam visa for no longer than 30 days. The decision is applied to both foreigners entering Vietnam directly on Phu Quoc Island and those transiting at a Vietnam border gate (airport or seaport) and moving to Phu Quoc Island thereafter.
Requirements
In order to enter Vietnam with a Phu Quoc visa exemption, foreigners have to follow some requirements below:
- Owning a passport with 6-month validity upon arrival date.
- Flying from your residing country to Phu Quoc via Phu Quoc International Airport. No matter if direct/indirect/transit flights, your final destination must be Phu Quoc.
- A valid exit date (air ticket, cruise departure date, etc.) showing your duration of stay on Phu Quoc island is no longer than 30 days.
- Only airport or seaport is available for this visa type.
APEC card visa exemption
APEC card or APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) is a card granted to eligible senior government officials and business travelers by APEC (The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation). This card is used to support business trips within the APEC region for a short period of time.
Foreigners holding an APEC Business Travel Card and having a valid passport are exempted from the Vietnam visa for up to 60 days. Moreover, fast entry and exit through APEC’s separate lanes at the airport will be provided for foreigners with this visa waiver.
Requirements
Each country in APEC has a distinct policy to grant an ABTC but applicants need to comply with some fundamental requirements including:
- Being citizens of economies participating in APEC
- Having a valid passport or equivalent travel document
- Business persons who frequently travel within the APEC region for a short term stay
- Government officials engaged in APEC business meeting certain requirements
Visa exemption extensions
As foreigners with a visa exemption certificate are allowed to stay in Vietnam for a certain period of time, you need to apply for an exemption extension if you want to continue to stay in Vietnam.
Conditions
- Sponsored by Vietnamese agencies/organizations for reasonable reasons.
- Overseas Vietnamese and foreigners who are spouses or children of overseas Vietnamese or Vietnamese citizens holding foreign passports or equivalent international travel documents with at least 1 year of validity.
- Not being prohibited from entering or suspended from exiting Vietnam.
What to prepare
- A valid passport, or equivalent international travel documents, or permanent residence permit issued by a competent authority in a residing country to overseas Vietnamese.
- Application form for stay extension (Form NA5).
- Visa exemption certificate.
How to extend
- Step 1: Prepare all required documents
- Step 2: Submit all documents to the Vietnam Immigration Office (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang) or the Immigration Office of provinces and cities in Vietnam. The process takes around 5 working days since the Immigration Department receives your complete application.
- If application is approved, the receipt will be made and given to the applicant.
- If application is not sufficient, applicants are required to amend or supplement the documents as required.
- Step 3: Pay fee and get the visa exemption extension
Applicants present the receipt to Immigration Officer to get a response, pay the fee and sign for confirmation.
Processing time & fee
The review process for visa exemption extension is 05 working days. Applicants must pay a fee of USD10 after the review process finishes to get the certificate.
Exemption policy updates
Since March 15, 2022, citizens of 13 countries unilaterally exempted from Vietnam visas for a period of 15 days, regardless of purposes, do not need to wait for at least 30 days from the last exit date to re-enter Vietnam on a unilateral visa-free basis. This is the most updated policy according to Resolution No. 32/NQ-CP by the Prime Minister.
Previously, all foreigners entering Vietnam under unilateral visa exemption must be at least 30 days from the time of their last exit from Vietnam regarding the provisions of Law No. 47/2014/QH13.
Questions and Answers (82)
I’m a US citizen with US passport traveling to Vietnam on a Cruise ship from Hong Kong do I need a visa? Thank you
@Bushra Ghani, yes, you will require a valid visa to visit Vietnam on a cruise ship. You can apply for an e-visa online and select the designated seaport you will be visiting.
I am a British citizen with a British passport living in the US We are travelling to Vietnam from Singapore on a cruise ship do I need a visa? Thank you
@Susan Jane Dixon, if you hold a valid UK passport, you do not need a visa to enter Vietnam (on a cruise ship) for a maximum stay of 45 days.
Frequently asked questions
1. Do I have to prepare something for the entry procedure at the airport if I am exempted from the Vietnam visa?
No. If you are a citizen of 25 countries exempted from a visa, you only need to prepare a minimum 6-month valid passport with 2 blank pages for the check-in at the airport.
2. How long does it take to get a stay extension if my exemption of visa is expired?
The process of stay extension is 05 working days. It might take longer if your documents are not sufficient and need to be fixed or supplemented.
3. How many times can I apply for a visa exemption extension continuously?
Foreigners entering Vietnam with a visa waiver certificate can apply for the extension only once after arriving in Vietnam.
4. How long is the visa exemption certificate valid?
A visa exemption has a maximum validity of 5 years. However, it will expire 6 months in advance of the expiration of foreigners’ passports or valid equivalent international travel documents.
5. I overstay my visa exemption for 1 day, what can I do?
If you overstay your Vietnam visa for less than 3 days, you are not required to contact the Immigration office, instead you can go to the airport and pay the fine there upon exit, it is about 500,000 VND (~$23 US) fine per overstay day!
6. Can I use visa exemption for multiple entries in Vietnam?
According to the new policy in 2020, you can re-enter Vietnam with a new visa exemption certificate right after your exit date instead of waiting for 30 days as before. Please make sure your passport is 6 months valid and includes 2 pages for stamping the visa exemption certificate.
7. Is there a visa exemption for 45 days in Vietnam?
Yes, the Vietnamese Government is considering the proposal for a 45-day free-visa waiver program for travelers from certain markets such as European countries, South Korea, and Japan.
8. How long can I visit Vietnam without a visa?
The length of visa-free stay will depend on your nationality. Currently, citizens of the following countries are eligible for visa exemptions and can stay in Vietnam without a visa for the specified period of time:
- Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia for a stay of up to 30 days.
- Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Russia for a stay of up to 45 days.
- Laos and Cambodia for a stay of up to 30 days.
- Panama, Chile for a stay of up to 90 days.
- Philippines for a stay of up to 21 days.
Contact sales if you have additional questions.
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