Vietnam entry rules: visas, e-visa, arrival form and customs limits

Find your passport below. If you’re not visa-exempt, apply for the e-visa on the government’s own site, evisa.gov.vn, and nowhere else. Check your passport has six months’ validity and two blank pages, and leave vapes at home.

Where’s your passport from?

UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Japan or South Korea: no visa needed for 45 days, under a rule running to 14 March 2028.Ministry of Foreign Affairs (opens in a new tab)web.mofa.gov.vn
Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia or Switzerland: no visa needed for 45 days, under a separate rule running to 14 August 2028.Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
Chile or Panama: no visa needed for 90 days.
Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Mongolia: no visa needed for 30 days.
Philippines: 21 days. Brunei: 14 days.Ministry of Foreign Affairs (opens in a new tab)web.mofa.gov.vn
Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada or anywhere else not listed: get an e-visa.
Want to stay longer than your free days? Apply for an e-visa before you arrive.Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel

The 45-day rules apply to any passport type and any purpose of entry.Vietnam Government portal (opens in a new tab)en.baochinhphu.vn Both are temporary and renewed by the government, so check your embassy’s notice before booking a trip after those dates.

What every visitor must do

Check your passport is valid for six months after your arrival date and has two blank pages.Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travelGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)gov.uk
Carry a return or onward ticket if you’re entering visa-free. The tourism authority lists it as a condition.
File the arrival form at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn (opens in a new tab) up to three days before you fly. See the arrival form.
Give your passport to your hotel at check-in. See registering where you stay.
Leave vapes at home. They’re banned.GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)gov.uk

If it doesn’t go to plan

Visa-exempt but staying longer than your days? Leave before the exit-by date stamped in your passport, or get an e-visa before you arrive.GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)gov.uk
Applied for an e-visa and it hasn’t arrived? Allow three to five working days before you worry.Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
Paid a site other than evisa.gov.vn? Check the approval letter lists the port you’re entering through. The tourism authority warns that unauthorised agencies charge inflated fees.
Overstayed? Pay the fine and expect a possible deportation. See overstaying.

If you need an e-visa

E-visas are open to every nationality. Each is valid for up to 90 days, as a single entry for US$25 or multiple entries for US$50.Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel

Apply only at evisa.gov.vn (opens in a new tab). The tourism authority warns against unauthorised third-party agencies charging inflated fees, and tells you to confirm the evisa.gov.vn domain. The Immigration Department’s own portal, evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn, is linked from the same page.
Processing takes three to five working days. No sponsor or invitation is needed.VietnamPlus (opens in a new tab)en.vietnamplus.vn
You need a passport valid for six months, with two blank pages, and a recent 4 x 6 cm colour photo on a white background.VnExpress International, December 2024 (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net
Pick your entry point carefully. An e-visa only works at the entry and exit points you select when you apply.GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)gov.uk
Print the approval and carry it.

The arrival form

The Pre-arrival Information form is encouraged, not compulsory.Vietnam Embassy in Singapore, July 2026 (opens in a new tab)vnembassy-singapore.mofa.gov.vn It started as a pilot at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat airport in April 2026, and that notice lists Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang, Cam Ranh and Phu Quoc.

File it up to three days before arrival, from any device.Ministry of Public Security (opens in a new tab)en.bocongan.gov.vn
Use only prearrival.immigration.gov.vn (opens in a new tab). Authorities have found fake sites impersonating it that may steal card details.
Have your flight number right. Mistyped flight codes caused many failed submissions in the pilot.

Registering where you stay

You don’t register yourself. Hotels and hosts declare your stay to local police, and you hand over your passport at check-in.Vietnam News (opens in a new tab)vietnamnews.vn

Each change of accommodation needs a new declaration.
Refusing to give information, or giving false details, can cost you VND 3 to 5 million. The hotel is the one fined for not declaring.VnExpress International, November 2025 (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net

Customs limits

Per adult, duty-free:Vietnam Customs (opens in a new tab)customs.gov.vn

Spirits over 20%: 1.5 litres. Under 20%: 2 litres. Beer and other drinks: 3 litres.
Tobacco: 200 cigarettes, or 20 cigars, or 250 g of raw tobacco.
Other goods: up to a total of 10,000,000 VND.
Cash: declare more than US$5,000 in foreign currency, or more than 15,000,000 VND.GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)gov.uk
Medicine: carry it in hand luggage with a copy of the prescription. Declare it if its import value is over US$100.
Banned: vapes and related products; drugs of any kind, with severe penalties for any amount; protected wild animals and plants.GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)gov.uk

If you overstay

Fines under a decree in force since 15 December 2025 depend on how long you stayed:Vietnam News (opens in a new tab)vietnamnews.vn

Under 16 days: 500,000 to 2,000,000 VND.
16 to under 30 days: 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 VND.
Longer: up to 40,000,000 VND, rising with the length of stay.
Deportation is possible from 16 days.

You can be stopped from leaving until the fine is paid.GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)gov.uk