VisaVietnam visitors should match visa choice to nationality and entry gate
Current guidance separates forty-five-day exemptions from up-to-ninety-day e-visas, with confirmed fees, document checks and the status of the Tan Son Nhat arrival declaration.
Official source date: 2026-10-29
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Check whether the forty-five-day exemption covers the passport
Vietnam’s visa-free and electronic-visa routes serve different travellers and itineraries. A forty-five-day exemption available to one nationality does not establish permission for another, while a multiple-entry e-visa may be needed for a journey involving repeated border crossings. This current guide explains operating rules; it does not present earlier visa-exemption decisions as new October announcements.
Government reporting on Resolution 229 identifies Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland for exemptions of up to forty-five days from 15 August 2025 until 14 August 2028, subject to entry conditions. That report also identifies the separate Resolution 44 group including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Japan, South Korea and four Nordic states. Check the current official nationality guidance before relying on an exemption.
Use an e-visa for the appropriate stay and entry pattern
Vietnam’s National Authority of Tourism describes electronic visas for all nationalities, with single- or multiple-entry products lasting up to ninety days. Its visa guide directs applicants to the official government system and advises checking the specific entry gate. Up to ninety days is a maximum, not a promise that every requested date will be approved.
For illustration, a visa-required traveller entering Vietnam, taking a side trip to Cambodia and returning should examine the multiple-entry option. A single-entry visa should not be assumed reusable simply because its end date has not arrived. Conversely, a nationality-exempt traveller should check the relevant exemption before paying for a visa that may not be needed for the proposed short visit.
Check the passport information and travel details before payment
The Sri Lankan embassy in Hanoi’s official application guide explains how to prepare a recent portrait, a clear passport biographical-page image and the travel information required by the system. It advises checking any automatically extracted data, particularly names, birth date, nationality, passport number and passport validity dates. The entered details should match the document used for the journey.
That guide also calls for intended entry date, length of stay, number of entries, entry border gate and accommodation information. Verify that the intended airport, land crossing or seaport accepts e-visa holders before changing a flight or overland itinerary. Keep the application reference and confirmation email: they are needed to check the result and retrieve the issued visa. A payment record is not the approved document.
Pay the correct fee and inspect the issued visa
The Immigration Department’s personal e-visa instructions list US$25 for single entry and US$50 for multiple entry. They describe uploading the passport data page and photograph, obtaining a registration code, paying and checking the outcome using the code, registered email and birth date. The instructions say missing or incorrect information can prevent acceptance.
The department gives three working days as its processing guidance; the Tourism Authority’s guide describes three to five working days. Allow practical time for review rather than treating an estimate as a guaranteed boarding deadline. Once approved, download and check the issued visa. Use its actual validity dates and entry conditions, which can differ from what was requested, and carry an accessible copy for the journey.
Check arrival formalities and the final departure date
For British citizen passport holders, the UK entry page requires six months’ passport validity after arrival, two blank pages and an undamaged document. It says to enter and leave using the same passport and to check the authorised departure date before leaving border control. Someone wishing to work or study needs the appropriate visa or work-permit advice rather than assuming tourist admission covers the activity.
The same resource says foreign arrivals at Tan Son Nhat airport have been encouraged to complete the digital arrival card since 15 April 2026, but it is not currently mandatory there. Do not describe that recommendation as a universal new entry requirement. Check the official pre-arrival instructions shortly before departure because rollout may change. Track the individual entry permission’s end date, and resolve any discrepancy at the border rather than relying on the length of a hotel booking.
