Vietnam e-Visa 2026: Official Site, Fees and Visa-Free Countries

Most visitors to Vietnam either qualify for a visa exemption or apply for an e-Visa on the government portal, evisa.gov.vn. The e-Visa is open to every nationality, lasts up to 90 days and costs 25 USD for a single entry or 50 USD for multiple entries. If you hold a passport from one of the 24 European and Asian countries on Vietnam's 45-day exemption lists, you may not need a visa at all for a short trip.

Who needs what

Your route depends on your nationality, why you are travelling and how long you plan to stay. As of October 2026, travellers broadly fall into four groups.

Citizens of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland can stay up to 45 days without a visa, for any purpose and on any passport type, under Resolution 44/NQ-CP (in force from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028).
Citizens of Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland can stay up to 45 days without a visa for tourism only, under Resolution 229/NQ-CP (in force from 15 August 2025 to 14 August 2028).
Citizens of countries with a bilateral visa-exemption agreement with Vietnam, including several ASEAN neighbours, can stay for whatever period the agreement sets. These periods are mostly shorter than 45 days.
Everyone else, including citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, India and China, needs a visa. For most people that means the e-Visa.

Exempt travellers also need an e-Visa to stay beyond 45 days, and Resolution 229 nationals need one for business trips.

The e-Visa and visa exemption compared

The 45-day exemption is free and needs no application, but it is tied to one trip and one purpose. The e-Visa takes some planning and costs money, but it is more flexible.

Length of stay: up to 45 days from the date of entry with an exemption, and up to 90 days with an e-Visa.
Entries: an exemption covers each separate entry, while an e-Visa is issued for either a single entry or multiple entries within its validity.
Purpose: Resolution 44 countries may enter for any purpose, Resolution 229 countries for tourism only, and the e-Visa covers tourism, business visits and other short stays you declare on the form.
Cost: an exemption is free, and the e-Visa costs 25 or 50 USD.
Ports: an exemption can be used at any international border crossing, while e-Visa holders must use a designated border gate.

Official portal versus agent and scam sites

The only official e-Visa portal is run by the Vietnam Immigration Department. Since November 2024 it has operated on two addresses, evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn. Vietnamese embassies state plainly that all other e-Visa websites are not official.

Many private websites look official and rank highly in search results. They add a service fee to the government fee, submit the same form for you, and sometimes promise speed they cannot guarantee. You never need an agent, and embassies say they cannot help with third-party applications.

Before you pay, check that the address ends in gov.vn and that the fee shown is the official amount in USD. If a site asks you to pay well above 25 or 50 USD, it is not the government portal.

Document checklist

Have these ready before you start the online form.

A passport valid for at least six months beyond your planned arrival date, with blank pages for entry stamps.
A recent colour portrait photo, 4x6 cm, in jpg or jpeg format: face looking straight ahead, white background, no hat, no glasses and tidy clothing.
A clear scan or photo of your passport's data page, showing the photo, personal details and the two machine-readable lines at the bottom, with no corners cut off.
Your intended entry date, length of stay, and the border gates you plan to use for entry and exit.
Your first accommodation address in Vietnam.
A valid email address and an international card or bank payment method accepted by the portal's payment gateway.
For children with their own passports, a separate application. Children listed in a parent's passport are not issued a separate e-Visa.

Exempt travellers do not apply for anything, but border officers still check that your passport is valid for at least six months and that you are not banned from entering under Vietnamese immigration law.

Fees as of October 2026

The official e-Visa fees, as of October 2026, are 25 USD for a single-entry e-Visa and 50 USD for a multiple-entry e-Visa. You pay online through the portal's electronic payment gateway when you submit the application.

The fee is not refunded if your e-Visa is refused, or if you do not use it. The 45-day visa exemptions are free. Fees can change, so confirm the current amount on evisa.gov.vn before paying.

How to apply for the Vietnam e-Visa step by step

Go directly to evisa.gov.vn or thithucdientu.gov.vn by typing the address yourself, rather than clicking an advert.
Choose the e-Visa application for foreigners and upload your portrait photo and passport data page.
Check the details the system reads from your passport, and enter your name exactly as it appears in the machine-readable line.
Complete the trip details: single or multiple entry, the start and end dates of validity (no more than 90 days), entry and exit gates, and your address in Vietnam.
Review the preview carefully, accept the declaration and pay the fee.
Write down your registration code. You need it, with your email and date of birth, to check the result.
Check the status in the portal's search section. Embassy guidance says no result email is sent, so keep checking yourself.
When approved, download and print the e-Visa and carry it with the passport you applied with.

Processing time and when to apply

Processing times vary with demand and with whether your application needs corrections. The Vietnamese embassy in India advises allowing roughly 5 to 30 working days once the complete application and fee are received. It also suggests applying well ahead of departure, ideally before you buy non-refundable tickets. Other embassies report quicker results when no corrections are needed, but there is no guaranteed fast track on the official portal.

Public holidays, especially the Lunar New Year (Tet), slow things down, so apply several weeks ahead in peak season.

Designated ports of entry for e-Visa holders

E-Visa holders must enter and leave Vietnam through an international border gate approved by the Government. The original 2023 list had 42 gates. Resolution 389/NQ-CP of 2 December 2025 added 41 more, bringing the total to 83: 17 airports, 27 land crossings and 39 seaports.

The airport list covers the main international airports, including Noi Bai (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang, Cam Ranh, Phu Quoc and Phu Bai. Some newly added gates, such as Long Thanh airport, only become usable once they open. If you are arriving overland from Cambodia, Laos or China, or by cruise ship, check that your crossing is on the current list on evisa.gov.vn.

Embassy guidance says the gate you actually use does not have to match the one you entered on the form, as long as it is a designated gate.

Phu Quoc special rule

Phu Quoc island has its own visa-free arrangement. Foreign visitors who fly directly to Phu Quoc on an international flight, or who transit through another Vietnamese international airport without leaving the transit area, can stay on the island for up to 30 days without a visa. The arrangement covers Phu Quoc only. If you plan to travel on to the mainland, you need an e-Visa or an exemption that covers you. Check the current conditions with the airline or immigration authorities before relying on this route.

Common refusal and entry problems

The photo does not meet the requirements, for example glasses, a coloured background, a cropped face or a low-resolution image.
The passport scan is blurred or has corners cut off, or the machine-readable lines are missing.
The name, date of birth or passport number does not exactly match the passport.
The passport has less than six months' validity left, or you travel on a different passport from the one you applied with.
The e-Visa dates do not cover your full stay, or you arrive before the validity start date.
You use a border crossing that is not on the designated list.
A Resolution 229 traveller enters visa-free for business meetings, which the tourism-only exemption does not cover.
You overstay an exemption or e-Visa. Overstaying can lead to fines and future refusals.

Frequently asked questions

What is the official website for the Vietnam e-Visa?

The only official portals are evisa.gov.vn and thithucdientu.gov.vn, both run by the Vietnam Immigration Department. Other websites are private agents that add their own fees.

Which countries are visa-exempt for Vietnam in 2026?

As of October 2026, 24 countries have 45-day unilateral exemptions: 12 under Resolution 44/NQ-CP for any purpose, and 12 under Resolution 229/NQ-CP for tourism only. Several ASEAN and other countries also have bilateral exemptions with their own time limits.

How long can I stay in Vietnam on an e-Visa?

An e-Visa can be valid for up to 90 days, with a single entry or multiple entries. You must arrive and leave within the dates printed on it.

How much does the Vietnam e-Visa cost?

As of October 2026, the official fee is 25 USD for a single-entry e-Visa and 50 USD for a multiple-entry e-Visa. The fee is not refunded if the application is refused.

Can US, Canadian or Australian citizens enter Vietnam without a visa?

No. These nationalities are not on Vietnam's exemption lists and normally need an e-Visa. The exception is the Phu Quoc arrangement for visitors staying only on the island.

Can I stay longer than 45 days on a visa exemption?

Not under the exemption itself. If you know your trip will exceed 45 days, apply for a 90-day e-Visa before you travel instead.

Check before you travel

Vietnam's visa rules have changed several times since 2023, and both the exemption resolutions and the list of e-Visa border gates have fixed dates or are updated by new government decisions. Before booking, confirm your nationality's status, the current fee and your entry gate on evisa.gov.vn, the Immigration Department's site at immigration.gov.vn, or the website of the Vietnamese embassy in your country.