Vietnam visa exemption policy

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Important notice about Vietnam visa exemption (visa-free entry into Vietnam): The Government has started to re-apply the bilateral and unilateral Vietnam visa exemption policy from March 15, 2022.

1. What is visa exemption (visa-free)?

Visa-free is a country that allows foreigners to enter and stay in that country's territory for a certain period of time without having to - do visa procedures or pay visa-related fees.

Thus, Vietnam visa exemption is the Vietnamese government allowing foreigners to enter and stay in the Vietnamese territory for a certain period of time without having to apply for a Vietnam visa or pay a visa. fees related to Vietnam visa.

This visa exemption is different from the 5-year visa exemption certificate currently being issued to Vietnamese over sea, spouses/children of Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese.

In order to enter Vietnam under this visa exemption, citizens of eligible countries must ensure:

- Passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into Vietnam;

- Passport with at least 02 blank pages.

2. List of countries exempted from visa to Vietnam

As of January 2022, Vietnam is exempting visas for citizens of 25 countries (ordinary passports), of which:

Vietnam exempts bilateral visas for citizens of 12 countries,

Vietnam unilaterally exempts visas for citizens of 13 countries, including 11 European countries (instead of 5 countries before).

The maximum allowed length of stay and visa-free conditions for each country are specified in the table below.

3. Important notes about Vietnam visa exemption cases:

Regulations on foreigners subject to unilateral visa exemption, if the next time they enter Vietnam, they want to use the right of visa exemption, they must wait at least 30 days from the date of exit of their stay in Vietnam.

Thus, citizens of countries under Vietnam visa exemption are always exempted from visa for up to 15 days. Holders of British passports abroad – BNO are not eligible for Vietnam visa exemption. Visa exemption includes visa exemption for entry, exit and transit. The visa-free stay period is counted from the date of entry.

Other cases of Vietnam visa exemption

Currently, in addition to the above cases of visa exemption, Vietnam is also exempting visas for the following cases:

Visa exemption for 30 days for foreigners entering the coastal economic zone under the decision of the Government when fully meeting the following conditions:

has an international airport;

have a separate space;

have definite geographical boundaries, separate from the mainland;

consistent with the policy of socio-economic development and without prejudice to national defense, security and social order and safety of Vietnam.

Holders of the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) with a valid passport are exempt from visa entry and stay in Vietnam for up to 60 days;

4. Vietnam visa exemption extension

Previously, foreign tourists entering Vietnam could still extend their visas to continue staying in Vietnam. However, at present, all cases of entering Vietnam by visa exemption cannot be extended.

Visitors entering Vietnam by visa exemption and want to continue to stay in Vietnam after the visa exemption period can leave Vietnam for neighboring countries or countries in the region such as Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore... and come back with a new visa free. This form is called a visa run.