Vietnam Visa Guide for Expats: E-Visa, Work Visa and Long-Stay Options (2026)

Understanding Vietnam visa guide expats 2026 requirements is essential for expats planning a long-term stay in Vietnam. Last updated: June 2026 · By the Saigon Apartment editorial team

Vietnam has quietly become one of Asia’s most visa-friendly destinations for expats. Since the 90-day e-visa with multiple entries took effect in August 2023, and with the 2024–2025 amendments to the Law on Foreigners’ Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence now fully in force, planning a long stay in Ho Chi Minh City is more straightforward than at any point in the past decade. This 2026 guide walks you through every legal pathway — e-visa, visa exemption, business visa, work permit, Temporary Residence Card (TRC), and the long-stay 5-year visa exemption for Vietnamese-origin spouses — with current costs, processing times, and the practical traps that catch most newcomers.

Vietnam Visa Guide Expats 2026: Key Takeaways

• Vietnam’s e-visa is now valid for up to 90 days with single or multiple entries, available to passport holders of all countries, at a cost of USD 25 (single) or USD 50 (multiple).
• Citizens of 25 countries enjoy visa exemption for stays of 15 to 45 days, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, and most ASEAN nations.
• A work permit + DN/LD visa + TRC is the standard long-stay package for employed expats, with TRCs issued for up to 2 years (extendable).
• Phu Quoc Island retains a 30-day visa-free entry policy for all nationalities arriving by direct international flight.
• Visa fraud and “fixer” scams remain the number-one issue reported by expats — only use the official portal evisa.gov.vn.
• For long-stay residents, choosing accommodation with business registration support and TRC-friendly paperwork (like a licensed serviced apartment) shortens your immigration process by weeks.

Vietnam Visa Options at a Glance (2026)

Vietnam currently offers seven primary entry pathways for foreign nationals. Choosing the right one depends on your nationality, the length of your stay, and whether you plan to work, invest, study, or simply live in the country.

Visa Type	Max Duration	Cost (USD)	Best For
E-Visa (single entry)	90 days	$25	Tourists, short business trips
E-Visa (multiple entry)	90 days	$50	Frequent regional travelers
Visa Exemption	15–45 days	Free	Citizens of 25 eligible countries
Phu Quoc Exemption	30 days	Free	All nationalities (direct flight only)
DN Visa (Business)	1 year	$25–$135	Foreign company representatives
LD Visa (Work)	2 years	$135–$155	Work permit holders
Temporary Residence Card (TRC)	2 years	$145–$155	Long-stay employees, investors, family
5-Year Visa Exemption	5 years	$10	Vietnamese-origin foreigners and their spouses

Source: Vietnam Immigration Department (Bộ Công an – Cục Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh), 2026 fee schedule.

The Vietnam E-Visa: The Default Choice for Most Expats

The e-visa is now the most popular legal entry route. According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, over 1.9 million e-visas were issued in 2024, a 38% year-on-year increase, and Q1 2026 figures from the Ministry of Public Security indicate the system is on pace to process more than 2.6 million applications this year.

Who can apply?

As of August 2023, Vietnam extended e-visa eligibility to citizens of all countries and territories worldwide. There are no nationality restrictions.

How long does it last?

• Single entry: up to 90 days
• Multiple entry: up to 90 days, with unlimited entries and exits within that window

This is a significant upgrade from the pre-2023 system, which capped e-visas at 30 days, single entry only.

Cost and processing time

• Single entry: USD 25
• Multiple entry: USD 50
• Standard processing: 3 working days
• Expedited processing (available through some embassies): 1 working day for an additional fee

How to apply

Apply only through the official portal: https://evisa.gov.vn (sometimes mirrored at thi-thuc-dien-tu.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn). You will need:

1. A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your intended stay
2. A digital photo (4×6 cm, white background, no glasses)
3. A scanned passport bio page
4. Your planned entry and exit dates and ports
5. A Vietnam address — your hotel or serviced apartment confirmation is acceptable

Information gain: Many e-visa rejections in 2025–2026 came from applicants uploading photos with shadows or wearing glasses. The Immigration Department now uses automated facial recognition pre-screening, so technical photo compliance matters more than ever.

Visa Exemption: The 25-Country List

Citizens of the following countries can enter Vietnam without a visa for a defined period. As of June 2026, the exemption list has remained stable through the latest review cycle.

45-day exemption: United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belarus

30-day exemption (ASEAN bloc): Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar

14–21 day exemption: Chile, Panama, Kyrgyzstan

A crucial detail: if you exit and re-enter Vietnam under the exemption, the 30-day cooling-off rule that existed before 2023 has been abolished. You may re-enter immediately as long as your nationality qualifies — but each entry is treated as a fresh stay.

The Phu Quoc 30-Day Exemption

Phu Quoc Island remains the only special economic zone where any nationality can enter visa-free for up to 30 days. Two conditions apply:

1. You must arrive on a direct international flight to Phu Quoc (PQC).
2. You must remain on the island for the entire stay. Onward travel to mainland Vietnam triggers the standard visa requirement.

This policy is regularly renewed and was extended through March 31, 2028 under Resolution 32/NQ-CP.

Business Visa (DN) and Work Visa (LD): For Employed Expats

If you plan to work for a Vietnamese-registered company, your sponsor will typically arrange a DN visa initially (often issued for 3, 6, or 12 months) while your work permit is processed. Once the work permit is granted, you upgrade to an LD visa valid for up to 2 years.

Work permit requirements (2026)

• University degree relevant to the role, or at least 3 years of relevant experience (verified by previous employers in writing)
• Clean criminal record certificate from your home country (apostilled and translated into Vietnamese)
• Health check from a Ministry of Health–approved hospital in Vietnam (about VND 1.5–3 million / USD 60–120)
• Sponsoring company’s registration documents and job justification letter

Processing time: 15–25 working days, with another 5 working days for the corresponding LD visa.

Work permit exemptions exist for executives, intra-company transferees, and foreign experts in specific industries — but you still need a work permit exemption confirmation letter, which takes about 12 working days.

The Temporary Residence Card (TRC)

For expats planning to stay more than a year, the TRC is the most practical document. It functions as a multiple-entry visa, eliminates the need to renew your visa, and is required to register certain services (long-term lease registrations, some banking products).

TRC categories most relevant to expats

• LD TRC — for work permit holders (up to 2 years)
• DT TRC — for investors, with duration based on investment size (up to 10 years for investments over VND 100 billion / ~USD 4 million)
• TT TRC — for spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens or TRC holders

TRC documents checklist

• Valid passport (minimum 13 months remaining for a 2-year TRC)
• Original work permit or investment certificate
• Notarized lease contract registered with local police
• Temporary residence registration (đăng ký tạm trú) — handled by your landlord
• Sponsoring entity’s documentation
• Application fee: USD 145–155

Practical tip: This is where your housing choice matters. Informal apartments or unregistered Airbnbs cannot issue the police-registered temporary residence paperwork required for a TRC. Licensed serviced residences handle this automatically — see serviced residences for examples of properly registered units in District 1.

The 5-Year Visa Exemption Certificate

Under Decree 82/2015/NĐ-CP (still in force in 2026), the following can obtain a 5-year visa exemption certificate allowing stays of up to 6 months per entry:

• Foreigners of Vietnamese origin (Việt Kiều)
• Foreign spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens
• Foreign spouses and children of Việt Kiều

Cost: USD 10. Processing: 5 working days at any Vietnamese consulate.

This is the closest equivalent Vietnam has to a permanent residency option for most expats, and it remains underused — only about 47,000 certificates were issued in 2024 according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Costs of Living vs. Visa Considerations

Choosing the right visa pathway also depends on the cost of staying in Vietnam long enough to make it worthwhile. According to Numbeo’s 2026 Cost of Living Index, Ho Chi Minh City ranks as the 187th most expensive city out of 605 globally, with average monthly expenses for a single expat (excluding rent) of approximately USD 720. The IMF’s April 2026 World Economic Outlook projects Vietnam’s GDP growth at 6.4% for 2026, one of the strongest in Asia, which continues to drive demand for skilled foreign labor.

For context:

• A meal at a mid-range restaurant in District 1: USD 7–12
• Monthly grocery bill for one: USD 220
• Public transport monthly pass: USD 8 (HCMC Metro Line 1 now in operation)
• 1-bedroom serviced apartment in District 1, including utilities and weekly cleaning: USD 750–1,400

Compared with Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, Saigon remains 18–22% cheaper for equivalent serviced accommodation in central districts (Numbeo, March 2026).

Healthcare and Insurance: A Visa-Adjacent Requirement

While not strictly part of the visa application, the World Health Organization’s 2025 Vietnam Country Cooperation Strategy notes that foreigners are increasingly required to demonstrate health coverage when applying for TRCs in certain provinces. Although Ho Chi Minh City does not currently enforce this for all categories, work permit applicants must complete a health certificate from an approved hospital. Major international clinics in District 1 — FV Saigon, Family Medical Practice, and Raffles Medical — issue compliant certificates for VND 1.8–3 million.

The Most Common Visa Mistakes Expats Make

After working with hundreds of long-stay guests since 2018, we’ve seen the same five mistakes again and again:

1. Booking an Airbnb that can’t register your stay. Without police registration (đăng ký tạm trú), your TRC application will be rejected outright.
2. Letting your e-visa expire by a single day. Vietnam’s overstay fines start at VND 500,000 (~USD 20) per day, and overstays of 16+ days trigger entry bans of 6 months to 3 years.
3. Trusting “visa runs” through unofficial agents at the Cambodian border. Several agents arrested in 2025 had been issuing forged business letters; their clients received 3-year entry bans.
4. Using a tourist e-visa to work remotely as a digital nomad. This is a gray area. The Ministry of Public Security clarified in February 2026 that remote work for foreign employers is tolerated, but income earned from Vietnamese clients on a tourist visa is illegal.
5. Not budgeting for the cooling-off in passport renewals. TRCs become invalid the moment your passport is replaced; you must apply for a TRC transfer within 10 working days.

Vietnam Visa Statistics (2026)

Metric	2024	2025	Q1 2026
E-visas issued	1.92M	2.41M	712,000
Work permits issued	156,400	174,800	51,200
TRCs active (foreigners)	89,300	102,600	108,400
Average e-visa processing time	3.1 days	2.8 days	2.6 days

Source: Vietnam Immigration Department; Vietnam National Authority of Tourism; figures rounded.

Settling In: What to Do in Your First Two Weeks

Once you have your visa, the first fortnight in Saigon is critical. Here is what most successful long-stay expats do:

1. Register your residence within 12 hours of arrival. Your accommodation provider should handle this — confirm in writing.
2. Open a Vietnamese bank account. Vietcombank, Techcombank, and HSBC Vietnam accept e-visa holders for basic accounts; TRCs are needed for credit products.
3. Get a local SIM with data. Viettel, Vinaphone, and Mobifone all require passport registration. Expect to pay USD 8–12/month for 4G unlimited.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I work in Vietnam on a tourist e-visa?
No. Employment with a Vietnamese-registered company requires a work permit and LD visa. Remote work for foreign employers is currently tolerated but not formally regulated.

How long can I stay in Vietnam continuously?
With a TRC, up to 10 years (renewable in 2-year increments for most categories). With an e-visa, up to 90 days per entry. With visa exemption, 15–45 days depending on nationality.

Can I extend my e-visa from inside Vietnam?
As of 2026, e-visa extensions inside Vietnam are not allowed. You must exit and re-enter with a new e-visa, or convert to a different visa category through a sponsoring entity.

Is Vietnam introducing a digital nomad visa?
A draft proposal was discussed by the National Assembly in late 2025, but no implementation date has been confirmed. For now, the 90-day multiple-entry e-visa is the closest equivalent.

What happens if I overstay?
Fines range from VND 500,000 per day for short overstays to mandatory exit and a 6-month to 3-year entry ban for stays exceeding 15 days past expiry.

Do I need a translator for the TRC application?
All non-Vietnamese documents must be translated by a certified Vietnamese sworn translator and notarized. Sponsoring companies or serviced apartment concierges typically arrange this.

Can my spouse and children get visas through my work permit?
Yes. Dependents can apply for a TT visa (visiting family), valid up to 12 months, and a corresponding TT TRC valid up to 3 years.

Is the 45-day visa exemption renewable on exit-entry runs?
Yes — the 30-day cooling-off period was abolished in 2023. However, each entry is reviewed individually, and frequent runs may trigger questions from immigration officers.

How early should I apply for my e-visa?
At least 5 working days before your flight, but ideally 2 weeks ahead. The standard 3-day processing time can extend to 7+ days around Tết (Lunar New Year) and the September 2 National Day.

Final Thoughts

Vietnam’s visa system in 2026 is the most accessible it has ever been — but the gap between a smooth move and a stressful one usually comes down to two things: choosing the right visa category from the start, and choosing accommodation that supports your immigration paperwork. Whether you’re moving on a 90-day e-visa to evaluate the country, arriving on a fresh work permit, or extending a multi-year TRC, the right Saigon base makes everything else easier.

---

Planning a long stay in Ho Chi Minh City? Saigon Apartment offers fully licensed serviced residences in District 1 with police registration, TRC-friendly paperwork, business address letters, and concierge support for visa runs and renewals. Contact the management team for a personalized long-stay quote and a no-obligation walkthrough of the visa pathway that fits your situation.

For more Saigon guides, check out: Vietnam Personal Income Tax for Expats: 2026 Rates, Rules and Filing Guide, International Health Insurance for Expats in Vietnam: Best Plans and Costs 2026.

For official information and further reading, visit Vietnam Immigration Department.