Citizens of around 25 countries get visa-free entry for stays of 14 to 90 days depending on nationality. The exact list changes, so check the visa requirements by country page before assuming you are exempt. Everyone else needs an e-visa or a visa on arrival.
Visa options 2026
Vietnam visa options in 2026: which one fits your trip
E-visa, visa run, 5-year exemption, temporary residence card. Each path suits a different traveler. This page compares them side by side so you can pick the right one before you book anything.
Start here
Four common paths, one page
Planning a trip to Vietnam in 2026 starts with one question: which visa do you actually need? The answer depends on your passport, how long you plan to stay, and whether you just want to visit or you have family or business ties here.
The good news is that Vietnam has more options than it did a few years ago. The 90-day e-visa covers most tourists. Visa runs handle people who want to stay past their stamp. Overseas Vietnamese and their spouses have their own path with the 5-year exemption. And anyone dealing with long-term stays or paperwork will run into the temporary residence card and document legalization at some point.
This page lays out each option side by side. For the full picture on requirements by nationality, start with the Vietnam visa guide 2026, then come back here to compare.
Most travelers end up choosing between two things: an e-visa applied online before the flight, or a visa run at the border once they are already in the country. The other options, like the TRC or the 5-year exemption, apply to people with deeper ties to Vietnam. Read through each section, and if you are still unsure, send us your nationality and travel dates and we will point you to the right page.
The quick version: tourists and short visitors use the e-visa. Anyone who has been in Vietnam for months on tourist stamps uses a visa run or an extension. People with Vietnamese heritage, or a Vietnamese spouse, should check the 5-year exemption before paying for anything. Residents and workers need a temporary residence card. And if your plan involves official documents, apostille and legalization come into the picture.
Option 1
The 90-day e-visa: the default for most visitors
For most visitors, the 90-day e-visa is the simplest option. You apply online before you fly, pay the government fee, and get an approval that lets you enter Vietnam for up to 90 days. Single entry costs around 25 USD and multiple entry around 50 USD at official rates. It works for tourism, business visits, and most short stays, and you can enter through any of the international airports, land borders, or seaports that accept it.
The application itself is straightforward, but small mistakes cause most rejections. A passport number typed with one wrong digit. A photo that does not meet the spec. A name that does not match the passport exactly. Any of these can send your application back or leave it stuck in processing while your flight date approaches. Our 90-day e-visa page walks through what to send and how to avoid the usual errors.
Processing normally takes 3 to 5 working days, though it can stretch longer during peak season. If your approval has not arrived and your departure is close, we can help check the status and, in urgent cases, find a faster path. See the e-visa guide for the full step by step, and if your visa never arrives, the delayed e-visa page covers what to do next.
Who it is for: tourists, short business trips, and anyone staying under 90 days who wants to sort everything before landing. If you already have an e-visa and need more time once you are in the country, a visa extension or a visa run is the usual next step.
Option 2
Visa runs: staying longer without flying home
If you are already in Vietnam and your stamp is running out, you have two practical choices: extend, or do a visa run. Extensions work in some cases but not all, and they are only granted while your current visa is still valid. The visa run is the classic fix: leave the country, get a fresh stamp at the border, and come back in.
The run itself is a day trip in most cases. From Ho Chi Minh City, the Moc Bai border crossing into Cambodia is the usual route. From Da Nang or Hoi An, the Lao Bao border into Laos does the same job. You cross, get the new entry stamp, and return the same afternoon. Both pages explain what to bring, how long the trip takes, and what the border officers expect to see.
Different sister sites handle different cities. SaigonVisaRun.com covers HCMC runs to Moc Bai, while DaNangVisaRun.com, HoiAnVisaRun.com, HueVisaRun.com, NhaTrangVisaRun.com and DaLatVisaRun.com organize runs from their own cities, and HanoiVisaRun.com covers the north. If you are not sure which border suits your location, visarun.vn is the hub that lists options for every city.
A visa run is not a loophole. Vietnam tracks your stay history, and repeated runs with no real travel can draw questions at immigration. If you plan to stay for months or live here, a temporary residence card is the legitimate long-term answer, covered later on this page. For a short overstay, it is better to fix it than to run, and our overstay help page covers fines and the correct procedure.
Option 3
The 5-year visa exemption: for Viet Kieu and their spouses
Overseas Vietnamese, and their foreign spouses and children, qualify for something most tourists never hear about: the 5-year visa exemption. It does not mean five years of continuous stay. It is a five-year exemption certificate that lets you enter and leave Vietnam freely, with each stay capped at 180 days. If you want to stay longer than that in one go, you leave and come back, or you apply to extend the stay.
This is the option people overpay for. A Viet Kieu who qualifies can skip e-visa fees and visa runs entirely. The catch is that the certificate must be arranged before you travel, or through a sponsor while you are in the country, and the paperwork involves the immigration department rather than a simple online form.
Our 5-year visa exemption page covers who qualifies, what documents you need, and how to apply. The dedicated 5yearvisa.com site handles the whole process end to end, including the certificate for foreign spouses, which many people do not realize they can get.
Check this option before you book anything else. If you have a Vietnamese parent or grandparent, or you are married to a Vietnamese citizen, the exemption saves you money and hassle on every single trip, not just this one. Spouses of Vietnamese citizens also have a path to longer stays and, eventually, residency, which is where the next section comes in.
Option 4
The temporary residence card: for residents, not tourists
The temporary residence card, or TRC, is the closest thing Vietnam has to a long-term visa. It replaces visa stamps entirely for its validity period, usually one to two years at a time, and it is aimed at people who actually live in Vietnam: workers with a work permit, investors, students, and foreigners married to Vietnamese citizens.
If you are living here on tourist visas and doing visa runs every few months, the TRC is the upgrade you are looking for. It removes the border trips, the stamp fees, and the uncertainty. But it is not something you can apply for as a tourist. You need a qualifying reason, an employer or a spouse to sponsor the application, and the right documents submitted through the immigration department.
The specialist site temporaryresidencecard.com covers eligibility, the document list, and processing times in detail. It also handles the common messes, like a TRC application rejected over a missing stamp or an expired work permit. If you are married to a Vietnamese citizen, a TRC is often a better path than repeated visa runs, and the site covers the spousal route specifically.
One warning: do not let a visa lapse while a TRC application is in progress. Overstay fines apply regardless of pending paperwork, and an overstay can delay the application or worse. If you are close to expiry, our overstay help page explains what to do before your stamp runs out.
Option 5
Legalization and apostille: the paperwork path
Some plans need more than a visa. Moving here with a foreign-issued document, marrying in Vietnam, enrolling a child in school, or taking a job all tend to require papers that Vietnam will not accept in their raw form. That is where legalization and the apostille come in.
Vietnam is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so in most cases documents need full consular legalization: translation, notarization, then certification by the relevant embassy or consulate, and finally confirmation by the Vietnamese authorities. The process has steps, each with its own office, and the order matters. A document legalized out of sequence gets sent back and the clock restarts.
The vietnam-apostille.com site explains the difference between apostille and legalization for Vietnam and handles the full chain. Our own embassy and consular legalization page covers the same ground from the Vietnamese side, and the certified translations and notarization pages cover the two steps that come first in most files.
When does this matter for a visa decision? Mostly when your stay depends on paperwork: a marriage certificate for a spousal visa or TRC, a police check for a work permit, a birth certificate for a child's visa. Budget time for it. Legalization takes longer than most people expect, and embassies in Hanoi and HCMC both see heavy demand. If you are on a deadline, our courier handling page coordinates documents between cities so the chain does not stall.
Compare
How to decide
| Option | Best for | Stay length | Apply when | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90-day e-visa | Tourists and short visits | Up to 90 days | Before flying | Online application, needs correct details |
| Visa run | People already in Vietnam | Fresh 90-day stamp | While current visa is valid | Repeated runs get scrutiny |
| 5-year exemption | Viet Kieu and foreign spouses | 180 days per stay | Before travel | Must qualify by heritage or marriage |
| TRC | Workers, students, spouses, investors | 1-2 years per card | Through employer or spouse | Requires a qualifying reason |
Still unsure? Ask yourself three questions.
How long am I staying? Under 90 days and not yet in the country: e-visa, every time. Over 90 days, or already here: visa run, extension, or TRC depending on your situation.
Do I have Vietnamese heritage or a Vietnamese spouse? Then check the 5-year exemption and the spousal TRC before spending money on anything else. Both are cheaper and steadier than repeated visa runs.
Does my plan involve official documents? Marriage, work, school, property. Then add legalization and apostille to the timeline, because the paperwork chain takes longer than the visa itself.
When things go wrong, and they do, the fix is specific. A rejected e-visa, a wrong entry date, an overstay fine. Those situations each have their own pages: visa correction, urgent visa, and overstay help. You do not need to guess.
FAQ
Common questions, straight answers
An extension adds time to your current visa without leaving the country, but it must be requested before your visa expires and is not always granted. A visa run means leaving Vietnam and re-entering to get a fresh stamp. If your visa is already expired, neither is straightforward, and the overstay rules apply first.
Each stay is limited to 180 days. The certificate itself is valid for five years, and you can leave and re-enter as often as you like within that period. Stays beyond 180 days need an extension or a new entry.
FAQ
More common questions
Vietnam is not a member of the Hague Convention, so most foreign documents need full consular legalization rather than a simple apostille. Translation and notarization come first, then embassy certification. The apostille and legalization page covers the exact order for your document type.
Do not fly without a valid visa. Check the application status first, and if it has not been approved, contact us immediately. Same-day and urgent options exist, but they depend on your nationality and the port of entry. See the emergency visa page for what is possible.
Related pages
Go deeper on each option
Vietnam 90 Day E-Visa
Single and multiple entry support for stays up to 90 days.
5-Year Visa Exemption
For overseas Vietnamese, foreign spouses, and children.
Lao Bao Visa Run
Border run support from Da Nang and Hoi An to Laos.
Moc Bai Visa Run
Border run support from Ho Chi Minh City to Cambodia.
Vietnam Visa Extension
For travelers who need more time after the initial stay.
Legalization and Apostille
Document certification for use in Vietnam.