Vietnam has simplified its visa system twice since 2023. Since August 2023 the e-Visa is available to all nationalities for stays of up to 90 days, single or multiple entry [1]. A separate unilateral visa exemption covers a smaller group of European passports for stays of up to 45 days [2,3]. Vietnam has no retirement visa. Long stay for retirees routes through an investor Temporary Residence Card or a marriage-based TRC.
Visa-free entry for IE, GB, US, DE, FR
Under Resolution 44/NQ-CP, in force from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028, holders of UK, German and French ordinary passports enter Vietnam visa-free for up to 45 days, regardless of purpose [2,3]. The exemption is granted once per entry without minimum gap.
Ireland and the United States are not on the unilateral exemption list and must obtain an e-Visa or a visa from a Vietnamese embassy before travel [2].
All travellers, exempt or not, must hold a passport valid for at least six months on the day of entry.
E-visa
The e-Visa is the standard route. Open to all nationalities (Irish, US, UK, German and French passports are all eligible), it grants a single- or multiple-entry stay of up to 90 days from the date of first entry [1]. Fees are 25 USD (about 23 EUR) for single entry and 50 USD (about 47 EUR) for multiple entry, payable online by card during application [1]. Apply only through the official portal at evisa.gov.vn run by the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security; a parallel official URL at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn is the same system [1,4]. Numerous third-party copy sites charge service fees on top of the 25 USD government fee.
Standard processing takes three working days. The portal does not officially offer expedited options, but sometimes returns a result within 24 hours.
Tourist visa and extension
For stays longer than the 90-day e-Visa, applicants can request a longer Tourist Visa (DL) at a Vietnamese embassy, valid up to three months single or multiple entry. You can extend inside Vietnam at local Immigration Department offices in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang. You usually need a sponsor letter from a Vietnamese host or agency, and the law does not guarantee same-category extension [4].
Long-stay options relevant to 60+ relocators
Vietnam has no dedicated retirement visa and does not offer a digital nomad visa. Longer stay generally requires one of the routes below.
Temporary Residence Card (TRC) for investors (DT)
The Investor TRC (issued under the DT visa class) is valid 1 to 10 years depending on the size of the investment. Capital contribution into a Vietnamese registered company is the threshold; values above 3 billion VND (about 110,000 EUR) generally support a longer TRC. You can enter and leave Vietnam without reapplying for a visa during the card's validity.
Temporary Residence Card via Vietnamese spouse or child (TT)
If you are married to a Vietnamese citizen, or are the parent of a Vietnamese citizen, you can apply for a TT visa and then a TRC of up to three years, renewable. The Vietnamese family member sponsors the TRC, and you register it at the local police station after issue.
Five-year visa exemption for Vietnamese-origin persons
Foreigners of Vietnamese origin (and their spouses and children) may apply for a Visa Exemption Certificate valid for up to five years, granting visa-free stays of up to 180 days per entry. This is the closest equivalent to a retirement route, but only members of the Vietnamese diaspora qualify.
Processing times
E-Visa: three working days after successful payment [1]. Embassy-issued tourist visas: typically 5 to 7 working days. TRC applications: 5 to 7 working days for the Immigration Department to issue the card once the dossier is complete.
Overstay penalties
Decree 282/2025/ND-CP, in force from 15 December 2025, significantly increased overstay fines [5]. Current tariff:
- 1 to 15 days: 500,000 to 2,000,000 VND (about 18 to 73 EUR).
- 16 to 29 days: 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 VND (about 110 to 180 EUR).
- 30 to 59 days: 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 VND (about 180 to 365 EUR).
- 60 days or more: up to 40,000,000 VND (about 1,460 EUR), plus deportation and an entry ban [5].
Decree 59/2026/ND-CP, effective 1 April 2026, governs deportation procedure: foreigners unable to pay administrative fines may be deported immediately, and serious entry-exit violations can trigger a five-year ban. Pay any fine at an Immigration Department office (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, or the provincial capital where you are staying) before attempting to exit [5].