Your tourist or business Vietnam e-visa is valid for 30 days. When applying for your visa, you choose the starting date yourself. Your visa expires exactly 30 days later. You can only enter and exit Vietnam within this validity period.

Different Vietnam visas

There are over 20 different visa types for Vietnam. Tourists and business travellers usually use the electronic visa (e-visa). The advantage of this visa type is that it can be applied for online. Because it is not required to visit an embassy or consulate, the application procedure for the e-visa is quick and easy.

With the tourist or business e-visa you can apply for here, you can stay in Vietnam for up to 30 days.
Apply for your Vietnam e-visa now

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was also possible to obtain a Visa On Arrival (VOA) upon arrival in Vietnam. This is no longer a possibility. All information about the validity of the Vietnam visa on this page is about the electronic variant.

Traditional salt extraction in Vietnam

More information about the validity period of the Vietnam e-visa

The electronic visa for Vietnam is valid for 30 days. In the application form, you chose the starting date of this validity period. You do not have to wait to apply for your visa until right before your departure to Vietnam.

You can arrive in Vietnam from the starting date of the validity period of your visa. Furthermore, you always have to leave Vietnam within 30 days after this starting date, regardless of the date you actually arrive in the country.

Keep in mind that you cannot change the starting date after submitting your visa application. From that moment on, you can not have a lot of room changing the dates on which you enter and exit Vietnam.

Do you want to arrive in Vietnam prior to the starting date on your visa?
You are not allowed to arrive in Vietnam earlier than the starting date of the validity period of your visa. In addition, you can no longer change this date. If you still want to travel sooner, you have to apply for a new visa. This new application also has to be paid for again.

Do you want to arrive later in Vietnam than you indicated on the form?
You are allowed to enter Vietnam during the entire validity period of the visa, meaning from the starting date until 30 days after that. Keep in mind, however, that you have to leave Vietnam within 30 days after the starting date of the visa. If you arrive in Vietnam later, you are not allowed to stay in the country for the full 30 days. If you arrive on day 20 of the validity period, you can stay in Vietnam for 10 days. Of course, you can also choose to apply for a new visa, allowing you to stay in the country for up to 30 full days.
Apply for a new visa here

Change your travel plans

Do you want to change your travel plans after you have submitted your visa application for Vietnam? Keep in mind that you have entered more details in the application form than just your expected arrival date or the starting date of the visa. For example, you have also entered an arrival and departure location. You cannot deviate from this. If you choose to do so, this usually does not cause any problems, but it is entirely at your own risk.

Stay in Vietnam for more than 30 days

If you are already in Vietnam and want to stay for more than 30 days, it is possible to extend the validity of the visa. You can only do so after arrival in Vietnam at an office of the Vietnam immigration service. Many travellers find the required procedure quite complicated because some forms have to be completed in Vietnamese, among others. There are Vietnamese visa agencies that can help you with this, but the cost can be quite high.

There is an easier alternative to staying in Vietnam longer. Many tourists who are enjoying their stay in Vietnam and wish to stay longer decide to leave the country for several days to apply for a new e-visa in a neigbouring country, such as Laos or Cambodia. As such, they can stay in Vietnam for another 30 days after a short stay in a neighbouring country.