Do I Need a Visa for Vietnam? (Updated November 2026)

Get e-Visa with Sherpa

A Vietnam honeymoon may need no visa at all, but check both of your passports, because one of you may need an e-visa even if the other does not. We checked this guide in November 2026 against the UK Foreign Office advice, Canada's official travel advice, Vietnam's official e-visa site and the Vietnamese government's published list of visa-exempt countries.

Do I need a visa for Vietnam?

No visa for 45 days: on a British passport you can visit for up to 45 days. The same goes for passports from Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, under an exemption that runs to 14 August 2028.

An e-visa for everyone else: passports from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Portugal are not on the list. Vietnam's official e-visa covers you for up to 90 days and is applied for online.

Couples on different passports: the rule follows each passport, not the booking, so an Irish and British couple would have one e-visa to arrange and one not.

• How long you can stay: up to 45 days without a visa, or up to 90 days on the e-visa.
• Passports: yours must expire at least 6 months after you arrive, with at least 2 blank pages and no damage. Canada's advice counts the 6 months from the day you expect to leave.
• Your entry stamp: it shows the date you must leave by. Check it before you leave the desk, because immigration will not change it later.
• Overstaying: the authorities can stop you leaving until you pay a fine, and you could be deported and banned from returning.

Entry requirements

• A passport each, expiring at least 6 months after you arrive, with at least 2 blank pages. Check for damage too: British nationals have been refused entry and exit over it.
• An e-visa for any passport that is not on the visa-free list.
• The same passport going in and coming out. Keep this in mind if you plan to update your name after the wedding.
• A digital arrival card if you are flying into Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat Airport. It is encouraged rather than mandatory, but the Foreign Office warns that could change, or spread to other airports, with limited notice.
• A possible health declaration. The Foreign Office says that from 1 July you may be asked to complete one, which may include proof of vaccinations, so check with your nearest Vietnamese embassy.
• A customs declaration if you are carrying over 15 million dong or US$5,000 in cash, or prescription medication worth over US$100. Pack medication in your hand luggage with a copy of the prescription.

Getting your e-visa for a Vietnam honeymoon

If either of you needs a visa, or you want more than 45 days, apply for the e-visa before you travel. Each of you applies separately, on the official site only.

• Where to apply: the official e-visa site, run by the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security. Lookalike sites may add their own fees, so check the address before you pay.
• What it costs: the official site lists US$25 for a single-entry e-visa and US$50 for multiple entries, each valid for up to 90 days. If your trip leaves Vietnam and comes back, or combines Vietnam with Thailand or Bali, think about which you need.
• Choose your airports with care: the e-visa ties you to the entry and exit points you select when you apply, so match them to the flights on your itinerary.
• Flying on from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City: if you transfer from an international to a domestic flight in either city, you must go through immigration and enter Vietnam, even if your final destination is abroad. Check with your airline before you leave.
• Going beyond 90 days: contact the Vietnam Immigration Department. The British Embassy will not help with extensions.

The quickest way to see the exact rules for your passport is to check your requirements with Sherpa, which keeps track of the latest entry changes for you.

Travelling within Vietnam

The 11-day Best of Vietnam, the 15-day Vietnam Adventure and the 18-day Discover Vietnam all fit well inside the 45-day visa-free stay. If you are adding another country, read our Thailand visa guide or Bali visa guide too. For the rest of your planning, see the best time to visit Vietnam and vaccines for Vietnam.

Where to check the latest rules

Check the latest visa requirements:

• UK Foreign Office: Vietnam entry requirements
• Vietnam Immigration Department: official e-visa site
• Embassy of Vietnam in the UK: visas
• Contact the Vietnamese embassy or consulate in your country

Handy tools for your trip

• Money: dodge bad exchange rates with a Wise travel card.
• Travel insurance: cover your honeymoon with Nomad Insurance from SafetyWing.
• Flights: compare fares for your Vietnam flights on Skyscanner.

Check both passports against the list, sort any e-visa a few weeks before the wedding so it is off your plate, and check your entry stamps when you land. Rules change, so check the official advice before you travel. Check out our Vietnam honeymoons.