Vietnam Visa Requirements for U.S. Citizens
Asia · VN
Vietnam visa requirements for U.S. citizens
e-Visa required; 90 days, multiple entry
- U.S. passport status
- e-Visa
- Visa-free days
- 90 days
- Document route
- Apostille
- Translation
- Required
- Short-stay fee
- $25
- Schengen area
- No
Entering Vietnam
U.S. citizens need a visa for Vietnam. The e-Visa is applied for online through the official government portal, costs about 25 dollars for single entry or 50 for multiple, is issued within around three business days, and since August 2023 is available for up to 90 days with multiple entries, which is far more generous than the old 30-day single-entry version. As with India, there are many lookalike sites; the official portal is evisa.gov.vn.
Passport requirements
Valid for at least six months beyond your intended departure, with at least two blank pages.
What is specific to Vietnam
Vietnam has no retirement visa and no practical path to permanent residency for a foreigner without a Vietnamese family connection, which is the decisive fact for anyone planning a long stay. Long-term foreign residents generally rotate 90-day e-Visas or hold sponsored business visas, which is legal but gives no security of tenure. The document position is about to improve sharply: Vietnam acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention and it enters into force on 11 September 2026, replacing the previous consular legalisation chain.
Visa categories for Vietnam
Each has its own page combining the universal process for that category with what Vietnam specifically requires.
Tourist and Visitor Visa
e-Visa, up to 90 days with multiple entries, applied for online.
Business Visitor Visa
The DN business visa, requiring sponsorship by a Vietnamese company.
Student and Study Visa
A student visa is one of the most document-heavy categories, and it is also one of the most mechanical: if you have an unconditional…
Work and Employment Visa
A work permit from the Department of Labour first, then a temporary residence card.
Digital Nomad and Remote Work Visa
No dedicated route. Remote workers rotate e-Visas, which carries policy risk.
Family, Spouse and Partner Visa
The TT visa for spouses of Vietnamese citizens, which is the cleanest long-term route.
Retirement and Passive Income Visa
Vietnam has no retirement visa and no practical residence route for retirees without a Vietnamese family tie.
Investor, Golden and Entrepreneur Visa
The DT investor visa, tiered by capital contribution, with only the higher tiers producing a multi-year residence card.
Permanent Residence and Citizenship
The destination rather than the journey. Permanent residence gives an indefinite right to live somewhere without renewing a visa; citizenship gives a passport, political…
Where and how to apply
- Authority
- Vietnam Immigration Department
- Official portal
- Vietnam e-Visa (official)
- Where to file
- At the consulate with jurisdiction over your U.S. state of residence.
- Biometrics
- Fingerprints and a facial image are collected for most visa categories.
- Fees
- The e-Visa is about 25 dollars single entry and 50 dollars multiple entry.
- Short-stay processing
- Around 3 business days for the e-Visa
- Long-stay processing
- Two to four months for temporary residence cards, which are sponsor-led
Documents and authentication for Vietnam
Vietnam is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so U.S. public documents are apostilled. That is a single certificate and it is the end of the chain.
Translation. Required into Vietnamese, with the translation notarised in Vietnam. This is normally done locally after arrival.
This is changing. Vietnam acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention and it enters into force for Vietnam on 11 September 2026. Documents prepared before that date may have been processed under the older consular legalisation chain. Because administrative practice sometimes lags a treaty date by months, confirm with the receiving Vietnamese authority which chain they will accept if you are filing around the transition.
This is changing. Vietnam acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention and it enters into force for Vietnam on 11 September 2026. Documents prepared before that date may have been processed under the older consular legalisation chain. Because administrative practice sometimes lags a treaty date by months, confirm with the receiving Vietnamese authority which chain they will accept if you are filing around the transition.
- 1 Obtain a certified original From the issuing authority. Photocopies, scans and souvenir certificates cannot be authenticated.
- 2 Notarise, if it is a private document Letters, affidavits, powers of attorney and diploma copies need a notary acknowledgement first. Government-issued vital records do not.
- 3 County clerk, in some states A handful of states require the county clerk to certify the notary commission before the Secretary of State will act.
- 4 Authenticate at the right level State-issued documents go to the Secretary of State of the ISSUING state. Federal documents, including the FBI Identity History Summary, go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.
- 5 Apostille or embassy legalisation Hague Convention destination: the apostille ends the chain. Non-member destination: the document then goes to that country embassy or consulate. For Vietnam the apostille ends the chain.
- 6 Certified translation Translate the document together with its apostille or legalisation certificate. Doing this first means paying twice. Required into Vietnamese, with the translation notarised in Vietnam. This is normally done locally after arrival.
- 7 File with the right consulate Jurisdiction is by your U.S. state of residence. Bring originals plus a full copy set.
The two expensive mistakes. Sending a federal document such as an FBI Identity History Summary to a Secretary of State, which cannot authenticate it. And translating before authentication, so the apostille certificate is not inside the translation and the whole set has to be paid for twice.
Official sources
- Vietnam official e-Visa portal The only legitimate e-Visa site.
- Vietnam Immigration Department Visa categories and temporary residence cards.
Questions about Vietnam
Is there a retirement visa for Vietnam?
No. This is the decisive fact. Vietnam has no category granting residence on the basis of a pension and no practical route to permanent residency for a retiree without a Vietnamese spouse. Foreign residents rotate 90-day e-Visas, which is legal but offers no security if the policy changes, and it has changed more than once.
What changes on 11 September 2026?
The Hague Apostille Convention enters into force for Vietnam, meaning U.S. public documents will be accepted with an apostille rather than requiring consular legalisation at the Vietnamese embassy. That shortens the chain and reduces cost. Administrative practice sometimes lags a treaty date, so confirm with the receiving authority in the first months.
Verified Sep 7, 2026 Primary sources: xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn, evisa.gov.vn
This resource is provided free by Federal Apostille as an educational tool. It is not legal or immigration advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Visa rules, fees, processing times and entry requirements change frequently and often without notice, and individual circumstances change the answer. Always confirm current requirements with the official government source and the specific embassy or consulate that has jurisdiction over your place of residence before you book travel or file an application. Every figure on this site carries the date we last verified it and a link to the primary source.
