Vietnam to Extend e-Visa Validity to 90 Days

Vietnam has announced a long-awaited decision to extend the validity of electronic visas for tourists.

Foreigners planning to visit Vietnam will now be allowed to enter and exit the country numerous times within a 90-day period without needing to apply for a new visa at any time. 

The final decision was made during the fifth session of the National Assembly held on 24th June.

According to the official announcement, the validity of tourist e-Visas was extended from 30 days to 90 days, and the new rules will apply from August 15, 2023.  

New changes in Vietnam visa policy 

Extension of e-Visa validity

The biggest change was made to the validity of electronic visas for Vietnam issued for tourism-related purposes. 

Currently, Vietnam e-Visa is a single-entry visa valid for 30 days from the day before the intended date of arrival in Vietnam.

As of August 15, 2023, the same visa is to be valid for 90 days instead of 30 days. Moreover, the visa will be covering numerous entries to Vietnam. 

At the moment, the Vietnamese Government issues e-Visas to nationals of 80 countries. The authorities can also introduce new changes to the list of eligible countries as well as the entry points recognizing the e-Visa system. However, no changes regarding this matter have been made so far. 

Extension of visa-free stay 

Apart from extending the visa validity and the length of stay in Vietnam, the country's authorities also extended the visa-free stay for exempted countries. 

Previously, nationals of Belarus, Denmark, Finland, France, Spain, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Norway, Russi, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Italy could travel to Vietnam for up to 15 days without a visa. Now, all these countries will be permitted to stay in Vietnam for up to 45 days visa-free.

Vietnam aims at attracting more foreign visitors 

The decision to introduce the long-discussed changes in the Vietnamese immigration policy is expected to attract more and more foreign visitors.

The country predicts a 1.5-fold increase in the number of tourist arrivals after the new validity period of the visa. 

Until now, many travelers were not really satisfied with the rules of electronic visas, which allowed only one single entry and enabled a stay of a maximum of 30 days.

Under the extension of the visa, travelers will be given the opportunity to re-enter Vietnam as many times as they need at the same time, being able to visit the neighboring Asian countries without the need to obtain a new visa any time crossing the Vietnamese borders.