Vietnam e-visa for US citizens: the fee and the limits

A Vietnam e-visa for US citizens is the way in, because the United States is on neither of Vietnam's 45-day exemption lists.

Who can apply and for how long

Holders of a valid passport from any country can apply for an e-visa, with a stay of up to 90 days. The visa-free exemptions work differently. They name specific countries and give 45 days, and the United States is not among them. Our list of the exempt passports shows who is.

The two fees

There are two fees:

• Single entry: USD 25.
• Multiple entry, up to 90 days: USD 50.

VnEconomy reports both amounts. Circular 62/2023/TT-BTC, the Ministry of Finance fee regulation, sets the USD 50 fee for visas valid up to 90 days.

You pay through the official electronic visa portal. The fee is not refunded if the visa is refused, so check your details before you submit.

We could not open the official portal's application pages when we checked, so the fees above come from the sources listed below. Confirm the current fee on the official e-visa portal before you pay.

Limits after the visa is issued

An e-visa only works at the entry and exit points you select when you apply, so decide on your route first. If your plans change, the points on the visa may no longer fit.

If you get an e-visa while you are already in Vietnam, you must leave and re-enter for it to start.

Passport checks

Immigration checks the passport as well as the visa:

• The passport must expire at least 6 months after the day you arrive.
• It needs at least 2 blank pages.
• It must not be damaged. The UK government notes that British travellers have been refused entry and exit over a damaged passport.
• You must enter and leave Vietnam on the same passport.

Check the expiry date, the blank pages and the condition of the passport before you copy its details into the application.

For where to go once you are in, the Vietnam travel hub has the destination pages, and the Vietnam visa page has a tool that checks entry rules by passport country.

Arrival card and health declaration

From 15 April 2026 the government encourages all foreign nationals entering through Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City to complete a digital arrival card online before arrival. It is not mandatory at the moment, and it may become mandatory or be extended to other airports at short notice.

The UK government page also says travellers to or through Vietnam may be required to complete a health declaration, which may include proof of vaccination, from 1 July. It does not give the year, so check with the nearest Vietnamese embassy.

Connecting flights and overstaying

If you change from an international flight to a domestic flight in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, you must clear immigration and enter Vietnam, even if your final destination is outside Vietnam. Check with your airline before you book.

You cannot leave without a valid visa. If you overstay, the authorities can stop you leaving until you pay a fine, and you can be deported and refused entry in future. Authorities can also place an exit ban on people involved in an investigation, including a civil matter or a road accident, and your passport can be held until the case is closed.

What we have not verified

We have no sourced figure for how long an application takes, so we give none. Check the portal for that and for the application steps.

References

• UK FCDO travel advice for Vietnam, entry requirements: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/vietnam/entry-requirements. Checked 2026-09.
• VnEconomy, more detailed information about Vietnam's e-visa: https://en.vneconomy.vn/more-detailed-information-about-vietnams-e-visa.htm. Checked 2026-09.
• Circular 62/2023/TT-BTC, fees for multiple-entry visas: https://english.luatvietnam.vn/tai-chinh/circular-62-2023-tt-btc-charges-related-to-exit-from-entry-into-residence-in-vietnam-269196-d1.html. Checked 2026-09.
• Vietnam National Electronic Visa system: https://evisa.gov.vn/. Checked 2026-09.

Photo: Hanoi Train Street (20231225b) (53489076293).jpg, Takeshi Aida from Hong Kong, Hong Kong, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hanoi_Train_Street_(20231225b)_(53489076293).jpg

Data checked: September 2026.