Vietnam Visa 2025-2026: What Has Really Changed

Many articles online announce a "revolution" in Vietnamese visas in 2026: a retirement visa, 10-year investor visas, a three-tier work system. We found no official text that creates any of them. This page only covers what has been published by the Vietnamese or French authorities, with the effective date and the source. Anything not yet settled is flagged as such.

01What Hasn't Changed: The 90-Day E-Visa

The e-visa remains the simplest way in for a stay of more than 45 days. It has been open to nationals of all countries and territories since August 15, 2023 (Resolution 127/NQ-CP), for a maximum of 90 days, single or multiple entry (Embassy of Vietnam in Japan). So it isn't new in 2026, even though many websites still present it that way.

The legal processing time is 3 working days after receipt of the complete application and the fees (Law 51/2019/QH14, Article 16a). In practice, it can take longer during busy periods: submit your application at least one to two weeks before you leave.

You apply on the official portal evisa.gov.vn, which is also reachable at thithucdientu.gov.vn. An official Vietnamese website always ends in .gov.vn. For the full step-by-step, with the documents to provide, see our guide on how to apply for a Vietnam visa.

02Change No. 1: The 45-Day Exemption, Extended and Widened

For French Citizens: Until March 14, 2028

French citizens can enter Vietnam without a visa for a stay of up to 45 days, whatever their passport type and the purpose of the trip. This exemption was renewed by Resolution 44/NQ-CP for the period from March 15, 2025 to March 14, 2028 (diplomatie.gouv.fr). It covers 12 countries: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

The conditions to remember:

• 45 days maximum per stay, counted from the day of entry
• passport valid for at least 6 months
• no entry ban under Vietnamese law
• no work activity allowed

Beyond 45 days, you need a visa: the 90-day e-visa, or a long-stay visa if you work, invest or join a family member.

For 12 Other European Countries: Since August 15, 2025

Resolution 229/NQ-CP of August 8, 2025 exempts citizens of 12 countries from visas for a 45-day tourist stay: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. It applies from August 15, 2025 to August 14, 2028 (Embassy of Vietnam in Japan).

It replaces a narrower measure: from March to August 2025, Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland already enjoyed an exemption (Resolution 11/NQ-CP), but only for tours organized by an approved Vietnamese agency. That condition no longer appears in the August 2025 resolution. If you're traveling with a Belgian or Swiss spouse, for example, each of you can now enter for 45 days without a visa.

03Change No. 2: A New Fee Schedule Since April 1, 2026

Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC from the Ministry of Finance sets the visa and residence fees in force since April 1, 2026 (text on LuatVietnam). The amounts to know, as of September 23, 2026:

These fees are not refunded if your application is refused. Any higher amount you're asked to pay is an intermediary's service fee, not a government charge.

04Change No. 3: Two "UĐ" Visas for Digital-Tech Talent

This is the only new visa category actually created in 2025-2026. Law 118/2025/QH15, signed on December 10, 2025, amends the law on the entry and residence of foreigners. Since July 1, 2026, it adds two visa codes (Tay Ninh Province Police):

• UĐ1: for foreigners who are highly qualified professionals in the digital technology industry, with proof of competence as defined by the law on the digital technology industry, and for other cases of preferential treatment provided for by a law or a resolution of the National Assembly;
• UĐ2: for the spouse and children under 18 of a UĐ1 visa holder.

These visas can last up to 5 years, and the associated temporary residence card up to 10 years. What we don't know yet as of September 23, 2026: the exact list of accepted supporting documents and how many UĐ1 visas have actually been issued. This visa isn't aimed at retirees or digital nomads in general, but at profiles recruited by companies in the sector.

The same law also provides for moving several procedures online (online invitations and sponsorships, an electronic ID card for foreigners, automated border gates).

What About the 10-Year "Golden Visa"?

A plan for a 10-year "golden visa" for investors and wealthy visitors has been publicly discussed. As of September 23, 2026, we found no decree or law creating it: it doesn't exist yet. Be wary of any website offering to apply for it on your behalf.

05Change No. 4: A Simplified Work Permit (Decree 219/2025)

If you're coming to work in Vietnam, the work visa (LĐ) still requires a work permit. Decree 219/2025/NĐ-CP, in force since August 7, 2025, overhauled the procedure (text on LuatVietnam):

• the permit is issued by the provincial People's Committee;
• the authority must rule within 10 working days of receiving a complete application;
• approval of the labor need and the permit are handled in a single application;
• a manager, executive, expert or technician who works in Vietnam for less than 90 days in total per calendar year doesn't need a permit, but the employer must declare them;
• the maximum length of the permit remains 2 years.

The work visa codes remain LĐ1 (workers exempt from a permit) and LĐ2 (workers holding a permit), for 2 years at most. Our guide to the Vietnam work visa details the procedure on the employer's side.

06Change No. 5: The Apostille Replaces Legalization Since September 11, 2026

For a work permit, a residence card or a marriage, the Vietnamese administration asks for foreign documents: criminal record, degrees, civil status records. Until now, they had to be legalized by the Vietnamese consulate, a lengthy step.

Vietnam acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on December 31, 2025, with entry into force on September 11, 2026 (HCCH). Since that date, a French document bearing an apostille (issued in France by the public prosecutor's office at the relevant court of appeal) no longer needs consular legalization. A Vietnamese translation is still required in principle.

Exception: Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic have lodged an objection to this accession. For documents from these countries, consular legalization is still required. France is not affected by these objections.

07What Doesn't Exist: Claims to Ignore

Several "2026 changes" are circulating on blogs and agency websites. None of them matches an official text we could find as of September 23, 2026:

• A "DL" visa for retirees aged 55 with a 2,000 USD pension. The DL code refers to the standard tourist visa. Vietnam has no retirement visa.
• 10-year "DN1" and 3-year "DN2" visas for investors. DN1 and DN2 have existed since 2020, but they are business visas of 12 months at most, for working with a Vietnamese company. Investor visas carry the codes ĐT1 to ĐT4, depending on the amount invested; we found no reform of their thresholds in 2026.
• A three-tier "LD" system with minimum salaries. No text provides for it.
• "Before 2026 / since 2026" tables on minimum capital, number of employees or business visa renewal. These figures don't appear in any text.
• Residence card processing cut to 10 days, or an "automatic renewal". For the temporary residence card, see our dedicated guide to the Temporary Residence Card.

If a website is selling you one of these visas, that's a red flag.

08Applying Without Getting Scammed

The rise in online applications has come with fake websites that imitate the official portal and charge several times the price. Vietnamese authorities recommend using only .gov.vn addresses and being wary of any payment requested elsewhere (VietnamPlus).

Three habits:

1. Check that the address ends in .gov.vn before entering your passport number.
2. Compare the amount requested with the official fee schedule above.
3. Double-check your name, date of birth and passport number: a typo often means submitting a new application.

If you'd rather hand off the data entry, visa-vietnam.app is a private service; visa-vietnam.app is run by the same publisher as this site. It isn't a government website, and its fees come on top of the official fees.

09Sources Consulted

Official texts and pages checked as of September 23, 2026: Resolution 44/NQ-CP (exemption for French citizens), Resolution 229/NQ-CP (12 European countries), Resolution 127/NQ-CP (e-visa for all), Law 51/2019/QH14, Law 118/2025/QH15 (UĐ1 and UĐ2 visas), Decree 219/2025/NĐ-CP (work permits), Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC (fees), and the Hague Conference page on Vietnam's accession to the Apostille Convention. Rules can change: before you leave, check the "Conseils aux voyageurs" (travel advice) page on diplomatie.gouv.fr and the evisa.gov.vn portal.