Vietnam visas for remote workers in 2026: the 90-day e-visa, 45-day exemptions, visa runs and longer stays

The e-visa is open to citizens of every country and is the document most remote workers actually use. Since 15 August 2023 it allows a stay of up to 90 days, and you choose single or multiple entry when you apply (Vietnam National Authority of Tourism). The fees were restated in Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC from 1 April 2026 without changing the two headline prices.

The numbers. The Immigration Department portal lists USD 25 for a single entry e-visa and USD 50 for multiple entry; under Circular 28/2026, children under 14 pay USD 25. Processing takes three working days from a complete application and payment; leave extra margin around Tet. The portrait must be under 50KB, looking straight at the camera without glasses, and the passport data page image under 200KB. Tan Van Lang, a Vietnamese visa agency, notes that the fee is not refunded if the application is refused, even when the refusal comes from a typo in your passport number (Tan Van Lang).

The only official site is evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn. Lookalike sites buy search ads above it and charge several times the government fee for the same document. What they add is error checking, not a different visa.

Step by step:

1. Open the portal and choose to apply for an e-visa as an individual.
2. Upload the portrait and the passport page. Resize both before you start: a phone photo is usually several megabytes, and an oversized, cropped or glasses-wearing portrait is a common reason for refusal, along with passport data that does not match the scan.
3. Enter your intended entry checkpoint. If you fly into Da Nang, select Da Nang International Airport. Guides published in 2026 count 83 accepted checkpoints (17 international airports, 27 land borders and 39 seaports), so confirm yours on the official list before you book.
4. Enter your intended entry date, and do not apply months early.
5. Pay by card and save the registration code; you use it with your email and date of birth to check the result and download the e-visa.
6. Print the approval and carry the paper copy.

Single or multiple entry? Both last up to 90 days. Multiple entry costs USD 25 more and lets you leave for a weekend in Bangkok or Siem Reap and come back on the same visa, because a single entry e-visa ends the moment you leave.

What the e-visa does not do. It cannot be extended inside Vietnam. When your 90 days end, you leave, then re-enter on a multiple entry e-visa that is still valid or on a new one. You may submit the next application while you are still in Vietnam, but it only works at a fresh entry. See can I extend my Vietnam e-visa without leaving the country, and the Vietnam country page for the rest of the move.

Vietnam grants its main exemptions through government resolutions with end dates, which is why the rules differ from one European passport to the next.

Resolution 44/NQ-CP (15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028) covers Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Citizens get 45 days from the date of entry, "regardless of passport type and purpose of entry", and the Government news portal says the policy "will be considered for extension" under Vietnamese law.

Resolution 229/NQ-CP (15 August 2025 to 14 August 2028) covers Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. Citizens also get 45 days, but for tourism only, and the passport needs at least six months of validity. It replaced Resolution 11/NQ-CP of January 2025, which covered only Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

The purpose wording matters at the border. A Dutch citizen who declares remote work sits outside a resolution written for tourism, while a French citizen on Resolution 44 is exempt for any purpose. Neither exemption authorises paid work for a Vietnamese employer, and neither can be extended in the country.

Separate bilateral agreements cover a few more passports: 90 days for Chile and Panama; 30 days for Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore and Thailand; 21 days for the Philippines; and 14 days for Brunei, Indonesia and Myanmar. Any nationality may also stay up to 30 days on Phu Quoc island without a visa when flying directly from abroad to Phu Quoc International Airport, but only on the island.

Everyone else needs a visa before boarding, including citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Portugal. Several 2026 articles claim Americans or Australians get 45 days; they do not, and the airline checks. Our post on why Americans and Australians are not visa exempt in Vietnam traces where the myth comes from.

To see your own row, run your passport through Visa Check or read which countries get 45 days visa-free in Vietnam.

Because nothing can be extended, a remote worker who wants a year in Vietnam does it in cycles: 90 days on an e-visa, out, and back in. On a 45-day exemption the loop has no visa fee but comes round twice as often.

The rules. Vietnam publishes no maximum number of entries per year and no minimum gap between two exempt stays. Older guides describe a 30-day wait between exemption entries; the current resolutions contain no such rule, and Vietnam Tourism states that the old gap no longer applies. Entry is always at the discretion of the officer, and ExpatDen (updated 20 August 2026) reports longer questioning and requests for documents after several back-to-back stays, not a formal cap.

Timing. Use our Leave By Check to work out your last legal day, counting the day of entry as day one. Apply for the next e-visa about a week before you leave so it is approved before you fly. On a multiple entry e-visa, check that your return still falls inside its validity window.

Routes and costs. From Da Nang the usual runs are a return flight to Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok, or the road to the Lao Bao border with Laos. We model the fares, the Laos visa on arrival and the working days lost in what a year of visa runs from Da Nang really costs. Whatever the route, name the checkpoint you will actually use on the new e-visa.

What officers ask. Purpose of the visit, where you are staying, for how long, how you fund yourself, and an onward or return ticket. What draws attention is a passport showing several consecutive 90-day stays with only a weekend abroad between them, or an answer that mentions working. Carry an onward ticket and proof of accommodation.

The trap a visa run does not fix. Tax residency counts days and leases, not visas: 183 days of presence in a calendar year or in 12 consecutive months from arrival, or a lease of 183 days or more, can make you resident. The Vietnam tax guide covers that side.

Decree 282/2025/ND-CP, in force since 15 December 2025, replaced the overstay schedule of Decree 144/2021, which had capped fines at VND 20 million, with seven bands that top out at VND 40 million. Vietnam does not fine per day: the whole overstay falls in one band, as the table below shows. Our post on the Vietnam overstay fine band by band compares each band with the old decree.

Deportation becomes possible from 16 days of overstay, depending on the nature and severity of the case. Vietcetera reports entry bans of 1 to 10 years depending on severity; that is press reporting, not a figure from the decree summaries.

Where and how you pay. Agency guides updated for Decree 282/2025 say the fine is paid in cash, in dong, at the immigration office or a designated treasury bank, not online. After payment you receive an exit visa, usually valid 7 to 15 days, which lets you leave legally. Airport handling of very short overstays varies, so for anything beyond a day or two go to the immigration office before you book a flight.

Decree 59/2026/ND-CP on deportation. Issued on 13 February 2026 and in force since 1 April 2026, it replaced Decree 142/2021 and repealed Article 66 of Decree 282/2025. The Vietnam News Agency summarised the changes that matter to an ordinary overstayer: a written decision at least 48 hours before enforcement, and immediate deportation, with the fine suspended, for someone who cannot pay. An overstay you cannot pay for can end in removal.

The landlord fine behind the passport request. Under the same decree, a host who fails to declare a foreign guest's temporary residence is fined VND 3 to 5 million for 1 to 3 foreigners, VND 10 to 15 million for 4 to 8, and VND 15 to 20 million for 9 or more, according to the Hung Yen provincial police. That is why a long let in Da Nang asks for your passport on the first day; see do I need to register my address in Vietnam as a foreigner.

The honest answer has three layers.

What the law says. Vietnam's entry law lists visa categories by purpose. Work permits attach to the LD1 and LD2 visas, which need a Vietnamese employer or sponsoring entity, and the e-visa does not grant permission to work. Under Decree 12/2022, a foreigner working without a valid permit faces VND 15 to 25 million plus deportation and a period during which they cannot return, and an employer using unpermitted workers faces VND 30 to 45 million for 1 to 10 of them, rising to VND 75 million for 21 or more (The Sentry). Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, in force since 7 August 2025, rewrote the permit procedure: permits are issued within 10 working days of a complete file and last up to two years. It also confirmed the exemptions, including people working in Vietnam under 90 days a year, owners contributing VND 3 billion or more of capital, and foreigners married to Vietnamese citizens (Vietnam Briefing).

What the law does not say. No category describes a foreigner who sits in an apartment in Da Nang and writes code for a company in Berlin that pays them in Berlin. There is no permit for it and no exemption written for it. ExpatDen calls it "a legal gray area rather than a clearly permitted one".

Where the risk sits. The fines above are written for work in the Vietnamese labour market, where a local employer leaves a paper trail. That is a description of the law's focus, not a promise that remote work for a foreign employer is safe.

Practical lines on the safe side of the zone:

1. Do not take money from Vietnamese clients or companies on a tourist e-visa or exemption. That is where the grey zone ends.
2. Do not describe yourself as working in Vietnam at the border or on a form, and do not sell services to the local market.
3. If you want a status that matches your work, look at the sponsored routes in the next section.

For the short version see can I work remotely in Vietnam on a tourist e-visa. A Vietnamese client, a local hire or a company you are setting up is a question for an immigration lawyer.

If cycling e-visas is not the life you want, the routes below share one feature: a Vietnamese company or person vouches for you.

Business visa (DN1, DN2). DN1 covers people working with a Vietnamese legal entity, DN2 people entering to offer services or set up a commercial presence. A Vietnamese company must sponsor the application, the visa lasts up to 12 months, and a complete file is processed in no more than five working days. A business visa does not allow paid employment without a work permit. Agencies that sell sponsorship to people with no real Vietnamese partner are selling a paper sponsor, and the sponsor is legally responsible for you. We have not found government fees for the longer business visas on an official page, so ask the sponsor for the current schedule.

Investor visa (DT1 to DT4). Tied to capital in a Vietnamese company: DT4 under VND 3 billion (visa up to one year), DT3 from VND 3 to 50 billion (residence card up to three years), DT2 from VND 50 to 100 billion (card up to five years), DT1 over VND 100 billion (card up to ten years). Vietnam Briefing puts VND 3 billion at about USD 117,000. It is a route for a founder who runs a real company, not a passive investment visa; our post on why Vietnam has not launched a golden visa sets the tiers against the headlines.

Work permit plus LD visa. A Vietnamese employer, or an employer of record that employs you locally and invoices your real employer, applies for the permit, then the LD visa, then a card of up to two years. Under Decree 219/2025 an expert needs a bachelor's degree and two years of relevant experience, or one year in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation. You pay Vietnamese income tax through the employer: the cleanest status, and the most expensive.

The temporary residence card (TRC). The card replaces the visa and lets you enter and leave freely while it is valid. Maximum lengths by category: LD1, LD2 and PV1 up to two years; TT, NN1, NN2 and DT3 up to three years; NG3, LV1, LV2, DT2 and DH up to five years; DT1 up to ten years. The government fee is USD 145 for a card of up to two years and USD 155 for two to five years, processing takes five working days from a complete dossier, the passport needs at least 13 months of validity, and the card must end at least 30 days before the passport. See how do I get a temporary residence card in Vietnam and our setting-up guide for the bank and SIM steps a card makes easier.

When the basis ends. A card is only as good as its sponsor. If the work permit is cancelled or the company closes, the card loses its basis, and keeping it as if nothing changed is a real risk.

Headlines in 2026 keep announcing a Vietnam "digital nomad visa" or "golden visa". None describes something a freelancer can apply for today.

The talent card (Decree 221/2025/ND-CP). In force since 15 August 2025, it is a multiple entry visa exemption card valid up to five years, with stays of up to 90 days per entry, and it must expire at least 30 days before the passport. Holders are invited categories such as scientists, investors and executives of large companies, and guests of research institutes and universities. For a freelancer it is out of reach, and 90 days per entry is what the e-visa already gives.

UD1 and UD2 (from 1 July 2026). Law 118/2025/QH15 created UD1 for high quality digital technology personnel and UD2 for their spouse and children under 18. The visas last up to five years, with residence cards of up to ten years, and a Vietnamese agency or organisation stands behind every file. Analyses published around the launch state plainly that UD1 is not aimed at remote workers or freelancers.

The golden visa. The Tourism Advisory Board wrote to the Prime Minister on 25 March 2025 proposing a visa of five to ten years, to be piloted in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc and Da Nang. As of September 2026 it has no decree number, no fee and no application channel.

So does Vietnam have a digital nomad visa? No. Our post is there a Vietnam digital nomad visa yet goes through each scheme with its sources and will change the day a real one appears.

A family enters Vietnam on e-visas exactly like a solo traveller, and for a three-month stay that is the whole story. Past that, the sponsor logic of the previous sections applies to the whole household.

Short stays. Each family member with a passport needs their own application, with their own portrait and passport scan under the size limits. Under the fee circular in force since 1 April 2026, children under 14 pay USD 25. If your nationality is on a 45-day list, your children of the same nationality are exempt on the same terms.

Family visa runs. Cycling a family of four every 90 days means four e-visas (USD 200 on multiple entry), four return fares and a hotel, four times a year. That cost is why families tend to move to a sponsored status within the first year.

The TT dependent visa. When one parent holds a work permit and LD visa, or an investor DT visa, the spouse and children can apply for TT visas and then residence cards of up to three years, at USD 155 per card of two to five years. Expect to provide marriage and birth certificates, legalised and translated, and passports with at least 13 months of validity. The TT card follows the sponsor: if the parent's permit ends, the family's cards lose their basis too.

Married to a Vietnamese citizen. The spouse route gives a TT visa and a card of up to three years, and Decree 219/2025 exempts foreigners married to Vietnamese citizens from the work permit requirement. It is one of the few positions where a foreigner can work locally without an employer sponsor.

Schools and housing. The Da Nang cost of living guide covers school fees, and the Da Nang housing guide explains the landlord declaration a family dossier needs.

Cost. Four 90-day multiple entry e-visas at USD 50 each come to USD 200 a year, plus four exits. The DTV is a one-off fee of THB 10,000 (GBP 300 at the London embassy) for a visa valid five years, with 180 days per entry and one extension of up to 180 days for THB 1,900. Over one year the two are close once flights are added; over five years the DTV is cheaper.

Paperwork. The e-visa needs a photo, a passport scan and no financial proof. The DTV needs THB 500,000 held for three months, proof of remote work for a non-Thai employer or clients, and a police certificate, and since 31 August 2026 you apply from your country of nationality or permanent residence.

Legal standing to work. The DTV covers remote work for foreign employers and clients, not for Thai companies. No Vietnamese visa category covers foreign remote employment.

Border friction. A DTV holder re-enters on a five-year visa. A Vietnam cycler shows a passport full of 90-day stays and relies on the officer's discretion each time.

Tax. Thailand makes you resident at more than 180 days in a calendar year and taxes foreign income earned from 2024 when you bring it in. Vietnam makes you resident at 183 days in a calendar year or 12 consecutive months, or through a lease of 183 days or more, and taxes residents on worldwide income. The Thailand country page and our Vietnam tax guide cover each side.

The full comparison, including who each option suits, is in our post Thailand DTV vs Vietnam e-visa, and the destination comparison sets both countries side by side on costs and internet too.