Does Vietnam have a digital nomad visa?
Here’s the current visa situation in Vietnam.
There is no digital nomad visa and no retiree visa. What exists is a 90-day e-visa. Same form whether the money is a pension, savings, or a paycheck from somewhere else.
The 90-day cap is the thing people use to write Vietnam off for long-term living. That is the wrong read. People live here for years on this visa. You stay in 90-day blocks. Between blocks you leave, apply again from another country, wait, and come back. That trip is a visa run. It is the published process, not a loophole, and it is not a reason the country does not work.
How do you get a Vietnam e-visa?
Apply on evisa.gov.vn before you arrive. A .com site that offers to file it for you is not the government.
You upload a 4×6 photo of your face and a photo of the passport page with your name. $25 for one entry. $50 if you want to leave and come back inside those 90 days. They give themselves 3 working days. Weekends and Vietnamese holidays do not count. If they refuse you, the fee is gone.
On the form you list the airports or land borders you will actually use. That is the gate they let you through.
A short list of passports (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Russia, Japan, Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belarus) can skip this form for 45 days. That is a visit. It is not how you live here.
Vietnamese pages say “valid passport.” Airlines want 6 months of validity after you arrive, 2 blank pages, and no damage. Check the live form before you pay.
What happens when you land in Vietnam?
At the stamp desk, look at the date they write in the passport. That date is when you have to be gone, not the date on the PDF.
From 15 April 2026, flights into Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City are asked to fill a digital arrival card before landing. Encouraged, not currently required. It is not a visa and it does not add days.
How do visa runs work if you want to live in Vietnam long term?
You cannot apply for a new e-visa from inside Vietnam unless a Vietnamese sponsor invites you. For everyone else, the next 90 days starts with leaving.
The long-term calendar is: live here until you need to go, fly out, apply from the country you landed in, wait the 3 working days (plus a weekend if the timing is ugly), fly back. Six months in Vietnam is two visas and one trip. A year is four visas and a few regional flights.
Multiple entry does not start a new 90 each time you leave. It only lets you step out and walk back in before the original window closes. If you are staying put until the run, $25 single entry is enough. If you already know you will leave and return in the middle of the 90, pay the $50.
Two visas cost $50 or $100 in government fees. The real cost is the flight and a few nights out of the country. That is a planning item, like rent. It is not proof that Vietnam is tourist-only.
The way to actually break this is overstay: waiting inside Vietnam “until the next visa comes through.” That can mean a fine, getting held at the airport, or being told not to come back.
Exceptions and Edge Cases
UĐ1 is a sponsored visa for high-quality digital-technology personnel. A Vietnamese company has to bring you in. Not a nomad visa, not a retirement visa.
An e-visa lets you enter and stay. It is not a work permit. A job with a Vietnamese company needs a work permit. Remote work for a foreign employer on an e-visa has no published “yes.” This page is about staying, not employment.
Vietnam e-visa FAQ
Does Vietnam have a digital nomad visa?
Vietnam does not have a digital nomad visa and does not have a retiree visa. What exists in 2026 is a 90-day e-visa. The same form applies whether the money is a pension, savings, or a paycheck from another country.
How long is a Vietnam e-visa?
A Vietnam e-visa is 90 days. You apply from outside the country on evisa.gov.vn, pay $25 for single entry or $50 for multiple entry, and wait up to 3 working days. Weekends and Vietnamese holidays do not count.
Can you live in Vietnam long term on a 90-day e-visa?
Yes. People live in Vietnam for years on this visa by staying in 90-day blocks. Between blocks you leave, apply again from another country, wait, and come back. That trip is a visa run. It is the published process, not a loophole, and it is not a reason the country does not work.
What is a Vietnam visa run?
A Vietnam visa run means leaving the country to apply for a new 90-day e-visa, because you cannot apply for a new e-visa from inside Vietnam unless a Vietnamese sponsor invites you. Six months in Vietnam is two visas and one trip. A year is four visas and a few regional flights.
Can you apply for a Vietnam e-visa from inside Vietnam?
No. You cannot apply for a new e-visa from inside Vietnam unless a Vietnamese sponsor invites you. For everyone else, the next 90 days starts with leaving. Waiting inside Vietnam until the next visa comes through is overstay.
Does multiple entry reset the 90 days on a Vietnam e-visa?
No. Multiple entry does not start a new 90 days each time you leave. It only lets you step out and walk back in before the original window closes. If you are staying put until the visa run, $25 single entry is enough. If you already know you will leave and return in the middle of the 90, pay $50.
Which date counts on a Vietnam e-visa, the stamp or the PDF?
The date written in your passport at the stamp desk is when you have to be gone, not the date on the PDF.
What is the official Vietnam e-visa website?
The official Vietnam e-visa website is evisa.gov.vn. A .com site that offers to file the visa for you is not the government.
Sources
Last verified 27 August 2026. Recheck evisa.gov.vn before you pay.
This page is about staying in Vietnam. Relocate Asia does not file visas and is not a visa agency.