Vietnam entry requirements for British passport holders (2026): visa and passport validity
Passport validity (FCDO rule): At least 6 months after the day you arrive
Visa (FCDO): You can visit Vietnam without a visa for up to 45 days for tourism or business. Official visa text
Official source: GOV.UK – Vietnam travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 21 September 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Whether you need a visa and how long your British passport must be valid to enter Vietnam, as published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), quoted word for word, with a checker for your dates.
Other passports: Canadian passport · Australian passport · Italian citizens: documenti per italiani
Driving in Vietnam, do you need an international driving permit? UK licence · Canadian licence · Australian licence
Do I need a visa for Vietnam with a British passport?
In short: You can visit Vietnam without a visa for up to 45 days for tourism or business.
Our one-line summary of the first FCDO sentence below, which matches a wording we recognise. It applies to British citizen passport holders; read the full official text, which may add conditions.
You can visit Vietnam without a visa for up to 45 days for tourism or business. On arrival, your passport will be stamped with an entry and exit stamp (the date you have to leave by). Check that the date given is 45 days from your arrival date, as Immigration will not change this after you have left the airport/land border.
If you want to stay longer than 45 days, you can:
- book with a travel agent in Vietnam and ask them to apply for a visa pre-approval letter – your agent will tell you when to collect your visa from the embassy
- apply for other visa types from the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK
- apply for an e-visa that allows a 90-day stay and multiple entries
E-visas restrict you to the entry and exit points you select when you apply. If you get an e-visa while in Vietnam, you must exit the country and re-enter to start your e-visa.
If you wish to stay longer than 90 days, please visit the Vietnamese Immigration Department (in vietnamese) for further information and contact details of your nearest office.
The British Embassy will not assist with visa extensions.
More from the FCDO visa section (extensions, border checks and other cases)
Work or study
If you want to work or study, check which type of visa or work permit you need with the Vietnam Immigration Department.
Read about visas and work permits if you live in Vietnam.
If you overstay your visa or work illegally, the authorities can prevent you from leaving until you pay a fine. You could be deported and prevented from visiting Vietnam in the future.
Official source: GOV.UK – Vietnam travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO), section “Visa requirements” · page last updated 21 September 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Passport validity: official text “Passport validity requirements”
To enter Vietnam, your passport must have:
- an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive
- at least 2 blank pages
- no damage – British nationals have been denied entry and exit due to passport damage
It is a requirement of Vietnamese authorities that visitors enter and exit Vietnam using the same passport.
Make sure you get your passport stamped.
Check the visa expiry date written in your passport is correct before leaving border control. If it is wrong, you could be accused of overstaying. Your passport is stamped upon entry which will specify the date by which you need to leave Vietnam.
Official source: GOV.UK – Vietnam travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 21 September 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Check your passport for Vietnam
Schengen rules count your whole trip in the Schengen area: if you visit several Schengen countries, enter the day you first enter the area and the day you leave the last Schengen country.
The check runs in your browser: your dates are not sent anywhere. It applies the FCDO sentence literally (for example “6 months” is counted as the same day of the month 6 months later).
For British passport holders only. These are the rules published by the UK government (FCDO) for British citizens. If you hold another passport, check your own government's advice. The airline and the border officials of the destination decide whether you can travel or enter: this site is information, not legal advice.
Blank pages: the official text says “…at least 2 blank pages…”. The checker does not count pages.
Recent FCDO updates to the entry requirements
- 26 June 2026: “New information about submitting a health declaration if you are travelling to or transiting through Vietnam ('Entry requirements' page).”
- 21 April 2026: “Addition of information about digital arrival card and updated information about road travel ('Entry requirements' and 'Safety and security' pages).”
- 6 March 2026: “New information about travel disruption and updated information about visa requirements ('Warnings and insurance' and 'Entry requirements' pages).”
- 10 December 2025: “New information about dual nationals returning to the UK (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 26 August 2025: “Updated information about visa requirements ('Entry requirements' page).”
Read the full FCDO travel advice for Vietnam (safety, visas, health) before you travel.
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Same FCDO rule (6 months after arrival)
and 79 more destinations with the same rule: see all
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