Living Long-Term in Vietnam 2026: Residence Registration, E-visa, Retirement & Fines

2026-10-26

Vietnam has no retirement visa. For short stays you use a 45-day visa exemption (eligible countries) or an e-visa of up to 90 days; to live here long-term you need a reason such as work, investment, family or study to get a Temporary Residence Card (TRC). Since 15 December 2025, fines for missed residence registration and overstays have gone up sharply.

• 12 countries incl. Korea, Japan, Russia and the UK get 45 days visa-free (15/3/2025–14/3/2028); most others use an e-visa of up to 90 days
• E-visa fee: USD 25 single entry, USD 50 multiple entry up to 90 days (Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC, from 1/4/2026)
• Your hotel or landlord must register you with the local police within 12 hours; hosts who don't face fines of 3–20 million VND
• Overstaying even one day is fined: 0.5–2 million VND under 16 days, 30–40 million VND for a year or more, plus possible deportation
• No retirement or property-based visa. Long-term routes: work (LĐ), investment (ĐT), family (TT), study (DH); new UĐ1/UĐ2 from 1/7/2026
• PAI pre-arrival declaration is free, can be done up to 3 days before arrival, and the only official site is prearrival.immigration.gov.vn

1. Short stays: 45 days visa-free and the 90-day e-visa

There are two easy ways in: entering without a visa (visa exemption) or applying online for an e-visa.

Under Government Resolution 44/NQ-CP, citizens of 12 countries — Korea, Japan, Russia, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland — can stay 45 days visa-free from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028. People from countries not on that list, such as China or the US, usually get an e-visa. The e-visa lasts up to 90 days and comes as single or multiple entry.

⚠ Apply for the e-visa only on the official government site. Look-alike agency sites can charge several times the real fee.

2. Residence registration (khai báo tạm trú): your host has 12 hours

Whenever a foreigner sleeps somewhere in Vietnam, the person running that place — hotel, landlord or serviced-apartment manager — must tell the local police. This is called temporary residence registration (khai báo tạm trú). Article 33 of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners sets the deadline at 12 hours after arrival (24 hours in remote areas), done online or on a paper form.

The duty sits with the host, but you must show your passport and visa or TRC. You need to be registered again when you move or when your passport details change (Article 33.3). A missing registration can delay later paperwork such as visa extensions, TRC applications or marriage documents.

⚠ When you sign a lease, ask the landlord to confirm they will register you, and keep a screenshot or message as proof. It's not about distrust — it protects both of you.

3. Overstay fines

Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP, in force since 15 December 2025, raised overstay fines a lot. Even one extra day is an offence, and deportation can come on top of the fine.

Flights get delayed and people get sick, so plan to leave one or two days before your permitted stay ends.

⚠ An overstay record can count against you at your next entry or visa application. If you think you'll be late, ask the immigration office before your stay expires.

4. Vietnam has no retirement visa

Unlike Thailand or Malaysia, Vietnamese law has no visa based on age or pension. Visas are grouped only by purpose: work, investment, study, family, tourism and so on.

Foreigners may buy an apartment, but owning property is not on the list of grounds for a TRC (Article 36). Permanent residence exists, but only for narrow groups: people honoured for contributions to Vietnam, scientists and experts, and those sponsored by a Vietnamese-citizen parent, spouse or child who lives here permanently, after at least 3 years of continuous temporary residence (Articles 39–40).

• Retirees usually live on the 45-day exemption or a 90-day e-visa, then leave and come back
• Re-entry is never automatic — border officers decide each time
• Your home health insurance often doesn't cover Vietnam, so look at expat private insurance early

5. Legal long-term routes: the TRC

To stay long-term you get a purpose-based visa and then a TRC. The application is usually filed by your employer, your invested company or your family sponsor at the immigration authority (Article 37). The terms below are legal maximums, and a TRC always ends at least 30 days before your passport expires.

You can't simply switch visa purpose. The exceptions are: proof that you are an investor, being the parent, spouse or child of your sponsor, holding a work permit (or exemption confirmation), or entering on an e-visa and then getting a work permit (Article 7.4).

⚠ A company set up only on paper, with no real operations, can lead to fines and a cancelled TRC. Consider the investor route only for a genuine business.

6. Visa runs and the 2026 arrival changes (PAI)

A visa run means leaving before your stay ends and coming back on a new exemption period or a new e-visa. It isn't banned, but entry is never guaranteed. Carry an onward ticket and your Vietnam address.

From 15 April 2026 the Immigration Department piloted PAI (Pre-arrival Information) at Tan Son Nhat; a Singapore Embassy notice of 25 June 2026 lists Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc airports. Up to 3 days before arrival you enter passport, flight and Vietnam address details on your phone, get a QR code, and pass through the airport faster.

• The only official site is prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, and it is free
• The Ministry of Public Security described the pilot as optional, not mandatory — check the latest notice before you fly
• PAI is not a visa application; if you need a visa, get it separately
• Typos in passport or flight numbers make matching fail — save a screenshot of the result

⚠ The ministry has warned about fake PAI websites. Be suspicious of any site asking for payment.

7. Practical steps in Ho Chi Minh City

• Check your passport: 45-day exemption or e-visa?
• Get your landlord's promise to register you; re-register every time you move
• Put expiry reminders in your phone (7 days and 2 days before)
• Planning to stay? Pick your route — work, investment, family or study — and prepare papers with your sponsor
• TRC applications and renewals are filed by your sponsor at the HCMC immigration offices (addresses on our visa page)
• Fill in PAI within 3 days before arrival and save the QR screen

Tuổi Trẻ News — Overstay fines under Decree 282/2025 (up to 40 million VND) · LSVN (Báo Luật sư Việt Nam) — Phạt cơ sở lưu trú không khai báo tạm trú cho người nước ngoài từ 15/12/2025 · LSVN — Nghị quyết 44/NQ-CP miễn thị thực 45 ngày cho công dân 12 nước · Sở Nội vụ Lạng Sơn — Văn bản hợp nhất Luật Nhập cảnh, xuất cảnh, quá cảnh, cư trú của người nước ngoài (Công báo) · Tạp chí Kinh tế Tài chính — Thông tư 28/2026/TT-BTC về phí, lệ phí xuất nhập cảnh (từ 1/4/2026) · Tạp chí Quản lý Nhà nước — Điểm mới pháp luật nhập cảnh, cư trú của người nước ngoài (Luật 118/2025/QH15) · Cổng hành chính công Nghệ An — Luật số 118/2025/QH15 có hiệu lực từ 01/7/2026 · Bộ Công an (MPS) — Immigration Department launches Pre-arrival Information System · Vietnam News — PAI to roll out nationwide after pilot · Singapore Embassy in Hanoi — Pre-arrival declaration for foreign travellers (25/6/2026)

General information only. Laws and fees change often, so confirm with the immigration authority, your embassy or a qualified professional before applying.