Vietnam visa overstay: fines and penalties
Vietnam issues administrative overstay fines on a sliding scale and requires an exit permit before an overstayer can leave the country.
Key facts
- Permitted stay
- 45 days visa-free for many nationalities, or up to 90 days on an e-visa
- Overstay fine
- Commonly 500,000 to 4,000,000 VND depending on the length of overstay
- Entry ban
- Possible entry ban of 3 years or more for long overstays
Overstay penalties in Vietnam
- Administrative fines scale with the length of the overstay, commonly from 500,000 VND upwards.
- You generally need an exit permit from immigration before you are allowed to board a departing flight.
- Longer overstays can bring deportation proceedings and an entry ban.
- Airlines will refuse boarding if your permitted stay has expired and the paperwork is not cleared.
How to avoid an overstay
- Confirm whether your entry was visa-free or e-visa; the durations differ and are easy to confuse.
- Handle extensions through the immigration department in a major city, allowing several working days.
- Leave a buffer before the expiry date — exit-permit processing is not same-day everywhere.
Travl records each border crossing automatically and counts the days against Vietnam’s limit in the background, with alerts before the allowance runs out. For a one-off check, use the Schengen 90/180 calculator or the 183-day tax residency calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fine for overstaying in Vietnam?
Fines are administrative and scale with the length of the overstay, commonly ranging from a few hundred thousand to several million VND, plus an exit permit requirement.
Can I leave Vietnam with an expired visa?
Not directly. You normally need to settle the fine and obtain an exit permit from the immigration department before departure.
Penalty amounts and entry-ban lengths change. Treat this as a planning reference and confirm the current position with Vietnam’s immigration authority or your embassy before acting on it.
Other overstay guides
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