Vietnam Visa Requirements for Bhutanese Citizens 2026: Entry Procedure, Customs and Exit Rules

We are a private visa service, not the Vietnamese government or an embassy. The Vietnam Immigration Department decides every visa. You can always apply for an e-visa yourself on the official portal evisa.gov.vn for the government fee only. Facts checked in November 2026.

Vietnam visa requirements for Bhutanese citizens at a glance

Do Bhutanese citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes. Bhutanese passport holders need a visa for every trip to mainland Vietnam, whether for a holiday, business or a family visit. Vietnam’s visa exemption list covers 39 countries in 2026. Bhutan is not one of them, and neither are India or Nepal. See our Vietnam visa exemption list.

There are three exceptions:

• Phu Quoc island. All nationalities can stay on Phu Quoc for up to 30 days without a visa when arriving there directly from abroad. You need a visa as soon as you travel on to the mainland.
• Airside transit. If you change planes in Vietnam without leaving the international transit area, you do not need a visa. With two separate tickets, however, you collect your bags and pass immigration, so you need a visa.
• 5-year visa exemption certificate. Bhutanese of Vietnamese origin, and spouses or children of Vietnamese citizens, can apply for a visa exemption certificate. It is valid for up to 5 years, with stays of up to 180 days each time. Issued in Vietnam, it costs USD 10 (Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC).

Studying or working in Australia or India?

Many Bhutanese citizens study or work abroad, for example in Australia or India. A student visa, residence permit or work permit in another country does not change the Vietnam visa requirements for Bhutanese citizens: what counts is the passport you travel on. So you still need a visa on your Bhutanese passport, even when you fly to Vietnam from Perth, Sydney or Delhi. The e-visa works from any country, and you can choose any international airport or border as your entry port.

Enter and leave Vietnam on the same passport, and book your flights with that passport’s details.

Is there a Vietnamese Embassy in Bhutan?

No. Vietnam has no embassy or consulate in Bhutan. The Vietnamese Ambassador in New Delhi, India, is also accredited to Bhutan: the Ambassador presented credentials to the King of Bhutan in June 2023, according to the Embassy’s own website. For the Vietnam visa requirements for Bhutanese citizens, this means one thing in practice: you do not need an embassy at all for a tourist trip, because the e-visa is arranged online.

The consular section takes applications without an appointment, Monday 10:30–11:30 and Tuesday to Friday 09:30–11:30, and returns documents from 16:00 to 17:30, according to the Embassy’s website. The Embassy issues a visa sticker only against an approval letter from the Vietnam Immigration Department, so a trip to Delhi does not save you any steps. You may still need the Embassy in New Delhi for:

• The 5-year visa exemption certificate, for Bhutanese of Vietnamese origin and family members of Vietnamese citizens.
• Work and other long-stay visas that cannot be issued as an e-visa.

Applying there means a trip to India, and the Embassy keeps your passport while it works on the visa, so ask first whether it accepts your application and how.

Fees. Under Circular 163/2026/TT-BTC, a single-entry visa costs USD 25 and a multiple-entry visa of up to 3 months costs USD 50. These are the same as the government e-visa fees, so the e-visa saves you the trip. For urgent processing, ask the embassy or consulate for its official fee.

Working in Vietnam? A tourist e-visa does not allow work. Working in Vietnam needs a work permit and a work visa sponsored by your employer in Vietnam.

Vietnam e-visa for Bhutanese citizens: the easiest option

For almost every traveller, the e-visa is the easiest way to meet the Vietnam visa requirements for Bhutanese citizens. You apply online from Thimphu, Paro, Phuentsholing or anywhere else, and the approval arrives as a PDF.

What you need:

• A clear scan of your passport photo page.
• A recent portrait photo, 4 × 6 cm, white background, looking straight at the camera, without glasses.
• Your entry and exit dates, and the airport, seaport or land border where you will enter.
• Your hotel or host address in Vietnam.
• A PayPal or Alipay account (PayPal also takes cards).

Cost and time. The government fee is USD 25 for single entry and USD 50 for multiple entry. The official target is 3 working days, but busy periods take longer. Through our service, a 30-day single-entry tourist e-visa starts at 80 USD in 4 working days, government fee included, and you can pay by PayPal or Alipay. For Bhutanese passports, we arrange tourist e-visas only: 30 or 90 days, single or multiple entry.

Apply when? At least 2 to 3 weeks before you fly, and earlier for Losar and the winter school holidays.

Check your e-visa status and print it

• Save your registration code when you submit. You need it, with your email and date of birth, to check the status on evisa.gov.vn.
• Check the status yourself. The portal does not always email you when it asks for a correction, so a status that stays “In processing” can hide a request for more information.
• Print two copies of the approved e-visa, and check every field against your passport before you fly.
• Your e-visa dates are the limit. You can enter and stay only between the “from” and “to” dates on the e-visa.

Common e-visa mistakes by Bhutanese applicants

• Name fields. Many Bhutanese names have no family name. Enter your names exactly as printed on the passport’s data page, in the same order. If your passport shows only a given name and no surname (or the other way round), copy it exactly and leave the empty field as the form allows, rather than inventing a name.
• Wrong passport. If you have two passports, apply with the one you will actually travel on.
• Entry port type. Choose the right type of entry point. In practice, an e-visa for an airport works at any international airport, but not at a land border or seaport.
• Single entry. If you also visit Cambodia, Laos or Thailand and come back, choose a multiple-entry e-visa.
• Look-alike websites. The official portal is evisa.gov.vn. Other sites, including ours, are private services that charge a service fee. Be careful with any site that promises guaranteed approval, shows countdown timers, or asks for your passport before it states its full price.

For more examples, see our guide to Vietnam e-visa mistakes.

Need a Vietnam visa urgently?

Vietnam is only 1 hour ahead of Bhutan all year, because neither country uses daylight saving time. So the 14:00 cut-off is 13:00 in Thimphu. The 2-hour service has four order slots, and the last one closes at 15:15 Vietnam time (14:15 in Bhutan). For weekends and Vietnamese public holidays, email our partner at info@vietnamimmigration.org. Read more in our urgent Vietnam visa guide. If you applied yourself and the status still shows “In processing”, we can also speed up the application you already submitted.

Vietnam visa on arrival for Bhutanese citizens

Our service does not offer the visa on arrival for Bhutanese passports. Order the e-visa through us instead: it allows up to 90 days with single or multiple entry, and on arrival you go straight to passport control, with no stop at the visa on arrival counter and no stamping fee to pay in cash. See the e-visa section above, or apply for your e-visa.

Which Vietnam visa is best for Bhutanese citizens?

Pros and cons:

• E-visa. Pros: online from anywhere in Bhutan, up to 90 days, multiple entry possible. Cons: the details must match the passport exactly, and the government portal gives no personal support.
• Visa on arrival. Pros: quick approval letter. Cons: only 15 days and single entry, plus a counter stop and USD 25 in cash on arrival. Our service does not offer it for Bhutanese passports.
• Embassy visa. Pros: the route for work visas and the 5-year exemption certificate. Cons: the embassy for Bhutan is in New Delhi, you need an approval letter first, and your passport is held.

Our advice: For a two- or three-week trip, a 30-day single-entry e-visa is enough. Choose a 90-day e-visa, with multiple entry, for a longer loop through Cambodia, Laos or Thailand.

Entry procedure: Vietnam entry requirements for Bhutanese citizens at the airport

Flights from Bhutan

There are no direct flights between Bhutan and Vietnam. From Paro, most travellers connect in Bangkok, which has non-stop flights to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, or travel through New Delhi, Kolkata or Kathmandu. With two separate tickets, leave plenty of time between flights, because you may need to collect your bags and check in again.

Before you land: the pre-arrival declaration

The pre-arrival declaration is not a visa, but it is now part of the Vietnam visa requirements for Bhutanese citizens at every international airport. Complete it free at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn within 3 days before you land, and save the QR code. If you travel on a visa on arrival, fill it in at the airport after the visa counter, because it asks for your visa details. It is mandatory for foreign travellers at every international airport in Vietnam. Unless you travel on a visa on arrival, complete it before you leave home, because Wi-Fi and mobile data at the arrival airport can be slow. If you have not done it before the flight, scan the QR codes in the immigration area and fill it in there.

Step by step from the aircraft

1. Leave the aircraft and follow the “Arrivals” and “Immigration” signs.
2. Visa on arrival counter, only with an approval letter: hand in the NA1 form, photos and USD 25, then wait for your name.
3. Passport control. Show your passport and e-visa. Then check the entry stamp before you leave the counter.
4. Baggage claim. Report a missing bag at the airline desk before customs.
5. Customs. Green lane for nothing to declare, red lane for cash or goods above the limits.
6. Arrivals hall. Buy a SIM card, withdraw dong, and find your transport.

Read our full Vietnam entry procedure guide.

Which airports have the longest queues?

From our airport team’s experience, queues are longest at these airports, from worst to lightest:

1. Tan Son Nhat (SGN), Ho Chi Minh City: late evening and early morning.
2. Noi Bai (HAN), Hanoi: evening peaks.
3. Da Nang (DAD): evening waves of flights from North Asia.
4. Cam Ranh (CXR), Nha Trang: when charter flights land together.
5. Phu Quoc (PQC): shorter, but growing fast.

After a long journey with a connection, a long immigration queue is the last thing you want. With our Vietnam airport fast track, our staff meet you before immigration and take you through the priority lane, from USD 45 per person. Book at least 3 days before your flight: bookings for a flight 2 days ahead, the next day or the same day carry an urgent surcharge of USD 20, 30 or 50 per person.

Avoid scams at the airport

• Use official transport. Choose the taxi rank, a Grab ride booked in the app, or well-known taxi companies such as Vinasun, Mai Linh or Xanh SM.
• Agree the fare first, or check that the meter is on.
• Bring US dollars, not ngultrum. Bhutanese ngultrum are hard to exchange in Vietnam, so bring clean dollar notes or use an ATM.
• Keep your passport with you. No one in the arrivals hall needs it to “help” with your visa.
• Count your change. The VND 20,000 and VND 500,000 notes are both blue and easy to mix up.

Vietnam customs rules for Bhutanese citizens

Customs checks are the last of the Vietnam visa requirements for Bhutanese citizens on arrival. In fact, the rules are the same for every nationality, but a few common items in a traveller’s luggage need care.

Points for Bhutanese travellers

• Dried cheese and dried meat. Chugo (dried yak cheese), dried beef or pork and other meat or dairy products are animal products and may be checked by quarantine officers. If you are unsure, declare them or leave them at home.
• Red rice, chillies, tea and sweets. Sealed retail packs for personal use and gifts are normally fine within the VND 10 million allowance. Fresh plants and fresh leaves can be stopped.
• Vapes. Banned in Vietnam from 1 January 2025, including possession. Customs can confiscate them, so leave them at home.
• Drugs. Vietnam’s drug laws are very strict: trafficking can carry the death penalty. Never carry a bag or parcel for someone else.
• Prescription medicine. Strong painkillers, ADHD medicines and some sleeping tablets are controlled. Bring them in the original packaging, with your prescription and a doctor’s letter in English, and only the amount you need.

For more details, read the complete Vietnam customs rules guide.

Leaving Vietnam: exit requirements for Bhutanese citizens

Departure step by step

1. Arrive 3 hours before an international flight, more if you claim a VAT refund.
2. VAT refund: show your goods and invoices at the customs refund desk before check-in.
3. Check in and drop your bags.
4. Exit passport control: officers check your visa and the dates of your stay.
5. Security, then duty-free shops and your gate.

Duty-free shopping and VAT refund

After passport control, airport duty-free shops sell goods without Vietnamese taxes. For shopping in the city, you can claim part of the VAT back:

• Buy at shops with a “Tax Refund” sign, and show your passport when you pay.
• Each invoice must be at least VND 2 million, and dated within 60 days before you leave.
• You receive 85% of the VAT paid; the refund bank keeps 15% as a fee.
• Refund desks can have long queues. Arrive early so you do not miss your flight.

What you cannot take out of Vietnam

• Antiques. Genuine antiques need an export permit. Keep the receipt for reproductions.
• Wildlife products. Ivory, rhino horn, turtle shell and many corals are banned.
• Cash and gold above the limits: more than USD 5,000 or VND 15 million in cash, or 300 g or more of gold, without your arrival declaration or a bank paper.
• Drugs and weapons, without exception.

Motorbikes and registration

• Riding a motorbike. A motorbike of 50 cc or more needs a valid licence for that class. Vietnam recognises international driving permits issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention only, so check whether your permit qualifies before you ride. If it does not, use Grab or a driver instead. Check your travel insurance too: an accident without the right licence can mean no cover and an exit ban until the case is settled.
• Registration. You must be registered with the local police where you stay. Hotels do it for you and may keep your passport for a short time; ask for it back once registration is done.

Do not overstay your Vietnam visa

Finally, the Vietnam visa requirements for Bhutanese citizens also apply on the way out. Leave by the last day on your e-visa or entry stamp. From 15 December 2025, Decree 282/2025/ND-CP sets these fines:

For an overstay of 16 days or more, the authorities can also deport you, and deportation can lead to a ban on future entry. Under Decree 59/2026/ND-CP (in force since 1 April 2026), if a person ordered to be deported cannot pay the fine, the deportation goes ahead at once; you may contact your country’s embassy.

What to do if you have overstayed

1. Contact the Immigration Department or the immigration office of the provincial police before you go to the airport.
2. Pay the fine, and get the exit visa or paperwork you need to leave.
3. Then book your flight, so you are not stopped at passport control.

Lost your passport in Vietnam?

Report the loss to the local police first. Bhutan has no embassy in Vietnam. Bhutan’s Ambassador in Bangkok is also accredited to Vietnam, according to Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (September 2024), so contact the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Bangkok for an emergency travel document:

Finally, take the new document to the Vietnamese immigration office for an exit visa before you fly.

For travel agencies, tour operators and companies

Do you send Bhutanese tour groups, incentive trips or business teams to Vietnam? We prepare tourist e-visas and airport fast track for groups, with one contact person and one invoice. Email us at info@visa-vietnam.hk with your expected number of travellers per month to receive our partner rates.

FAQ: Vietnam visa requirements for Bhutanese citizens

Do Bhutanese need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes, for mainland Vietnam. The only visa-free option on a Bhutanese passport is Phu Quoc island, for up to 30 days, when you fly there directly from abroad.

Can Bhutanese apply for the Vietnam e-visa?

Yes. The e-visa is open to all nationalities, including Bhutanese, for stays of up to 90 days with single or multiple entry.

Is there a Vietnamese embassy in Thimphu?

No. The Vietnamese Embassy in New Delhi, India, covers Bhutan. For tourism, apply for an e-visa online instead.

What time should I order an urgent e-visa from Bhutan?

The 4-working-hour service closes at 08:00 and 14:00 Vietnam time, which is 07:00 and 13:00 in Bhutan, all year round. The last 2-hour slot closes at 15:15 Vietnam time, 14:15 in Bhutan.

Can I get a visa on arrival with a Bhutanese passport?

Not through our service. Order the e-visa instead: up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, and no stamping fee to pay on arrival.

How long can Bhutanese stay in Vietnam?

Up to 90 days per entry with an e-visa, and up to 30 days without a visa on Phu Quoc island only.

Facts checked on 12 November 2026: the Embassy of Vietnam in India and its report on the Ambassador’s credentials to the King of Bhutan (June 2023), Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its first Ambassador to Vietnam (September 2024) and its list of embassies abroad, our Vietnam visa exemption list, Circular 163/2026/TT-BTC, Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC, Decree 59/2026/ND-CP, Decree 282/2025/ND-CP as summarised by Khanh Hoa provincial police, and the official pre-arrival portal. Rules can change, so check official sources before you travel.