Vietnam Visa Requirements for Irish 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 Irish citizens at a glance

Do Irish citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes. Irish passport holders need a visa for every trip to mainland Vietnam, whether for a holiday, a gap year or business. Vietnam’s visa exemption list covers 39 countries in 2026, and Ireland is not one of them, even though many other EU countries are. 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. Vietnam extended this from 15 to 30 days in August 2023, so pages that still say 15 days are out of date. 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. Irish citizens 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.

Passport card, emergency passports and second passports

• No passport card. Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs warns that the Irish passport card is not accepted for travel to Vietnam. Travel on your passport book, and apply for the visa with that passport.
• Temporary or emergency passports. Ask a Vietnamese embassy before you travel on one.
• A second passport. If you also hold a passport from a visa-exempt country, such as the United Kingdom, Germany or France, you can enter Vietnam visa-free on that passport for up to 45 days. Enter and leave on the same passport, because a visa or exemption belongs to one passport only.
• Dual Vietnamese citizens. Vietnam does not generally recognise dual citizenship. If you also hold Vietnamese citizenship, Vietnam may treat you as a Vietnamese citizen, so enter and leave on the same passport.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Dublin

Vietnam officially opened its Embassy in Ireland on 26 March 2026, during the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Before that, Irish residents dealt with the Vietnamese Embassy in London, and Vietnam also has an honorary consul in Dublin.

Some websites still give an old Dublin address or contact details of private agencies as “the embassy”. So check the official website of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or call, before you post your passport anywhere.

How to apply for an embassy visa

1. Email or call the Embassy to confirm the visa type, documents, fee, opening hours and whether you can apply by post.
2. Prepare your original passport (valid for at least 6 months, with blank pages), the visa application form, 2 recent colour photos (4 × 6 cm, white background), and supporting documents for business, work or family visas.
3. Submit in person or by post, pay, and check every detail of the visa when you get your passport back.

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. Urgent processing within 24 hours costs 50% more. The Embassy may collect the fee in euro, at its own rate.

Before you contact the Embassy

• A new office. Services at a newly opened embassy can take time to settle, so confirm what the Dublin office handles before you plan around it.
• Your passport is held. If you post it, use a tracked service and a prepaid, tracked return envelope.
• Apply early. Allow 3 to 4 weeks before your trip.
• Choose the right visa type. The Department of Foreign Affairs points out that tourist visas cannot be extended and do not allow work, volunteering or missionary work. Teaching English, for example, needs a work permit and a work visa sponsored by your employer.

Vietnam e-visa for Irish citizens: the easiest option

For almost every Irish traveller, the e-visa is the easiest way to meet the Vietnam visa requirements for Irish citizens. You apply online from anywhere in Ireland, and the approval arrives as a PDF. Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs also points to evisa.gov.vn as the only official e-visa portal.

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 card for the payment.

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 e-visa starts at 60 USD in 4 working days, government fee included, and you can pay by PayPal or Alipay.

Apply when? At least 2 to 3 weeks before you fly, and earlier for Christmas, Easter and the summer 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 Irish applicants

• Irish-language names and accents. Type your name exactly as it appears in the machine-readable lines at the bottom of your passport photo page. For example, “Ó Briain” usually appears there as “O BRIAIN”.
• Passport card number. Use the number of your passport book, not your passport card.
• Entry port. You must enter through the airport or border listed on your e-visa.
• Single entry on a longer trip. The Department of Foreign Affairs advises a multiple-entry visa if you will also visit Laos or Cambodia and come back.
• 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 7 hours ahead of Ireland in winter and 6 hours ahead in summer. So place an urgent order before you go to bed, or early in the morning for the second 4-hour slot. New e-visas can also be processed at weekends and on Vietnamese public holidays. See our guide to expediting a Vietnam visa from Ireland. If you applied yourself and the status still shows “In processing”, a speed-up of your application costs less than a new one.

Vietnam visa on arrival for Irish citizens

With a visa on arrival, you first get an approval letter, arranged before you fly by an agency such as ours. Then you collect a 15-day, single-entry visa at the counter of the airport, seaport or land border on your letter.

On arrival, you also pay a USD 25 stamping fee in cash, in US dollars, so get some dollars before you leave Ireland. You also need the NA1 form with 1 photo attached, plus 1 spare photo; see our NA1 form guide. Read every step in our Vietnam visa on arrival guide.

Which Vietnam visa is best for Irish citizens?

Pros and cons:

• E-visa. Pros: online from anywhere in Ireland, 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.
• Embassy visa. Pros: the route for work visas and the 5-year exemption certificate. Cons: a new office whose services are still being set up, and your passport is held.

Our advice: Holidaymakers and gap-year travellers should choose the e-visa, with multiple entry for a loop through Cambodia, Laos or Thailand. Book a 90-day e-visa from the start if you might stay longer, because a tourist visa cannot be extended. If you also hold a British or other exempt passport and stay 45 days or less, you may not need a visa at all.

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

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 Irish citizens at the main airports. Complete it free at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn within 3 days before you land at Noi Bai (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang, Cam Ranh (Nha Trang) or Phu Quoc, 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.

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.

There are no direct flights from Ireland, so most Irish travellers connect through the Gulf, Istanbul or an Asian hub and land after a long journey. 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 24 hours before your flight. Bookings made later carry an urgent surcharge.

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.
• Change only a little money at the airport. Euro can be exchanged in the big cities, but ATMs are often easier.
• 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 Irish citizens

Customs checks are the last of the Vietnam visa requirements for Irish citizens on arrival. In fact, the rules are the same for every nationality, but some items Irish travellers often pack cause trouble.

Points for Irish travellers:

• Vapes. Vaping is common in Ireland, but Vietnam bans e-cigarettes and heated tobacco from 1 January 2025, including possession. Customs can confiscate them, so leave your vape at home.
• Drugs. The Department of Foreign Affairs warns that drug offences in Vietnam carry very severe penalties, including 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, and only the amount you need.
• Duty-free spirits. Irish whiskey is a popular gift, but stay within 1.5 litres of spirits per adult.
• Drones. You can usually bring a small camera drone, but flying it needs a permit.
• Photos. Do not take photos at border crossings or military sites.

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

Leaving Vietnam: exit requirements for Irish 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, registration and insurance

• Driving. The Department of Foreign Affairs says Irish international driving permits are not valid in Vietnam. To ride a motorbike or drive a car legally, you need a Vietnamese licence. An accident without one can void your travel insurance and lead to an exit ban until the case is settled.
• Do not leave your passport as a deposit. The Department advises against handing over your passport when you hire a motorbike.
• Registration. You must be registered with the local police where you stay. Hotels and hostels do it for you and may keep your passport for a short time; ask for it back once registration is done.
• Register your trip. The Department of Foreign Affairs asks Irish citizens to register their travel details, so it can contact you in a crisis.

Do not overstay your Vietnam visa

Finally, the Vietnam visa requirements for Irish citizens also apply on the way out. Leave by the last day on your e-visa or entry stamp, because a tourist visa cannot be extended. 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.

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 police at once and get a police report. Then contact the Embassy of Ireland. The Department of Foreign Affairs warns that a replacement passport and the exit visa together take at least three working days, so allow extra time before your flight.

Ireland has no consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, so travellers in the south also contact the Embassy in Hanoi. Finally, take the new passport to the Vietnamese immigration office for an exit visa before you fly.

For travel agencies, tour operators and companies

Do you send Irish tour groups, school trips or business teams to Vietnam? We prepare e-visas, visa on arrival approval letters 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 Irish citizens

Do Irish citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

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

Is there a Vietnamese embassy in Ireland?

Yes. Vietnam opened its Embassy in Dublin on 26 March 2026. Most travellers still apply for the e-visa online, which does not need an embassy visit.

Can I travel to Vietnam with my Irish passport card?

No. You need your Irish passport book, valid for at least 6 months from your entry date.

Can I get a Vietnam visa on arrival with an Irish passport?

Yes, with an approval letter arranged before you fly. You then pay USD 25 in cash at the counter for a 15-day, single-entry visa.

Can I extend my tourist visa in Vietnam?

No. The Department of Foreign Affairs notes that tourist visas cannot be extended, so choose a 90-day e-visa if you may stay longer.

How long can Irish citizens stay in Vietnam?

Up to 90 days per entry with an e-visa, 15 days with a visa on arrival, and up to 30 days without a visa on Phu Quoc island only.

Facts checked on 9 November 2026: the Department of Foreign Affairs’ travel advice for Vietnam (updated 22 April 2026), the Embassy of Ireland in Vietnam, the opening of the Vietnamese Embassy in Ireland as reported by Nhan Dan and The World and Vietnam, the Vietnamese Embassy in London, Circular 163/2026/TT-BTC, 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.