Vietnam Visa Requirements for Maldivian 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 Maldivian citizens at a glance

Do Maldivian citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes. Maldivian 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. The ASEAN countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, are on it, but the Maldives is not. 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. Maldivians 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 Malaysia, India or Sri Lanka?

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

If you travel on another country’s passport, that passport’s own rules apply. Enter and leave Vietnam on the same passport, and book your flights with that passport’s details.

Is there a Vietnamese Embassy in the Maldives?

No. Vietnam has no embassy in Malé. The Vietnamese Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is also accredited to the Maldives, according to the Embassy’s own website. For the Vietnam visa requirements for Maldivian citizens, this means one thing in practice: you do not need an embassy at all for a tourist or business trip, because the e-visa and the visa on arrival letter are both arranged online.

You may still need an embassy for:

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

Call or email the Embassy before you go, and remember that it keeps your passport while it works on the visa.

Fees. Under Circular 163/2026/TT-BTC, an embassy 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. Be careful with job offers that ask you to travel on a tourist visa and “sort out the papers later”.

Vietnam e-visa for Maldivian citizens: the easiest option

For almost every traveller, the e-visa is the easiest way to meet the Vietnam visa requirements for Maldivian citizens. You apply online from Malé, Addu City, Fuvahmulah 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 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 the Eid holidays and the 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 Maldivian applicants

• Name spelling. Enter your name exactly as printed in the machine-readable lines at the bottom of your passport photo page. Many Maldivian names have several spellings in Latin letters (for example, “MOHAMED” and “MOHAMMED” are different names to the system), so copy the passport, not another document. Do not add a name that does not appear in those lines.
• Old passport details. If you renewed your passport, use the number and dates of the passport 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 2 hours ahead of the Maldives all year, because neither country uses daylight saving time. So the 14:00 cut-off of the 4-hour service is 12:00 noon in Malé. 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”, a speed-up of your application costs less than a new one.

Vietnam visa on arrival for Maldivian 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. This option suits short trips, and it meets the Vietnam visa requirements for Maldivian citizens just as well as an e-visa.

On arrival, you also pay a USD 25 stamping fee in cash, in US dollars, so take dollars with you from the Maldives. Bring clean, undamaged notes, because torn or heavily marked dollar bills are often refused in Vietnam. 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 Maldivian citizens?

Pros and cons:

• E-visa. Pros: online from anywhere, 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: the nearest embassy is in Colombo, and your passport is held.

Our advice: For a two- or three-week holiday, a 30-day single-entry e-visa is enough. Flying straight to Phu Quoc and staying only on the island? Then you do not need a visa at all for up to 30 days.

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

Flights

There are no direct flights between the Maldives and Vietnam yet. The two countries signed an air transport memorandum in 2025 as a basis for direct flights later. From Velana International Airport in Malé, most travellers connect in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok or Colombo, and some through Doha or Dubai. 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 Maldivian 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 overnight flight, 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 rufiyaa. Maldivian rufiyaa are hard to exchange in Vietnam, and the USD 25 visa on arrival fee must be paid in US dollars.
• 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 Maldivian citizens

Customs checks are the last of the Vietnam visa requirements for Maldivian 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 Maldivian travellers

• Cash in US dollars. If you bring more than USD 5,000 in cash, or the equivalent in other currencies, declare it in the red lane.
• Fish products as gifts. Dried or smoked tuna (Maldive fish) and other fish products are animal products and may be checked by quarantine officers. Sealed retail packs for personal use and gifts are usually the easiest to bring. If you are unsure, declare them or leave them at home.
• Other food gifts. Sealed retail packs of sweets and snacks, for personal use and gifts, are normally fine within the VND 10 million allowance. Fresh fruit 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 Maldivian 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.

Going home to the Maldives? Velana International Airport lists alcohol and pork products as restricted (they need a prior permit, and alcohol bought on the flight or at duty-free shops on the way is confiscated on arrival), and idols for worship as prohibited. Keep this in mind when you shop in Vietnam. See the Velana arrival guide.

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, so check that your international permit is in that format and includes the motorbike class. 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 Maldivian 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. The Maldives has no embassy in Vietnam: its ambassador to Vietnam is non-resident. So contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Malé, which can tell you which Maldivian mission will issue your emergency travel document:

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

For travel agencies, tour operators and companies

Do you send Maldivian tour groups, incentive 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 Maldivian citizens

Do Maldivians need a visa for Vietnam?

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

Is there a Vietnamese embassy in Malé?

No. The Vietnamese Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, also covers the Maldives. For tourism and business trips, apply for an e-visa online instead.

I study in Malaysia. Do I still need a visa?

Yes, if you travel on your Maldivian passport. A student visa or residence permit in Malaysia, India or Sri Lanka does not change the rules. You can apply for the e-visa from there, or from any other country.

Can I travel to Vietnam with my Maldivian ID card?

No. For Vietnam you need your passport, valid for at least 6 months from your entry date.

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

The 4-working-hour service closes at 07:00 and 14:00 Vietnam time. That is 05:00 and 12:00 noon in Malé, all year round.

How long can Maldivians 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 12 November 2026: the Embassy of Vietnam in Sri Lanka (also accredited to the Maldives), VOV on Vietnam–Maldives relations (August 2025: the Ambassador in Sri Lanka, concurrently accredited to the Maldives; the 2025 air transport memorandum), the Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Velana International Airport arrival guide, 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.