Vietnam Visa Requirements for Ukrainian 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 Ukrainian citizens at a glance

Do Ukrainian citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes. Ukrainian 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, and Ukraine is not one of them. 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. Ukrainians 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.

Which document and which country to apply from

• International passport only. Travel on your Ukrainian international passport (the foreign-travel passport). The ID card, the internal passport and documents in the Diia app are not accepted for entry to Vietnam.
• Apply from wherever you live. The e-visa does not depend on your country of residence. Ukrainians living in Poland, Germany, Czechia or elsewhere under temporary protection apply exactly the same way, with their Ukrainian passport.
• Residence permits do not change the visa. An EU residence permit or temporary protection status does not give visa-free entry to Vietnam; only the passport counts.
• Children. Each child needs their own passport and their own e-visa.
• Dual citizens. If you also hold a passport of a visa-exempt country, you can enter Vietnam visa-free on that passport, but enter and leave on the same passport. Vietnam does not generally recognise dual citizenship for Vietnamese citizens, so if you also hold Vietnamese citizenship, use the same passport in and out.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Kyiv

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine lists these contact details for the Embassy of Vietnam:

Because of the war, call or email before you go, and check that the consular section is receiving visitors on the day you plan to visit. For a tourist trip, the e-visa is faster and needs no visit.

How to apply at the Embassy

1. Email or call the Embassy to confirm the visa type, documents, fee and opening hours.
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, 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.

Choose the right visa type. A tourist visa does not allow work. Working in Vietnam needs a work permit and a work visa sponsored by your employer.

Vietnam e-visa for Ukrainian citizens: the easiest option

For almost every Ukrainian traveller, the e-visa is the easiest way to meet the Vietnam visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens. You apply online from any country, 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 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 the New Year holidays and the winter high season.

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 Ukrainian applicants

• Latin spelling of your name. Copy your name exactly as it is printed in Latin letters in your passport, for example “OLEKSANDR” or “MYKOLA”. Do not use an older or Russian-style spelling from another document or a bank card.
• Patronymic. Enter only the names that appear in the Latin part of the passport.
• Wrong passport. If you have a new and an old passport, apply with the one you will actually travel on.
• Entry port. You must enter through the airport or border listed on your 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 5 hours ahead of Kyiv in winter and 4 hours ahead in summer. So order the evening before, or use the second 4-hour slot, which closes at 09:00 Kyiv time in winter. If you live in Central Europe, subtract one more hour. New e-visas can also be processed at weekends and on Vietnamese public holidays. 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 Ukrainian 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. 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 Ukrainian citizens?

Pros and cons:

• E-visa. Pros: online from wherever you live, 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: only in Kyiv, and your passport is held.

Our advice: Most Ukrainian travellers should choose the e-visa, with multiple entry for a loop through Cambodia, Laos or Thailand. Families of Vietnamese origin who visit often should consider the 5-year visa exemption certificate.

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

Getting to Vietnam

With Ukrainian airspace closed to passenger flights, most Ukrainians start their journey in a neighbouring country, such as Poland or Moldova, and connect through Istanbul, the Gulf or a European hub. Make sure the passport you show at check-in abroad is the same one listed on your e-visa.

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 Ukrainian 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.

After a long journey with one or two connections, 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 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.
• Bring US dollars or euro, not hryvnia. Hryvnia cannot be exchanged in Vietnam, so bring dollars or euro, 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 Ukrainian citizens

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

Points for Ukrainian travellers:

• Vapes and heated tobacco. Banned in Vietnam from 1 January 2025, including possession. Customs can confiscate them, so leave them at home.
• Cash. If you carry savings in cash, declare anything above USD 5,000 in total on arrival, and keep the declaration for your departure.
• Drugs. Vietnam’s drug penalties are among the toughest in the world, including the death penalty for trafficking. Never carry a bag or parcel for someone else.
• Prescription medicine. Strong painkillers, some sedatives and 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.
• Drones. You can usually bring a small camera drone, but flying it needs a permit.

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

Leaving Vietnam: exit requirements for Ukrainian 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, 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 Ukrainian citizens also apply on the way out. Leave by the last day on your e-visa or entry stamp. If you need to stay longer, ask about a new visa before your current one ends. 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 local police first. Then contact the Embassy of Ukraine for a travel document:

The Embassy answers the phone Monday to Friday, 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–17:00, and also replies through Facebook Messenger and a consular Telegram group. 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 Ukrainian tour groups or business teams to Vietnam, including travellers who now live in the EU? 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 Ukrainian citizens

Do Ukrainians need a visa for Vietnam?

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

I live in Poland with temporary protection. Can I apply for the Vietnam e-visa?

Yes. The e-visa does not depend on where you live. Apply with your Ukrainian international passport.

Can I enter Vietnam with my Ukrainian ID card or Diia?

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

Can Ukrainians get a Vietnam visa on arrival?

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.

Where is the Ukrainian Embassy in Vietnam?

At 6B Le Hong Phong, Ba Dinh, Hanoi. Call +84 24 3734 4501 for the consular section.

How long can Ukrainians 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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine’s page on Ukraine’s embassy in Vietnam and Vietnam’s embassy in Ukraine, our Vietnam visa exemption list, 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.