Vietnam Visa Exemption Certificate for a Foreign Spouse: How to Apply

A foreign national married to a Vietnamese citizen can apply for a Vietnam visa exemption certificate. The certificate is valid for up to five years and normally allows stays of up to 180 days per entry. It must expire at least six months before the passport, so its exact validity may be shorter. You can apply at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate abroad or at the Immigration Department in Vietnam if you are already here.

Vietnam Visa Exemption Certificate at a glance

Your passport or qualifying travel document must have at least one year of validity remaining when you apply. The certificate may be valid for the shorter of five years or the remaining passport validity minus six months. To allow a full five-year certificate, the passport should have more than five years and six months remaining when the certificate is issued.

Who qualifies as a foreign spouse

The certificate is available to a foreign national who is the spouse or child of a Vietnamese citizen or an overseas Vietnamese person. A foreign spouse must provide a marriage certificate or another document accepted under Vietnamese law as proof of the relationship. The filing authority may also ask for the Vietnamese spouse's passport, citizen identity card, birth certificate, or other proof of Vietnamese citizenship.

A child with a separate passport needs a separate application. A child included in a parent's passport may be included on that parent's certificate. Applicants must not be subject to an entry ban or a temporary suspension of exit under Vietnamese immigration law.

Visa exemption certificate or temporary residence card, which one you need

The visa exemption certificate is an entry document issued for visiting family and dealing with personal affairs. It normally gives up to 180 days of temporary stay per entry. Its validity of up to five years does not permit a continuous five-year stay. Check the temporary stay period granted each time you enter Vietnam. If less than six months remain on the certificate when you enter, the permitted stay ends when the certificate expires.

Before the permitted stay expires, you must leave Vietnam or obtain an approved extension. A Vietnamese organisation or individual may sponsor an application to extend the temporary stay for up to six months where there is a legitimate reason. Approval is discretionary. An extension changes the temporary stay period, not the validity of the certificate.

The certificate does not itself authorise employment. A foreigner married to a Vietnamese citizen and living in Vietnam is not subject to the work permit requirement under separate labour rules. The employer must notify the competent authority at least three working days before the person starts work.

A temporary residence card is a separate residence document. A visa exemption certificate may be convenient for repeated visits, while a temporary residence card may be more convenient for continuous residence. The broader long-stay options in Vietnam guide compares the main visa and residence documents.

How to apply for the Vietnam visa exemption certificate

Where you apply depends on whether you are inside or outside Vietnam. Both procedures use Form NA9.

Applying from a Vietnamese embassy or consulate abroad

Check the instructions published by the Vietnamese embassy or consulate that will handle your application. A mission may require you to prepare the declaration through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa exemption portal before submitting the application. The portal generates the declaration form. It does not issue the certificate or replace submission of the passport and supporting documents.

Complete the MOFA online declaration

Step 1 - Open the official portal. Go to the MOFA visa exemption declaration portal. From the homepage, select Register, then Online declaration.

Open the official MOFA website and select 'Online declaration' from the top menu. The page first appears in Vietnamese. The screenshot above was translated into English using the browser’s translation feature

Step 2 - Read the portal instructions. Have your passport details, overseas address, contact address in Vietnam, marriage information, and intended Vietnamese embassy or consulate ready. The supporting documents themselves are submitted later.

The portal explains how to complete, download, print, and submit the declaration. The screenshot above was translated into English using the browser’s translation feature

Step 3 - Complete the declaration. Enter your name exactly as shown in your passport and complete every field marked with an asterisk. Select the relevant relationship evidence, certificate format, and Vietnamese mission where you intend to submit the application. If applying for reissuance, provide the previous certificate details and reason for reissuance.

Complete the required identity, passport, contact, and eligibility fields. The form fields are already labelled in both Vietnamese and English, so you can complete them without translating the page.

Step 4 - Download, print, and sign the form. Confirm that the declaration is correct, then select Complete. Download the generated PDF and save the registration number and authentication code so you can retrieve it later. Check the completed form, print it on A4 paper, sign it, and attach one 4x6 cm photo. Submit it with the second photo, your passport, and the supporting documents listed below.

Select the country / embassy, confirm the declaration, and click Complete.

Follow the mission’s instructions for submitting the printed application. The current central procedure permits submission directly or by post, but individual missions may set their own appointment, mailing, payment, and PDF-email requirements. A foreign-issued document may also require legalisation, certification, or Vietnamese translation.

The mission forwards the applicant’s information to the Immigration Department for review and issues the certificate after receiving approval.

An important note about the visa exemption application website. As of today, the correct URL is http://mienthithucvk.mofa.gov.vn. It uses HTTP rather than HTTPS, so the connection is not considered secure. Adding HTTPS to the URL results in a 'Module Load Warning'. We could not access the website through Google Chrome, but it worked in Safari.

Applying at the Immigration Department in Vietnam

A foreign spouse who is lawfully present in Vietnam can apply at the Immigration Department. Submit Form NA9 in person at 44-46 Tran Phu Street, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, or 333-335-337 Nguyen Trai Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. You can also apply through the National Public Service Portal or the Ministry of Public Security Public Service Portal. The Immigration Department may ask you to send supporting documents by post after an online submission.

For an in-country application, also prepare your Vietnamese spouse’s citizen identity card and current residence information in VNeID for verification. The published checklist does not make prior recording of a foreign marriage in Vietnam a universal requirement. A foreign-issued marriage certificate may still need legalisation, certification, or translation. If the filing authority asks for a Vietnamese civil status record, see the separate guide to recording a foreign marriage in Vietnam.

Documents you will need

Prepare the following documents.

• Form NA9. For an overseas application, follow the chosen mission's instructions on completing and printing the form. Some missions require the online form with a valid barcode.
• Two recent 4x6 cm colour photos with a white background. Attach one to the form and submit the other separately.
• Your foreign passport or qualifying travel document, valid for at least one year, with a copy for the authority's records.
• A certified copy of the marriage certificate or a copy submitted with the original for comparison. Other relationship documents accepted under Vietnamese law may be used where relevant.
• Proof of the Vietnamese spouse's citizenship where the filing authority requests it, such as a Vietnamese passport, citizen identity card, or birth certificate.
• For an in-country application, the Vietnamese spouse's citizen identity card and current residence information in VNeID.

Foreign-issued documents may need legalisation, certification, and Vietnamese translation. Confirm the exact treatment of your marriage certificate with the office or mission before submission.

Processing time and costs

An in-country application takes no more than five working days from the date the Immigration Department receives a complete file. For an overseas application, the official sequence allows one working day for the mission to forward the file, three working days for the Immigration Department to review it, and one working day for the mission to issue the certificate after approval.

The statutory fee for issuing or reissuing the certificate is USD 10. A mission may specify the local currency, payment method, postage, and appointment arrangements. Any postage or service charge is separate from the statutory fee.

Renewing or replacing an expired certificate

The certificate's validity cannot be extended. Temporary stay may be extended separately. You apply for reissuance if the certificate expires, is lost or damaged, or needs an information change.

The reissuance file includes your passport or qualifying travel document with at least one year remaining, Form NA9, and two recent 4x6 cm photos. Submit the existing certificate when available. Add a loss report if it was lost, or supporting evidence for any information that must be changed. Reissuance in Vietnam takes up to five working days.

The new certificate must expire at least six months before your passport. Your passport therefore needs at least five years and six months remaining for the certificate to receive the full five-year term.

This guide covers the application process for a Vietnam visa exemption certificate for foreign spouses as of July 2026. Requirements can change without advance notice. Verify current requirements directly with the Vietnam Immigration Department (Cục Quản lý Xuất nhập cảnh) or the Vietnamese mission where you will apply.

Key sources

• Vietnam Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security, visa exemption certificate procedure
• Vietnam Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security, reissuance procedure
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visa exemption guidance and overseas procedure
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visa exemption declaration portal
• Government policy response on the spouse work permit exemption, 23 May 2026
• Government News, VNeID for public administrative services
• Decree 82/2015/ND-CP on visa exemption for overseas Vietnamese and their spouses and children
• Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC fee schedule, effective 1 April 2026