Thailand and Vietnam Entry Requirements: Visas, Passports and Arrival Forms

Thailand and Vietnam both offer visa exemptions and e-visas, with other entry arrangements alongside them. Check the traveller's passport and purpose before choosing a route.

Purpose of travel is where it goes wrong. Thailand's current 30-day exemption covers tourism only; travellers visiting for meetings or site inspections should check the appropriate visa category on the official Thai portal. Vietnam runs two separate 45-day resolutions, and only one reaches beyond tourism, so a Belgian, Dutch, Polish, Czech or Swiss client flying in for meetings needs an e-visa. Vietnam issues those only after review, with an official maximum of three working days, and only to applicants who are outside the country. Both countries also want a passport with at least six months of validity, plus proof of onward travel.

Thailand and Vietnam are our two core destinations, and our guides to the best time to visit Thailand and Vietnam sit beside this one when you are choosing dates. It is guidance, not legal or immigration advice. Confirm the current rules for each traveller's nationality with the official sources we link below before you book flights or apply for anything.

Thailand entry overview

Thailand's current visa-exemption scheme covers tourism for passport holders from 60 countries and territories, with a stay of up to 30 days. The former 60-day scheme covered 93 countries and territories and ended on 15 September 2026. An extension of up to 30 days is possible at an immigration officer's discretion. Other travellers must check the 15-day exemption, visa-on-arrival, bilateral or visa route that applies to them. The tourism exemption does not cover meetings or site inspections.

The Ministry of Interior announcement was published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026 and took effect on 15 September 2026. Travellers admitted earlier retain the stay shown by their entry stamp; a past booking date does not confer the old allowance on a later arrival. This Thailand section was checked on 28 September 2026 against the Tourism Authority of Thailand's current guidance. The dated detail sits in our Thailand 30-day exemption guide.

Visa on arrival and bilateral visa-exemption treaties sit outside the current 30-day tourism scheme. Before 15 September, ordinary passports from Vietnam, China and Russia were on the former 93-country list with a 60-day allowance, and they also held 30-day bilateral entitlements. They are absent from the replacement list, so the treaty's 30 days is now the relevant exemption for those passports. South Korea, Brazil and Peru hold 90 days by treaty; Cambodia's allowance fell from 60 to 14 days. Check the applicable treaty conditions for each passport. Travellers visiting for a purpose outside the tourism exemption should confirm the appropriate category through the official Thailand e-Visa portal.

Separately, every non-Thai arrival must file the Thailand Digital Arrival Card before reaching Thailand, by air, land or sea, whether they hold a visa or enter visa-exempt. It is free. It has been mandatory since 1 May 2025, it replaced the paper TM6, and it is filed at tdac.immigration.go.th.

Watch the window. It runs three days before arrival counting the arrival date itself, which is shorter than the 72 hours people often assume: for a Saturday arrival the card can be filed from Thursday, not from Wednesday. The exemptions are narrow: transit passengers who never clear Thai immigration, airline and vessel crew on duty, and Border Pass holders crossing under bilateral agreements. Diplomatic passport holders are not exempt. Thailand's exemption allowances, visa categories and fees are set by the authorities and do change, so confirm the current position with the Thai Immigration Bureau before you commit a client to dates.

Vietnam entry overview

Vietnam runs a similar split, with one distinction that decides compliance. Two resolutions grant 45 days visa-free and they do not carry the same terms. Resolution 44/NQ-CP, in force to 14 March 2028, applies whatever the purpose of entry, so leisure, business, MICE and family visits are all covered. Resolution 229/NQ-CP, in force to 14 August 2028, is a tourism stimulus measure and covers tourism only. A client from one of its countries travelling for meetings, a fam trip or a buyer site inspection is not covered and needs an e-visa. Those countries are Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. Both lists in full sit in our Vietnam 45-day guide.

Vietnam also holds separate exemption arrangements with other countries, including its ASEAN neighbours, on their own day counts, so a client from one of those markets may not need to buy anything at all.

Everyone else applies online through the official Vietnam e-Visa portal. The official maximum processing time is three working days from a complete application with the fee paid. Allow longer in peak season, or if the authorities come back asking for corrections. The government fee is 25 US dollars for single entry and 50 for multiple entry, per applicant, and it is not refunded if the application is refused.

One trap is worth naming. The e-visa is issued only to applicants who are outside Vietnam, so it cannot rescue a client who has already entered visa-free and wants to stay longer. Decide which permission the trip needs before departure, not after arrival.

Applicants need a clear passport-style photo, a passport with at least six months of validity, a card to pay the fee, and a planned address in Vietnam. The e-visa covers a broad list of airports, land crossings and seaports but not every entry point, so the chosen port matters. Travellers entering under either resolution are not restricted to that list. For client trips, browse our Vietnam itineraries and confirm the current position on the official portal before applying.

Visa exemption versus e-visa

The first question for any traveller is which track applies to their nationality. The second is whether it covers the purpose of the trip. Visa exemption means a passport holder may enter without an advance application, usually for a capped number of days that differs by country and sometimes by how the traveller arrives. Purpose scope varies by scheme and has to be checked: Thailand's current 30-day exemption covers tourism only, Vietnam's Resolution 44/NQ-CP covers any purpose, and Vietnam's Resolution 229/NQ-CP covers tourism only.

An e-visa is an advance electronic permit, applied for and paid online. It is the answer when a nationality is not exempt, when a longer or multiple-entry stay is needed, or when the trip purpose falls outside the exemption.

Neither exemption list is the whole picture. Bilateral treaties, and in Thailand visa on arrival, run alongside them on their own terms. Verify the traveller's exact nationality and purpose against the current official list instead of relying on a figure from a previous trip. When a client plans to combine countries, check each entry separately, including any cross-border legs.

Passport validity and proof of onward travel

Two requirements trip travellers up more often than visas themselves. The first is passport validity. Both Thailand and Vietnam require a passport valid for at least six months beyond the arrival date. For Vietnam that is a written condition of entry, not an airline habit, and airlines enforce it at check-in as well. The blank-page rule differs: Thailand expects at least one blank page, Vietnam at least two, and on a combined trip that asymmetry is easy to miss. A client whose passport is close to expiry should renew before applying for anything.

The second is proof of onward or return travel, and the two countries are not symmetrical here either. For Thailand it is written down as a condition of the visa-exemption regulation. For Vietnam it is not a statutory entry condition, and the only onward-ticket clause in Vietnamese entry law applies to transit passengers. Either way airline staff and border officers check it, so treat it as a booking requirement. We recommend clients carry printed and digital copies of their visa or Thailand arrival-card confirmation, return flights, and the first night of accommodation.

Vietnam has an official pre-arrival declaration portal. Guidance differed at our 28 September 2026 check. Vietnam Airlines requires declarations for foreign arrivals at Noi Bai, Da Nang, Cam Ranh and Tan Son Nhat, with a stated exception for eligible visa-exempt passengers connecting through Tan Son Nhat to Phu Quoc. The US State Department says non-Vietnamese passport holders arriving by air must file, while GOV.UK still describes Tan Son Nhat's form as voluntary. Complete the official form before flying and confirm the instructions for your passport, airport and routing with your carrier. This is separate from any health declaration.

Practical tips for trade partners

Build a buffer between the day the documents are ready and the day the client travels. Vietnam e-visa processing takes up to three working days, and Thailand's arrival card can only be filed close to the trip. Verify each traveller's nationality and purpose against the current official list, since mixed-nationality groups often fall under different tracks. Note the exact ports of entry too, because not every crossing accepts every document.

Keep one shared checklist per booking: passport expiry, the visa or exemption track, Thailand's arrival card, Vietnam's pre-arrival declaration and onward-travel proof. When something looks borderline, point the client to the official portal instead of guessing. We can help you sequence the documentation around a planned itinerary, though eligibility is finally the authorities' call, never ours.

For the ground arrangements behind a two-country trip, see our Thailand and Vietnam service for travel agencies. Entry requirements still need checking for each traveller's passport and travel dates.