Thailand and Vietnam Entry and Visa Requirements

Thailand and Vietnam both run two main entry tracks. Travellers from visa-exempt nationalities enter without applying in advance, and everyone else applies for an official e-visa online. Purpose of travel is where it goes wrong. Thailand's exemption covers tourism and short-term business engagements, while Vietnam runs two separate 45-day resolutions and only one of them 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. What follows is a practical overview for trade partners planning client trips across our two core destinations, and it pairs with our guides to the best time to visit Thailand and Vietnam when you are choosing dates. It is guidance, not legal or immigration advice, so confirm the current rules for each traveller's nationality with the official sources we link below before booking flights or applying for anything.

Thailand entry overview

Most leisure travellers reach Thailand in one of two ways. Nationals of 93 countries and territories enter under the visa-exemption scheme, currently for 60 days, extendable once by up to 30 days at an immigration office. The scheme covers tourism and short-term business engagements, not tourism alone, which matters when a partner is bringing a buyer in for a site inspection.

That 60 days is under review. Thailand's Cabinet has approved cutting the standard exemption to 30 days, and the change takes effect 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette. That publication had not happened when we last checked. Protection attaches to the date of entry, not the date of booking, so a programme sold now for arrival in late 2026 is not protected by having been sold. The dated detail sits in our Thailand 30-day exemption guide.

Two further tracks sit outside that scheme and are unaffected by the reform: visa on arrival, and bilateral visa-exemption treaties with their own day counts. Travellers whose nationality is not exempt, or who are visiting for a purpose the scheme does not cover, apply 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, and it replaced the paper TM6. It is filed at tdac.immigration.go.th, and the window is 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.

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 exemption covers tourism and short-term business engagements, 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 no mandatory arrival card. A voluntary pre-arrival declaration has been piloted at Tan Son Nhat since 15 April 2026, so a traveller who filed Thailand's card and goes looking for the Vietnamese equivalent is not missing a step.

Practical tips for trade partners

A few habits keep client trips smooth. Build a buffer between when documents are ready and when the client travels, because Vietnam e-visa processing takes up to three working days and Thailand's arrival card has a submission window 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 your client will use, as not every crossing accepts every document. Keep a single shared checklist per booking that records passport expiry, the visa or exemption track, the Thailand arrival-card status, and the onward-travel proof. When something looks borderline, point the client to the official portal instead of guessing. Our team can help you sequence the documentation around a planned itinerary, though final responsibility for each traveller's eligibility always rests with the official authorities.