Do children need a separate visa for Vietnam or can they enter visa-free for 45 days?

Children with their own passport must submit a separate Vietnam e-visa application — there is no joint application with parents or guardians. Any adult may complete the application on a child's behalf. Children under 14 who do not have a separate passport but are included in a parent's or guardian's passport do not need to file a separate e-visa application.

From 1 July 2026, Vietnam requires a mandatory health declaration for all arrivals, departures, and transit passengers. It must be completed within 7 days before travel, either electronically or on paper. The official website and exact verification procedure had not been announced by authorities at the time of writing.

If a child's passport expires December 23, 2026 and the departure from Vietnam is July 2, the passport will have less than 6 months validity at exit. Vietnam itself does not require 6 months validity for departure, so the risk of being denied exit is low. However, the airline may check passport validity requirements for the destination country at check-in.

A 90-day Vietnam e-visa can be applied for online via evisa.gov.vn from any country, including from within Vietnam. Visa runs (exiting and re-entering) to reset your stay are technically possible, but immigration officers may question frequent re-entries.

If a parent enters Vietnam on a 3-month visa but the child (age 5) will only stay for one month, the child can use the standard 45-day visa-free entry. There is no requirement to get a 3-month visa for the child just because the parent has one. Children of most nationalities enjoy the same visa-free allowance as adults.