Vietnam Visa for Spain: The 45-Day Exemption Explained

Vietnam visa for Spain comes down to one answer: Spanish citizens do not need a visa at all for stays of up to 45 days, thanks to a unilateral exemption that Vietnam renewed in 2025 and extended through March 2028 under Resolution 44/NQ-CP. Spain is one of only twelve nationalities with this unilateral waiver, a shorter list than most travellers assume.

Do Spanish citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

Do Spanish citizens need a visa for Vietnam is a clear no for stays of 45 days or less: under Resolution 44/NQ-CP, Vietnam grants Spain, alongside 11 other countries, visa-free entry for up to 45 days, for tourism, business, family visits, or any other declared purpose.

The 12 countries with this unilateral exemption are Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. The current 45-day version replaced an older 15-day allowance in August 2023, and was renewed again under Resolution 44/NQ-CP for the period from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028. Vietnam visa exemption Spain enjoys today is the result of several extensions since 2015, each renewing or lengthening the original waiver rather than replacing it outright.

Vietnam e-visa for Spanish citizens, compared with the exemption

Vietnam e-visa for Spanish citizens is rarely necessary for a trip under 45 days, since the unilateral exemption already covers tourism, business, and family visits at no cost, but the two sit side by side once a trip runs longer or needs more certainty than the exemption allows.

Sources: fee and stay length from Vietnam's e-visa portal and Resolution 44/NQ-CP, checked October 2026.

For most holiday trips of two or three weeks, the exemption is simply the better deal: no application, no fee, and no wait for approval before you fly. The e-visa earns back its cost only once a trip stretches past 45 days, or when you want a visa already confirmed in hand rather than relying on exemption rules holding steady for the length of your stay.

What you still need to carry

A visa exemption is not the same as no paperwork: Spanish travellers still need a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond their entry date, and immigration officers may ask for proof of onward travel and a hotel or Airbnb booking, even though neither is formally required in advance.

Keep a printed or digital copy of your return or onward flight, your first night's accommodation booking, and your passport's photo page, since a border officer can ask for any of these even under an exemption. Vietnam dropped its COVID-era health declaration, but some airlines and immigration desks still reference filling in the arrival form before you fly, so doing it the night before saves a few minutes in the arrival queue. Beyond the passport and booking confirmations, our first-timer checklist for Vietnam covers what else is worth preparing before you fly.

What happens if you want to stay longer than 45 days?

Staying longer than 45 days in Vietnam on a Spanish passport means picking one of three routes: applying for an e-visa before you fly, exiting and re-entering for a fresh 45-day stamp, or applying for an extension through a Vietnamese immigration office once you are already inside the country.

An e-visa application gives up to 90 days and costs 25 USD, and is the simplest choice once you already know your trip will run past 45 days. Sondax tip: the e-visa costs the same 25 USD whether you use all 90 days or only a few of them, so applying before you fly removes the guesswork if your plans are still loose. Leaving the country, even for a short trip to Cambodia or Thailand, and coming back resets the clock under the same exemption. An extension and visa run from inside Vietnam mostly applies to visa holders rather than exemption travellers, so it is rarely the right route for a Spanish passport specifically.

The Vietnam visa re-entry rule, explained

Re-entry under the Spain exemption resets your 45 days each time you cross the border, with one official source showing no minimum wait between an exit and the next entry, though another page from the same source describes it as single-entry only, so this is worth confirming before you plan a border run.

A land border run to Cambodia through Moc Bai, or to Laos through Lao Bao, works the same way as flying out and back, and often costs less than a short flight if you are already near the border. Our own experience booking travel for clients: airlines rarely question a visa-exempt Spanish passport at check-in, but carrying a screenshot of an official embassy notice about Resolution 44/NQ-CP has settled more than one confused check-in agent who was only trained on the older 15-day rule.

Spain is not alone: who else gets the same deal

Spain shares its 45-day exemption with 11 other nationalities, including the UK and France, two countries whose citizens often fly the same routes out of European hubs and sometimes travel as mixed groups with Spanish passport holders, especially on connecting flights through Doha, Istanbul, or other hubs along the way.

For the complete list of all 12 exempted passports and how the exemption compares with Vietnam's e-visa and visa-on-arrival options, our Vietnam visa exemption guide covers every nationality, not just Spain's. Many Spanish visitors land first in Hanoi or fly straight into Ho Chi Minh City, and either entry point works identically under this exemption.

FAQ

Do Spanish citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

No, not for stays of 45 days or less. Spain is one of 12 nationalities with a unilateral visa exemption under Resolution 44/NQ-CP, covering tourism, business, and family visits alike.

How many days can a Spanish passport stay in Vietnam visa-free?

45 days per entry. Leaving the country and re-entering resets the count, though travellers should confirm current re-entry rules before relying on repeated short exits.

Can Spanish citizens apply for a Vietnam e-visa instead of using the exemption?

Yes. An e-visa costs 25 USD and allows up to 90 days, which suits travellers who already know their trip will run past the 45-day exemption window.

Do children travelling on a Spanish passport need a visa for Vietnam?

No. The same 45-day exemption applies regardless of age, and each passport, including a child's, is assessed individually at the border.

Where is the Vietnamese embassy in Spain?

Vietnam's embassy in Madrid is the Vietnamese embassy in Spain, handling consular matters for the whole country. For anything beyond the visa exemption, such as a long-stay or work visa, that is the first point of contact.