Vietnam E-Visa Validity Shorter Than Expected? Causes and Fixes

A Vietnam e-visa validity shorter than expected almost always comes from the dates or the 1-month option chosen on the form, or from a passport close to expiry. A Vietnam e-visa is valid only for the dates printed on it, and Vietnamese law makes any visa end at least 30 days before the passport does. This page, part of our guide to correcting a Vietnam visa, covers the causes, how validity is set, the passport rule, form mistakes and the fixes.

If you are still planning, apply for your e-visa with the 3-month option, which through us costs the same as 1 month.

What you see and why:

What you see	Likely cause	Fix
About 30 days instead of 90	1-month option or short dates on the form	New e-visa with the dates you need
End date well before your exit flight	Valid-to date entered too early	Update E-Visa or a new e-visa
End date close to your passport expiry	Passport expires within about 4 months of entry	Renew the passport, then apply again
Single entry when you planned side trips	Single entry chosen	New multiple-entry e-visa

Vietnam e-visa validity shorter than expected: three causes

A short e-visa comes from one of three sources: the option you chose, the dates you entered, or your passport's expiry date. The first two are form choices; the third applies only to passports already short of the 6-month rule.

How Vietnam visa validity is set

Vietnam visa validity runs from the valid-from date to the valid-to date printed on the e-visa, up to 90 days. Law 23/2023/QH15 set the e-visa maximum at 90 days, single or multiple entry, from August 15, 2023 (law text on vbpl.vn, checked October 2026).

The e-visa does not start on the day it is issued, and the expiration date on your Vietnam visa is the last day you may stay. On our form the dates follow your arrival date and the 1-month or 3-month option; on evisa.gov.vn you type the "valid from" and "valid to" dates yourself.

Can an expiring passport shorten the e-visa?

Yes, an expiring passport can shorten the e-visa. Under Article 9, clause 8 of Law 47/2014/QH13, a visa's validity must end at least 30 days before the passport or travel document expires (original law text on vbpl.vn, checked October 2026).

Example: a passport expiring on March 31 allows an e-visa ending no later than March 1, so a 90-day e-visa starting in January would be cut short.

This rule only matters for a passport near expiry. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from your entry date, with two blank pages, and 90 days plus 30 fits inside 6 months. If yours meets that, the cause is on the form. See our passport requirements.

Mistakes in the application

Three form choices produce most short e-visas, and each has a different fix.

Choosing 1 month instead of 3 months

Picking the 1-month option gives a Vietnam e-visa for 30 days instead of 90 days. Through us, 3 months costs the same as 1 month, $47 for single entry and $82 for multiple at Standard speed, so there is no reason to choose the shorter option. Our 90-day e-visa page explains how the days are counted.

Dates that end too early

When the expiry date on your Vietnam e-visa is wrong because the valid-to date was entered too early, the e-visa still ends on that date. Compare the printed dates with what you submitted.

If they match, the mistake was in the application. If the arrival date itself is wrong, read how to change your entry date.

Single entry when you need multiple

A single-entry e-visa ends when you leave Vietnam, even if days remain on it. If you plan a side trip to Cambodia or Laos and back, you need multiple entry, which means a new e-visa.

How to fix a short e-visa

You fix a short e-visa with Update E-Visa when details such as the entry date are wrong, or with a new e-visa when you need more days or multiple entry.

Fix	When it fits	Price through us
Update E-Visa	Wrong details such as the entry date	$65 Same day, $85 weekend and public holidays
New e-visa, single entry	Longer validity needed	From $47, 3 months same as 1 month
New e-visa, multiple entry	Side trips out and back	From $82
Renew passport, then new e-visa	Passport near expiry	E-visa from $47

Start a correction with the Update E-Visa form. Two questions usually come next: whether you can stay until the last printed day, and whether the 90-day limit has changed.

Before you travel on it

Check the printed dates against your flights before you leave home; the border officer reads the e-visa as issued.

Can you stay until the last day?

Yes, you may stay until the valid-to date, but not after it. Book your departure for that date or earlier. Overstaying, even by a day, can bring a fine and delay at exit, and our page on staying longer in Vietnam covers the options.

Policy changes since 2023

E-visas issued before August 15, 2023 were limited to 30 days and single entry; since then the limit has been 90 days, single or multiple. We post rule changes in Vietnam visa news.

eVisaVietnam.com is a private visa service operated by TK VIET NAM., JSC, not the Vietnamese government. You can apply yourself at evisa.gov.vn for US$25, or apply for your e-visa through us and choose 3 months at the 1-month price.