Vietnam visa overstay fines in 2026: what the new decree means for you and your host

EasyVisa
Updated 2026-10-09
8 min read

Vietnam's penalties for overstaying changed on 15 December 2025, when Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP replaced Decree 144/2021/NĐ-CP. The new decree raises the fine for almost every overstay band, adds three new bands for long overstays, and introduces a separate fine for anyone who lets a foreigner with expired papers stay without telling the police.

This guide sets out the figures exactly as the decree states them, explains why an overstay can stop you at the airport, and shows what police in Da Nang and other provinces have actually enforced in 2025–2026. Every number links to its source. We are a visa-run service, not a law firm: rules change, immigration officers decide individual cases, and anyone who has already overstayed should speak to the immigration office first.

What changed: Decree 282/2025 replaced Decree 144/2021

Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP was issued on 30 October 2025 and applies from 15 December 2025. Its Article 21 covers violations of entry, exit, transit and residence rules — the article every overstay case is decided under. It replaces Article 18 of the old Decree 144/2021. A later amendment, Decree 347/2026/NĐ-CP (in force 15 September 2026), changed other articles but left Article 21 untouched, so the figures below are current.

In the decree's wording, the offence is using a temporary-residence certificate, an extension or a temporary-residence card past its expiry without permission. When you enter Vietnam on a visa or e-visa, the stay you are granted at the border is that temporary-residence certificate, so staying past the date in your passport stamp is the overstay the decree fines.

Fines for a foreigner who overstays: old Decree 144/2021 vs. new Decree 282/2025 (individual, VND)
Days overstayed	Before 15 Dec 2025 (Decree 144)	Now (Decree 282, Article 21)
Under 16 days	500,000 – 2,000,000	500,000 – 2,000,000 (clause 2, point đ)
16 to under 30 days	3,000,000 – 5,000,000	5,000,000 – 10,000,000 (clause 4, point b)
30 to under 60 days	5,000,000 – 10,000,000	10,000,000 – 15,000,000 (clause 5, point b)
60 to under 90 days	10,000,000 – 15,000,000	15,000,000 – 20,000,000 (clause 6, point b)
90 to under 180 days	15,000,000 – 20,000,000	20,000,000 – 25,000,000 (clause 7, point d)
180 days to under 1 year	15,000,000 – 20,000,000	25,000,000 – 30,000,000 (clause 8)
1 year or more	15,000,000 – 20,000,000	30,000,000 – 40,000,000 (clause 9, point e)

The old Decree 144 had one top band for 90 days or more. The 'before' figures are as summarised by Tay Ninh provincial police; the 'now' figures are read from the text of Decree 282/2025.

How much is the overstay fine — and when deportation is possible

A one-day overstay and a fifteen-day overstay sit in the same band: VND 500,000 to 2,000,000. From the sixteenth day the decree changes character. Every band from 16 days upwards is listed in clauses 4 to 9 of Article 21, and clause 11(b) allows the authority to add deportation (trục xuất) as an extra penalty for any of those clauses, depending on how serious the case is and on any aggravating or mitigating factors.

Deportation is not automatic, but it is a real outcome. Ninh Binh provincial police reported deporting 12 foreigners in the first ten months of 2025, mostly for failing to leave or extend when their temporary residence expired, working with the border police at Noi Bai airport. A deported person may not re-enter Vietnam for three years from the date the deportation decision takes effect.

Under 16 days: fine only, VND 0.5–2M.
16 days or more: fine from VND 5M upwards, and deportation may be added.
1 year or more: VND 30–40M, the maximum an individual can be fined in this field (Article 5, clause 1).

Hotels, homestays and landlords: fines for hosting overstayers

The decree does not only fine the traveller. Any accommodation establishment — hotel, hostel, homestay, serviced apartment or a private landlord renting a room — must declare each foreign guest's temporary residence. Not declaring is fined by how many foreigners were missed, and Decree 282 adds a heavier, separate fine for letting a foreigner stay while their residence is no longer lawful without notifying the authorities.

The figures in the decree are for individuals. An organisation pays double for the same violation (Article 5, clause 2), while household businesses — the legal form of many small homestays — are fined at the individual rate (Article 5, clause 4).

Fines for accommodation providers under Decree 282/2025, Article 21 (VND)
Violation	Individual / household business	Company (×2)
Not declaring 1–3 foreign guests, or a fake e-declaration account (cl. 3, pt e)	3,000,000 – 5,000,000	6,000,000 – 10,000,000
Not declaring 4–8 foreign guests (cl. 5, pt c)	10,000,000 – 15,000,000	20,000,000 – 30,000,000
Not declaring 9 or more foreign guests (cl. 6, pt đ)	15,000,000 – 20,000,000	30,000,000 – 40,000,000
Letting a foreigner without lawful residence stay without notifying the authorities (cl. 7, pt đ)	20,000,000 – 25,000,000	40,000,000 – 50,000,000
Harbouring, concealing or helping someone stay in Vietnam illegally, below the criminal threshold (cl. 9, pt d)	30,000,000 – 40,000,000	60,000,000 – 80,000,000

The company column applies the doubling rule in Article 5, clause 2. The guest also has a duty: a foreigner who does not show their passport to the accommodation for declaration falls under clause 3, point e (VND 3–5M).

Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP, full text (Thư Viện Pháp Luật)

Why an overstay can stop you at the airport

Many travellers assume an overstay is settled with a fine at the departure counter. It is not that simple. Under Article 28 of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners, a foreigner who still has an obligation to comply with an administrative penalty decision may have their exit temporarily postponed. In practice, an unresolved overstay has to be dealt with before you are allowed to leave — and your flight does not wait while the case is handled.

Tuổi Trẻ's legal desk puts the advice bluntly: once you have overstayed, do not try to leave the country on your own; go straight to the local immigration office, report the overstay and pay the fine. The authority then looks at the nature and seriousness of the case before deciding whether deportation applies. The longer the overstay, the longer and more expensive that process becomes — and a missed flight, extra nights and a possible three-year ban cost far more than renewing on time.

From EasyVisa's own experience supporting customers — not a figure set by law — we have seen overstay cases where the traveller had to wait 10–20 days while the case was investigated before being cleared to leave.

Enforcement in 2026: Da Nang inspects accommodation and fines overstayers

This is not a rule on paper. Da Nang City Police reported on 7 September 2026 that a peak inspection campaign had checked 781 accommodation establishments, penalised 34 of them and 33 foreigners, with fines totalling VND 689 million. In Lao Cai, a shop owner was fined VND 4 million in August 2026 for not declaring a single foreign guest — the clause 3 band applied exactly.

Hosts carry criminal risk too. In December 2024 a court in Da Nang sentenced a person to two years and six months in prison for organising for another person to stay in Vietnam illegally, after they leased a house in their own name for a foreigner they knew had overstayed his visa, and did not declare him.

Declaration itself has become stricter and simpler at the same time. Since 21 May 2026 declarations for foreign guests go through one national Ministry of Public Security portal (tbltkbtt.bocongan.gov.vn), and legal press reports that Circular 87/2026/TT-BCA, in force from 24 July 2026, requires electronic declaration as soon as the guest arrives. Expect your host to ask for your passport and current visa on check-in — and to refuse a guest whose stay has already expired.

How to avoid an overstay — and what to do if you are already over

Easy Visa Run exists for the first four points. Send us your nationality and your visa end date, and we will tell you the realistic options before you run out of days — a new e-visa and a same-day Lao Bao visa run with door-to-door pickup from Da Nang, Hoi An or Hue, or a flight visa run if that suits your plans. Contact us early; we would much rather help you leave on time than read about a fine after the fact.

Check the 'valid until' date on your entry stamp or e-visa, not the date you planned to leave. Set a reminder two weeks before it.
Plan the next step early: a new e-visa with a visa run takes a few working days to approve, so start before the last week.
Remember the day you exit counts: leave on or before the final permitted day.
If you have already overstayed, do not head to the airport or border first. Go to the immigration office, report it and pay the fine, then exit as instructed.
If you host foreign guests, declare every one on arrival and check that their visa covers the stay.

Da Nang City Police — accommodation inspection results (8 Sep 2026)

Frequently asked questions

How much is the fine for overstaying a Vietnam visa by a few days?

Under Decree 282/2025, Article 21, clause 2(đ), an overstay of under 16 days is fined VND 500,000 to 2,000,000. From 16 days the fine starts at VND 5 million and deportation may be added.

Can I just pay the overstay fine at the airport and fly out?

Do not count on it. An unpaid administrative fine is a legal ground for postponing a foreigner's exit (Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners, Article 28). Report the overstay at the immigration office and settle it before you go to the airport, or you risk losing your flight.

Will I be deported for overstaying in Vietnam?

Not automatically. For an overstay of 16 days or more, Article 21, clause 11(b) lets the authority add deportation depending on the seriousness of the case. A deported person cannot re-enter Vietnam for three years.

What is the fine for a hotel or homestay that does not declare a foreign guest?

VND 3–5 million for 1–3 undeclared foreigners, 10–15 million for 4–8, and 15–20 million for 9 or more. Letting a foreigner with expired residence stay without notifying the authorities is fined VND 20–25 million. Companies pay double.

When did the new overstay fines start?

Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP has applied since 15 December 2025 and replaced Decree 144/2021. The September 2026 amendment (Decree 347/2026) did not change the overstay figures.