Vietnam requires health declarations for all travelers starting July 1

Vietnam's new health declaration rule at the border

Vietnam will require all inbound, outbound and transit travelers to file a health declaration at border gates starting July 1, under Decree 165/2026/ND-CP implementing the Law on Disease Prevention. The decree was issued in late May and applies regardless of nationality, visa type or length of stay.

Declarations must be completed within seven days before crossing the border. Forms are available in Vietnamese and English using a standardized national template, with extra languages possible at specific gates depending on global disease conditions. The Ministry of Health holds authority to scale the requirement up or down, decide which travelers must file at any given moment and demand vaccination proof or other preventive-health documents during outbreaks.

Who has to file

The rule covers every category of traveler crossing a Vietnamese border:

• Short-term tourists arriving on e-visas, visa-exempt entries or visas on arrival
• Digital nomads on tourist or business visas, each time they enter, leave or transit
• Expats and long-stay residents with work permits, investor status or family visas
• Vietnamese citizens departing or returning
• Transit passengers connecting through Vietnamese airports when MOH activates the requirement for their route

The baseline expectation is that every international trip to or from Vietnam may involve the form, especially during heightened surveillance periods. Targeted activation by country of origin or border gate is also possible when the MOH judges risk to be limited.

How to submit and what it costs

Declarations can be filed electronically through an MOH-designated online system or on paper at the border gate using the template in Appendix V of the decree. The specific website or app hasn't yet been published, so travelers should watch for MOH guidance closer to the effective date. Paper backup remains available for travelers without reliable internet access.

No fee applies to the declaration itself. The form asks for personal and contact details, recent travel history, current health status and any exposure information the MOH requests. On-site health checks at the border are capped at two hours per person. Keeping a screenshot or printout of the completed form is recommended before passing through immigration.

Read our full Vietnam guide for the complete picture and check our nomad news feed for more border updates.