If you stay in Vietnam past the end of your visa, exemption or residence card without permission, the fine depends on how many days you are over. Older guides quote Decree 144/2021; that decree has been replaced, and the figures changed.
The short answer
Fines by length of overstay
Article 21 of the decree covers a foreigner who stays beyond the term of their visa, extension, residence certificate or card without the competent authority’s permission. Amounts are as written in the decree; dollar figures are rough conversions at about 26,000 VND per dollar.
| Days over | Fine (VND) | About (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16 days | 500,000 – 2,000,000 | $19 – $77 |
| 16 to under 30 days | 5,000,000 – 10,000,000 | $190 – $385 |
| 30 to under 60 days | 10,000,000 – 15,000,000 | $385 – $575 |
| 60 to under 90 days | 15,000,000 – 20,000,000 | $575 – $770 |
| 90 to under 180 days | 20,000,000 – 25,000,000 | $770 – $960 |
| 180 days to under 1 year | 25,000,000 – 30,000,000 | $960 – $1,150 |
| 1 year or more | 30,000,000 – 40,000,000 | $1,150 – $1,540 |
These are ranges. The authority chooses the amount within the range after considering the nature and seriousness of the violation and any mitigating or aggravating circumstances.
Expulsion and entry bans
From 16 days of overstay upward, the authority may also apply expulsion (trục xuất) as an additional sanction. It is discretionary, not automatic. As we read the structure of the article, the under-16-day bracket is not among the violations it applies to, but check the decree text for your own case. Not complying with an expulsion decision is itself fined VND 30,000,000–40,000,000.
Fines for hosts and landlords
The same article fines the person running accommodation who does not declare foreign guests to the police. The amounts depend on how many foreigners were not declared: 4 to 8 foreigners is fined VND 10,000,000–15,000,000, and 9 or more VND 15,000,000–20,000,000. An English mirror gives VND 3,000,000–5,000,000 for 1 to 3 foreigners. A foreigner who refuses to show their passport to the accommodation provider can also be fined. This is why landlords insist on your passport and visa copies; see renting in Ho Chi Minh City.
If you have already overstayed
We found no official source setting out the procedure for someone who has overstayed, other than the general rule that the competent public-security authority sanctions the violation. A Tuoi Tre report from August 2026 advises reporting to the local immigration office or the Immigration Department, paying the fine and not leaving informally; that is press advice, not an official procedure.
There is no voluntary-reporting discount in the decree. The only lever it names is the general “mitigating circumstances” that the authority weighs. If you are near the end of your stay, the legal options are in our visa extension guide. For a case that has already gone past the date, speak to a licensed visa and legal provider before going to the airport.
Claims we could not confirm
- A fixed 1–5 year entry ban after an overstay.
- A grace period of one or two weeks, or a 10 or 15 day fine-free window.
- That reporting voluntarily lowers the fine by a set amount.
- Any official step-by-step procedure for people who have already overstayed.
Sources
Related guides
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