Belgian passport holders will soon be able to travel to Vietnam without obtaining a visa, as the latter has decided to drop this requirement.

Announcing the news during the Belgian state visit to Vietnam, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that Belgian nationals would enjoy visa-free entry for short stays but did not specify when the move would officially become effective in Schengen—news reports.

Under the visa-exemption scheme, Belgian travellers will be eligible for visa-free entry to Vietnam for stays of up to 45 days for tourism purposes.

Those who want to reach Vietnam for other purposes or a more extended stay must follow the relevant visa procedures.

Commenting on the matter, the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, Maxime Prévot, said that this is one of the main achievements of the state visit to Vietnam.

In addition, Prévot explained that Belgium has been requiring Vietnam to exempt its nationals from the visa requirements for some time now.

According to Prévot, visa requirements represent an obstacle for Belgian tourists and businesspeople wanting to enter Vietnam, while adding that it will soon be announced when the visas will be dropped.

Nationals of 11 EU/Schengen Countries Currently Enjoy Visa-Free Entry to Vietnam

Vietnam permits visa-free entry for short stays for several other EU/Schengen countries – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Czechia, and Poland.

Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, and Sweden passport holders will be eligible for visa-free entry to Vietnam until March 14, 2028.

On the other hand, passport holders from Switzerland, Czechia, and Poland can travel visa-free to Vietnam only until the end of this year – December 31, 2025. However, the visa waiver policy for these three countries may be extended.

While Vietnam permits visa-free entry for nationals of the countries mentioned above, its citizens continue to be required to obtain a Schengen visa to enter the Schengen Area.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, Maxime Prévot, noted that Vietnam is not requesting reciprocity from Belgium. However, he said that Belgium will pay attention to specific requests from Vietnam at the international and European levels.

Statistics published by Moving2Europe.eu show that Vietnamese passport holders filed 103,501 Schengen visa applications in 2023. Of the total number of applicants, 90,787 were granted a visa, and 12,510 had their visa applications rejected.