Vietnam Visa for Maltese Citizens: E-Visa, Urgent Speeds and Malta Time Cutoffs

The Vietnam visa for Maltese citizens is not covered by any exemption, even though Italian travelers on the next flight enter Vietnam visa-free. If you hold a Maltese passport, you need a visa for every trip to the mainland, and the e-visa is the simplest route. This guide explains the rules, how to apply, the urgent speeds and prices if your trip is close, the cutoffs in Malta time, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Do Maltese citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes, for every trip to mainland Vietnam. Malta is not on either of Vietnam's European exemption lists. Resolution 44/NQ-CP, valid to 14 March 2028, gives 45 days visa-free for any purpose to 12 countries, including Italy, the UK and Germany. Resolution 229/NQ-CP, valid to 14 August 2028, gives 45 days for tourism only to 12 more, such as Belgium and Croatia. Malta is on neither list, and neither is Cyprus.

The rule follows the passport you travel on, not where you live. If you also hold a British or Italian passport, you can travel visa-free on it, as long as you use the same passport at check-in and at Vietnamese immigration.

The one exception is Phu Quoc. Every nationality can stay up to 30 days visa-free on the island when arriving there directly from abroad and staying only on Phu Quoc. A trip that also includes Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City needs an e-visa. Our Vietnam visa exemption guide lists every exempt country.

Vietnam e-visa for Maltese citizens: what does it offer?

Up to 90 days, with single or multiple entry.

The price is the same for 30 or 90 days, so ask for the full period if your plans may change. If you plan a side trip to Cambodia or Thailand and back, choose multiple entry now, since it cannot be added later. The e-visa is issued by Vietnam's Immigration Department and can be checked on the official e-visa portal.

How do you apply for a Vietnam visa for Maltese citizens?

Online, before travel, in about 10 minutes.

1. Open the application form or the official portal, which files on the same system.
2. Upload a photo of your passport data page with both machine-readable lines sharp and all 4 corners visible.
3. Upload a recent portrait photo on a white background, without glasses, saved as JPG.
4. Enter your names exactly as in the machine-readable lines.
5. Enter the date you land in Vietnam and the Vietnamese airport where you land.
6. Choose single or multiple entry, pick a speed and pay.
7. Save the application code and check the result when it arrives.

Documents are simple: a passport valid for at least 6 months from arrival with a blank page, the portrait photo, your arrival date and port, and an address in Vietnam. A Maltese identity card is not enough for Vietnam; you need the passport. The e-visa works at the airports, land borders and seaports in our Vietnam e-visa ports of entry guide.

Urgent e-visa for Maltese citizens: speeds and prices

As fast as 30–60 minutes during Vietnamese working hours. Immigration works Monday to Friday, 08:00–11:30 and 13:30–18:30 Vietnam time (GMT+7). Vietnam has no daylight saving, so it is 6 hours ahead of Malta in winter (CET) and 5 hours ahead in summer (CEST).

Prices are per person for single entry; multiple entry adds US$25. Your bank converts US dollars to euro at its own rate. Our urgent Vietnam visa service page explains how each speed works.

When is Vietnam open in Malta time?

From the middle of the night to early afternoon. Malta moves its clocks on the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October.

A file sent from Valletta or Gozo after lunch waits until 02:00 or 03:00 the next night. Friday morning in Malta is Friday afternoon in Vietnam, so a request sent at 10:00 on a Friday may roll over to Monday.

Which speed should Maltese travelers choose?

The slowest one that still arrives before you leave for the airport.

• Flight in a week or more: normal speed, US$50.
• Flight in 2–4 days: 2, 3 or 4 working days, sent the evening before so it is in before 05:00 or 06:00.
• Flight tomorrow afternoon: the 1-day speed sent tonight, or 5 working hours sent before 02:00 or 03:00.
• Flight today in the afternoon: 2.5 or 1.5 hours, sent as early as possible.
• Already at Malta International Airport in the morning: 30–60 minutes, before 12:00 or 13:00.
• Saturday, Sunday or a Vietnamese holiday: the weekend and holiday service.

Vietnamese public holidays count, Maltese ones do not. Vietnamese Culture Day on 24 November 2026, New Year from 1 to 3 January 2027 and Tet from 4 to 10 February 2027 are closed.

Which details cause problems for Maltese applicants?

Maltese letters, connections and dates.

• Maltese letters. Names with ħ, ġ, ż or għ, such as Ħili, appear with plain H, G and Z in the machine-readable lines. Copy those lines exactly.
• Two flights or more. Routes from Malta to Vietnam usually connect in Istanbul, Dubai, Doha or a European hub. The entry port is the Vietnamese airport where you land, not the hub.
• Arrival date. With a connection, you often land 1 or 2 days after leaving Malta. Use the landing date.
• iPhone photos. HEIC files often fail to upload. Save the portrait as JPG.
• Renewed passport. An e-visa issued for an old passport number is not valid for the new one.

What if your e-visa is still processing near departure?

Do not apply again; speed up the existing file. A second application means a second payment and two records for your passport. Read our guide on an e-visa stuck in processing, and check the status on the portal's Search page first.

Speeding up an existing application has its own lower price list: US$45 for 4 working days, US$90 for 1 working day, US$100 for 5 working hours and US$190 for 30–60 minutes. Our guide on how to speed up a Vietnam visa explains the steps.

If an approved e-visa has a wrong detail, a correction costs US$85; for some errors a new urgent e-visa is faster. See how to correct a Vietnam e-visa mistake. If the airline has already refused you at check-in, read our denied boarding help.

What should Maltese travelers carry on arrival?

Your passport, the e-visa and your onward details. Border officers may ask for a return or onward ticket and the address of your first hotel, so keep both on your phone and on paper with the e-visa printout. Children with their own Maltese passport need their own e-visa and photo. Our passport validity guide explains the passport rules.

Is there a Vietnamese embassy in Malta?

No, Malta is covered from Rome. The Embassy of Vietnam in Rome, Italy has been accredited to Malta, according to its pages on the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry portal. Tourists and business visitors do not need an embassy for the e-visa, which is applied for and issued online.

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