Police Checks on Foreigners in Vietnam: What to Show
A police check of a rented home is a residence inspection, and a foreigner must carry a passport and residence papers and present them when an authority asks. The accommodation, not the guest, files the temporary residence declaration and is fined if it does not. Overstays have their own fine scale.
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Two duties cover a police visit. Carry your passport and residence papers, and present them when a competent authority asks. Hand the same papers to the accommodation, which files your temporary residence declaration. The fine for a missed declaration lands on the accommodation.
Which case are you?
- If you hold a valid visa and the accommodation declared you → keep your passport, travel document or residence papers on you, and present them when an officer asks.
- If you hold a valid visa but the accommodation has not declared you → the duty and its fine sit on the accommodation: 3,000,000–5,000,000 VND. Your own exposure under the same clause is 3,000,000–5,000,000 VND if you did not hand your passport over for the declaration.
- If you have overstayed → the fine rises with the days: under 16 days is 500,000–2,000,000 VND, and 16 to under 30 days is 5,000,000–10,000,000 VND. Deportation may be added.
- If you do not have your passport on you → moving around without it is a warning or 300,000–500,000 VND. Not showing it when a Vietnamese authority asks is 500,000–2,000,000 VND.
Still open: whether the law lets you refuse officers entry, and which papers they ask for at the door — the ward police post for the accommodation.
Is a police visit normal?
Residence inspection is part of the Ministry of Public Security’s job, which inspects and handles violations of residence law. A visit to check papers at a rented home is that inspection role at work.
What you have to carry and show
Foreigners moving around Vietnam have to carry a passport or other international travel document and the papers tied to their residence here. The same rule requires presenting those papers when a competent authority asks. The decree describes them as papers issued to foreigners for entry, exit or residence in Vietnam. The decree treats these as three separate offences, with three different amounts.
| What happened | Fine on the individual |
|---|---|
| You moved around Vietnam without your passport, travel document or residence papers | A warning, or 300,000–500,000 VND |
| You did not present those papers when a Vietnamese authority asked | 500,000–2,000,000 VND |
| You did not hand your passport or residence papers to the accommodation for the declaration | 3,000,000–5,000,000 VND |
The fines are set in Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP, which replaced Decree 144/2021/NĐ-CP and took effect on 15 December 2025.
Whose job is the temporary residence declaration?
The declaration is not filed by the guest. It goes through the person who directly manages or runs the accommodation, to the commune, ward or special-zone police where that accommodation sits. The accommodation has to ask for your passport or other international travel document and your residence papers before it agrees to let you stay. Those are the papers the declaration is built from.
If the declaration is missed, the fine lands on the accommodation.
| Foreign guests not declared | Fine on the accommodation |
|---|---|
| 1 to 3 guests | 3,000,000–5,000,000 VND |
| 4 to 8 guests | 10,000,000–15,000,000 VND |
| 9 guests or more | 15,000,000–20,000,000 VND |
A foreigner who does not hand over their passport or residence papers for the declaration is fined under the same clause.
A separate clause fines whoever lets a foreigner stay while that foreigner is in Vietnam unlawfully. It also covers spotting signs of an entry or residence violation and not reporting it: 20,000,000–25,000,000 VND. Where the offender is an organisation and not an individual, the fine doubles.
How the declaration is filed is in registering your temporary residence in Vietnam.
Does a valid visa change any of this?
Holding a visa or residence card does not remove the two duties above: papers carried and presented, and papers handed to the accommodation for the declaration.
Where the declaration is missed, the fine falls on the accommodation. Your own exposure is your papers: carrying them, presenting them when asked, and handing them over for the declaration.
If you have overstayed
Overstaying is fined on a rising scale, from 500,000–2,000,000 VND under 16 days to 30,000,000–40,000,000 VND at a year or more.
| Days past your permitted stay | Fine |
|---|---|
| Under 16 days | 500,000–2,000,000 VND |
| 16 to under 30 days | 5,000,000–10,000,000 VND |
| 30 to under 60 days | 10,000,000–15,000,000 VND |
| 60 to under 90 days | 15,000,000–20,000,000 VND |
| 90 to under 180 days | 20,000,000–25,000,000 VND |
| 180 days to under 1 year | 25,000,000–30,000,000 VND |
| 1 year or more | 30,000,000–40,000,000 VND |
Deportation may be added on top; the decision turns on the nature and severity of the violation. A deported foreigner is refused re-entry for 3 years from the date the decision takes effect.
The bands in full, with the exit and re-entry steps, are in Vietnam visa overstay fines. If your stay is running out instead, extending a visa in Da Nang explains the filing, and the office is in the Da Nang immigration office guide.
Not confirmed: Whether the law lets you refuse officers entry, whether they identify themselves, and which papers they ask for at the door. Keep your passport and residence papers with you whatever the answer.
Common questions
Is it normal for police to check passports at a rented apartment in Vietnam?
It has a legal basis: inspecting and handling violations of residence law is a Ministry of Public Security job.
Who has to declare my temporary residence, me or the accommodation?
The declaration goes through the person who directly manages or runs the accommodation, to the commune, ward or special-zone police where it is. Before taking you in, the accommodation has to ask for your passport and your residence papers.
What is the fine if the accommodation does not declare me?
The fine lands on the accommodation: 3,000,000–5,000,000 VND for one to three undeclared guests, 10,000,000–15,000,000 VND for four to eight, and 15,000,000–20,000,000 VND for nine or more.
What happens if I did not hand my passport to the accommodation?
The same clause fines you 3,000,000–5,000,000 VND if you did not present your passport or residence papers to the accommodation for the declaration.
What is the fine for not carrying my passport in Vietnam?
Walking around Vietnam without your passport, travel document or residence papers is a warning or 300,000–500,000 VND. Failing to show them when a Vietnamese authority asks is 500,000–2,000,000 VND.
How much is the fine for overstaying a visa in Vietnam?
Short overstays are cheaper: under 16 days is 500,000–2,000,000 VND, and 16 to under 30 days is 5,000,000–10,000,000 VND. From a year or more the fine reaches 30,000,000–40,000,000 VND. Deportation may be added on top.
Does a valid visa or residence card stop these fines?
The same two duties apply whatever document you hold. Carry and present your passport and residence papers when a Vietnamese authority asks. Hand those papers to the accommodation so it can complete the declaration.
Next in Visas & residence
General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
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