How to Transfer Money From Vietnam to Australia: SBV Rules Explained
Vietnam controls foreign exchange through the State Bank of Vietnam. This explains the two separate declaration rules, the permitted purposes for a bank transfer, and what documents you'll need on both ends. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 Vietnam controls what a bank transfer can be for
- 0:14 Two separate rules
- 0:30 Every transfer needs a permitted purpose
- 0:41 Permitted purposes
- 0:55 Family support: capped by per-capita income
- 1:07 The dong isn't freely convertible
- 1:19 What the Australian bank needs
- 1:29 Tax: settled before you transfer, on both sides
- 1:45 Most common mistake: missing purpose documents
- 1:57 Funding a property purchase? Start the paperwork weeks early
- 2:08 Where to read more
Transcript
Sending money from Vietnam to Australia isn't like a transfer from most countries. Vietnam controls the purpose of the transfer, and the currency, before a bank will send it.
There are two separate rules, and they get confused. Carrying foreign cash of $5,000 or more, or VND 15 million or more, across the border needs a customs declaration. Sending money through a bank is a different regime entirely.
The State Bank of Vietnam manages the country's foreign exchange rules. Every outbound bank transfer needs a permitted purpose, set out under Circular 20 of 2022.
Those purposes include study or medical treatment abroad, business trips, tourism and visits, paying a foreign party, supporting a relative's living costs, an inheritance, and settling abroad permanently.
Family-support transfers are capped against the per-capita income of the country you're sending to. Business and tourism transfers are set differently — by the bank, based on what it considers a reasonable need.
The Vietnamese dong isn't freely convertible. Every foreign-currency purchase has to go through a bank licensed by the State Bank, priced off its central reference rate plus a permitted trading band.
On the Australian side, the receiving bank needs the BSB number, the account number, the recipient's full name, and the bank's SWIFT or BIC code.
Vietnam doesn't tax outbound personal transfers directly, but income tax has to be settled first. On the Australian side, gifts and family support aren't taxable, though Vietnamese-sourced income can be, under the tax treaty between the two countries.
The most common mistake is turning up at the bank without the purpose documents it needs — an admission letter, a hospital invoice, proof of the relationship — and having to come back another day.
If you're funding an Australian property purchase from Vietnamese sources, start the paperwork weeks early. The compliance and documentation review can take longer than a routine transfer.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description.
Talk it through with a registered agent
Every agent on Migratio is on the official OMARA register. Compare agents and their consultation fees.