Temporary Residence Card Vietnam: Eligibility, Documents and Application

A Vietnam temporary residence card (TRC) allows an eligible foreign national to reside in Vietnam for a specified period and serves as a visa during its validity. Employees, qualifying investors, eligible family members and certain other applicants may be considered. Before preparing an application, confirm your TRC category, who will sponsor you, whether your current immigration status supports the application, and which documents prove your eligibility.

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What Is a Temporary Residence Card in Vietnam?

A temporary residence card is an immigration document issued to an eligible foreign national for residence in Vietnam. It can make repeated entry more convenient while valid, but the card’s category and expiry date depend on the applicant’s circumstances.

Temporary Residence Card vs. Visa vs. Work Permit

Document	What it does	What to check
Temporary residence card	Permits residence for its stated period and serves as a visa.	The applicant’s category, sponsor and card validity.
Visa	Permits entry and stay according to its stated purpose and validity.	Whether its purpose matches the applicant’s activities and proposed TRC category.
Work permit or exemption document	Addresses whether a foreign national may work in Vietnam under the applicable labour rules.	Whether the person needs a permit, qualifies for an exemption, and has the required evidence.

A TRC does not automatically authorize employment. An employee should address the applicable work permit requirement separately. For more on entry purposes, see VINEX’s Vietnam business visa guide.

Temporary Residence Card vs. Temporary Residence Registration

Temporary residence registration is the declaration of a foreign national’s place of stay in Vietnam. It is a separate procedure from applying for a TRC. Having a residence declaration does not, by itself, establish eligibility for a card. Applicants should check that their stay has been declared correctly and that the relevant residence information is available for the immigration application.

Who Can Apply for a Vietnam Temporary Residence Card?

Eligibility follows the applicant’s immigration category and supporting evidence. Nationality alone does not determine the TRC type.

Applicant	Potential TRC symbol	Evidence to assess	Usual sponsor
Foreign employee requiring a work permit	LĐ2	Valid work permit and employment-related records.	Employing organization
Foreign employee exempt from a work permit	LĐ1	Evidence of the applicable exemption and employment purpose.	Relevant organization
Qualifying foreign investor	ĐT1, ĐT2 or ĐT3	Investment status and documents supporting the relevant category.	Relevant company or organization
Eligible spouse or child	TT	Family relationship and the principal person’s qualifying status.	Eligible organization or family member, as applicable
Person in a qualifying preferential category	UĐ1 or UĐ2	Evidence that the specific preferential category applies.	Relevant sponsoring party

Foreign Employees and Work Permit Exemption Holders

LĐ2 generally corresponds to a foreign employee who requires a work permit; LĐ1 corresponds to an employee in an applicable work permit exemption category. The sponsor should verify the employment documents before choosing a TRC route. See VINEX’s work permit guide and work permit exemption guide for the related labour procedures.

Foreign Investors

Investor TRCs may fall under ĐT1, ĐT2 or ĐT3, depending on the applicable investment category. ĐT4 is a visa category, but it is not listed among the ordinary investor TRC categories. An investor should therefore confirm their category and investment evidence before assuming that company ownership qualifies them for a card.

Eligible Spouses and Children

A spouse or child under 18 may qualify for a family-related category where the principal foreign national meets the relevant conditions. The application requires evidence of the relationship, and the family member’s proposed stay should be assessed alongside the principal person’s immigration status.

Other Eligible Categories

Vietnam also provides TRC categories for certain other purposes, including qualifying study, organizational and preferential cases. UĐ1 and UĐ2 are preferential categories introduced under rules effective from July 2026; they apply only when their specific conditions are met.

How Long Is a Vietnam Temporary Residence Card Valid?

The legal maximum is a ceiling, not a promise that every applicant will receive a card for that period.

TRC category	Legal maximum
ĐT1, UĐ1, UĐ2	Up to 10 years
ĐT2 and certain other qualifying categories	Up to 5 years
ĐT3, TT and certain other qualifying categories	Up to 3 years
LĐ1, LĐ2	Up to 2 years

A card must also expire at least 30 days before the passport. In practice, the available period may be shorter because of the applicant’s passport, work permit, exemption evidence, investment status or other circumstances supporting the application. Someone hoping for a two-year employee TRC should check passport and work permit expiry dates before filing.

What Should You Check Before Preparing a TRC Application?

Check these four points before collecting forms:

1. Current status: Does your entry and residence purpose correspond to the category you intend to request? A change of purpose may require a separate immigration step.

2. Sponsor: Is an eligible company, organization or family member ready to sponsor the application and provide its documents?

3. Expiry dates: Will your passport and category-specific evidence remain valid for the period sought?

4. Residence declaration: Has your place of stay in Vietnam been declared accurately?

[VINEX expert comment to add before publication: In 2–3 sentences, explain which of these checks VINEX most often finds unresolved before a client starts a TRC application, and what its team recommends checking first. Use VINEX’s actual experience; do not add an invented case.]

What Documents Are Required for a Vietnam Temporary Residence Card?

The immigration authority’s published procedure identifies the applicant’s passport, application form NA8, photographs, a sponsor request and evidence of eligibility. The supporting evidence varies by category. Use the current forms made available through the applicable Ministry of Public Security TRC procedure rather than copying an old form from another article.

Document or information	Applicant prepares	Sponsor prepares or confirms
Passport and matching personal details	Passport and details used in the application.	Checks consistency with sponsor records.
Photographs	Two 2 × 3 cm photographs under the published procedure.	Confirms the dossier is complete.
TRC application form	Provides accurate personal and residence information for form NA8.	Coordinates completion and submission.
Sponsor request	Supplies information needed by the sponsor.	Organization uses form NA6; an eligible individual uses form NA7.
Category-specific evidence	Provides relevant personal, work, investment or family documents.	Confirms which evidence supports the proposed category.
Sponsor registration documents	Usually not prepared by the applicant.	An organization checks its registration and authorized-signature records where required.

For employees, the evidence may include a work permit or document establishing an applicable exemption. Investors need documents supporting their investment category. Dependents need suitable proof of family relationship and the principal person’s status. A foreign-issued document may require translation and an applicable authentication procedure before use in Vietnam. Check the receiving authority’s requirements for that document; if relevant, link the phrase consular legalization in Vietnam to VINEX’s planned article after it is published.

How Do You Apply for a Temporary Residence Card in Vietnam?

Applicants complete immigration procedures in Vietnam. Source: Thanh Niên, photo by Nguyễn Anh.

Step 1 — Confirm Eligibility and Select the Appropriate Category

Identify the residence purpose and TRC symbol, then compare them with the applicant’s current immigration status. Resolve a mismatch before assuming a card application can proceed.

Step 2 — Prepare Applicant and Sponsor Documents

The applicant provides the passport and category-specific evidence. The sponsoring party prepares its request and checks whether its organizational records are already on file with immigration.

Step 3 — Submit Through the Applicable Immigration Procedure

The sponsor submits through the competent immigration authority. The published procedures describe submission at the Immigration Department or the relevant provincial immigration office, with an online route available in applicable cases. An online submission may still require physical documents to be sent as instructed; it should not be treated as an entirely paperless process without checking the procedure.

Step 4 — Respond to Requests for Additional Information

The receiving authority checks the dossier and may ask for missing or corrected materials. The five-working-day review period starts when a complete, valid application has been received, so document preparation and corrections need their own time allowance.

Step 5 — Receive and Check the Card

After approval, check the name, passport details, TRC symbol and expiry date against the underlying documents. Address an error before relying on the card for travel or another procedure.

What Are the TRC Fees and Processing Times?

The published government fee depends on the duration of the card issued, while preparation costs depend on the dossier.

Card validity	Published government fee
Up to 2 years	USD 145 per card
More than 2 years and up to 5 years	USD 155 per card
More than 5 years and up to 10 years	USD 165 per card

Translation, authentication, delivery and optional professional assistance are separate potential costs. The published processing period is up to five working days after receipt of a complete, valid dossier. Obtaining a work permit, resolving an immigration-status issue or preparing foreign-issued documents can make the total preparation time longer. Confirm the fee and submission instructions again when filing.

What Happens When Your TRC Expires or Your Circumstances Change?

Situation	What to do next
Card approaching expiry	Review continued eligibility and prepare an application for a new card before lawful residence is interrupted.
New passport	Check how the change affects the passport details on the card and what immigration procedure is required.
Change of employer or sponsor	Have the former and new sponsoring parties assess the effect on the existing card and the appropriate next application.
Lost or damaged card	Contact the relevant immigration authority promptly about the applicable replacement procedure.

An expired card may be considered for a new card. Do not assume that a change of employer, investment status or family circumstances leaves the original basis for the card intact.

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How Can VINEX Help with Your TRC Application?

VINEX can help assess the proposed TRC category, review sponsor and applicant documents, and coordinate the application with relevant work permit, exemption or investment procedures within its confirmed service scope. To request an initial assessment, provide your nationality, current visa or TRC status, intended residence purpose, sponsor details, and the expiry dates of your passport and supporting documents.