Procedures for applying for temporary residence card for foreigners in Vietnam

Regulations on procedures for temporary residence cards for foreigners in Vietnam 2024
The duration of a temporary residence card is the period of time a foreigner is allowed to stay in Vietnam. During that period, the foreigner can carry out personal or work activities according to the purpose of the temporary residence card issued and enter and exit the country according to regulations.

1. Subjects granted temporary residence cards 
Subjects granted temporary residence cards under current regulations of Vietnam include the following subjects:
- Foreigners are workers entering Vietnam to work long-term with a work permit or a license to practice in Vietnam.
- Foreigners are investors who establish companies, contribute capital, and buy shares in Vietnamese or foreign enterprises and organizations in Vietnam;
- Foreigners whose spouses, parents, or children have been granted temporary residence cards in Vietnam
- Foreigners of Vietnamese origin or relatives who are Vietnamese (including wife, husband, parents, children, grandparents...) 
- Foreigners entering Vietnam as diplomats and journalists according to diplomatic regulations and press laws.....

2. Conditions for granting temporary residence cards to foreigners 
The duration of a temporary residence card is the period of time a foreigner is allowed to stay in Vietnam. The conditions for applying for a temporary residence card for foreigners are as follows:
- Foreigners' passports must have a minimum validity period equal to the duration of the temporary residence card intended for application.
- Foreigners must have entered Vietnam and are currently residing in Vietnam.
- Foreigners must register for temporary residence at the commune or ward police station or register online according to regulations.
- Foreigners must be eligible for temporary residence cards as prescribed in Section 1.
- Foreigners must have papers and documents as prescribed by law to prove that they are eligible for a temporary residence card. 

Note on passports of foreigners applying for temporary residence cards.
- In case the employee's passport is no longer valid for 2 years, a temporary residence card will be issued according to the validity of the passport, but not less than 1 year.
- For Chinese citizens holding an electronic chip passport (E passport), the procedure for applying for a temporary residence card will be changed to a visa with a maximum validity of 1 year.

3. Validity of temporary residence cards for foreigners according to regulations
According to the provisions of Article 8 of Law 47/2014/QH2013 and Articles 8, 36, 38 of Law No. 51/2019/QH14 on AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO A NUMBER OF ARTICLES OF THE LAW ON ENTRY, EXIT, TRANSIT, AND RESIDENCE OF FOREIGNERS IN VIETNAM, the categories of people eligible for a temporary residence card in Vietnam are:

Temporary residence cards of types LD1, LD2 and PV1 are valid for 2 years.
- LĐ1 - Issued to foreigners working in Vietnam with confirmation that they are not subject to work permit issuance, except in cases where international treaties to which Vietnam is  a member have other provisions.”
- LD2 - Issued to foreigners working in Vietnam who are required to have a work permit
- PV1 - Issued to reporters and journalists residing in Vietnam.

Temporary residence cards of types NN1, NN2, DT3, TT are valid for 3 years.
- NN1 - Issued to the person who is the Head of the representative office or project of an international organization or foreign non-governmental organization in Vietnam.
- NN2 - Issued to the head of a representative office, branch of a foreign trader, representative office of an economic, cultural organization, or other foreign professional organization in Vietnam.
- DT3 - Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam with capital contributions worth from 3 billion VND to less than 50 billion VND.
- TT - Issued to foreigners whose relatives have a temporary residence card in Vietnam or who are of Vietnamese origin or who are sponsored by relatives who are Vietnamese citizens. 

Temporary residence cards of types NG3, LV1, LV2, LS, DT2 and DH are valid for 5 years.
- DT2 - Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam with capital contributions worth from 50 billion VND to less than 100 billion VND or investing in industries and professions encouraged for investment and development as decided by the Government.
- NG3 - Issued to members of diplomatic missions, consular offices, representative offices of international organizations under the United Nations, representative offices of intergovernmental organizations and their spouses, children under 18 years old, and accompanying servants during their term of office.
- LV1 - Issued to people working with departments, agencies, and units directly under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam; the National Assembly, the Government, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, the State Audit, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and agencies under the Government; provincial and municipal Party Committees, People's Councils, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities.
- LV2 - Issued to people working with socio-political organizations, social organizations, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
- LS - Issued to foreign lawyers practicing in Vietnam. Licensed to practice by the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice
- DH - Issued to people coming for internship and study.

Temporary residence card type DT1 is valid for 10 years.
- DT1 - Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam with capital contributions of VND 100 billion or more or investing in preferential investment sectors, occupations, and preferential investment locations decided by the Government.

4. Documents and procedures for applying for temporary residence card/extension of temporary residence card for foreigners
A. Application for temporary residence card for foreigners by the company/organization sponsoring the foreigner.
We would like to guide you through the temporary residence card procedures for foreigners who are working, investing and sponsored by relatives to apply for a temporary residence card.

1. Business registration certificate/Investment certificate/Operating license/Establishment decision (Depending on the type, there will be appropriate documents)
2. Application form for registration of legal entity's seal and signature - NA16.
3. Application form and temporary residence card according to Form NA6, Na8 (01 original copy of each application form)
4. Original Passport/Visa/Temporary Residence Card 
5. 02 2x3cm photos (01 photo attached to NA8 application form, 01 photo attached to the application)
6. 01 Online temporary residence confirmation form or temporary residence confirmation form issued by the commune or ward police.
7. Letter of introduction from the business/organization sending the employee to apply for a temporary residence card.
8. Prepare one of the following documents for each type of temporary residence card:

- Application for temporary residence card for work: 01 certified copy of Work Permit or Work Permit Exemption Certificate for cases of applying for temporary residence card for workers LĐ 1, LĐ 2
- Application for temporary investment residence card: 01 certified copy of Business Registration/Investment License and 01 certified copy of Documents proving capital contribution to a company in Vietnam for investors applying for temporary residence cards DT 1, DT 2, DT 3
- Application for temporary residence card for visiting relatives for foreign spouses and children: 01 Vietnamese translation and notarization of documents proving family relationships such as Birth certificate for children, Marriage registration certificate for husband and wife, Family relationship certificate, Household registration book ....

Notes on applying for temporary cards for foreigners in cases of extension, reissuance, and change of purpose
- In case of applying for temporary residence card extension for foreigners, the application only requires documents from items 3 to 8.
- In case of re-issuance of temporary residence card due to loss, damage or new passport, the application requires documents from items 3 to 8 and is accompanied by a Statement of the cause of loss, damage or change of passport and passport number;
- In case of converting from a tourist visa to a temporary residence card for work, investment, or visiting relatives, the application requires documents from items 1 to 8 and is accompanied by an explanation and presentation of the change of purpose.
- In case of converting temporary residence card from tourism, work to investment and from investment to labor, the required documents from items 1 to 8 are attached with a document explaining the appropriate conversion.
- In case the temporary residence card is transferred from one company to another, the application requires documents from items 1 to 8, along with a letter of resignation or termination of employment at the old company for the employee and documents of capital withdrawal or divestment at the old company.....

B. Application for temporary residence card for foreigners visiting relatives sponsored by Vietnamese citizens

1. Application form for temporary residence card according to Form NA7, Na8 (01 original copy of each application form)
2. Original Passport/Visa/Old Temporary Residence Card 
3. 02 2x3cm photos (01 photo attached to NA8 application form, 01 photo attached to the application)
4. 01 Notarized copy or notarized translation of documents proving family relationship (Birth certificate for children, Marriage registration certificate for husband and wife, Family relationship certificate, Household registration book... (Depending on the relationship, appropriate documents must be provided).

Notes on extending temporary residence cards, issuing new cards or changing the purpose of temporary residence cards for visiting relatives.
- In case of applying for temporary residence card extension for visiting relatives, the application only requires documents from B1 to B4.
- In case of re-issuance of temporary residence card due to loss, damage, or new passport, the application requires documents from B1 to B4 and is accompanied by a statement of the cause of loss, damage or change of passport, passport number;
- In case of conversion from tourist visa, temporary residence card for work, investment to visiting relatives, the application requires documents from B1 to A4 and is accompanied by an explanation, presentation of the conversion of purpose, leave permit from the company or documents proving withdrawal of investment capital.

5. Procedures for submitting application and receiving results for temporary residence card for foreigners
Enterprises and individuals sponsoring foreigners to apply for temporary residence cards can choose one of two forms of applying for temporary residence cards: submitting the application directly to the Immigration Department or submitting it online through the public service portal of the Ministry of Public Security according to regulations.
In case of applying for a temporary residence card online, it is required to register an electronic immigration account for companies, businesses and a Public Service account for Vietnamese citizens sponsoring foreigners.

A. Submit application for temporary residence card for foreigners by direct submission
- Application for temporary residence card is made into 01 set with content and form according to regulations.
- Submit application for temporary residence card before visa or old temporary residence card expires at the Immigration Department or Immigration Department of the province or city according to authority.
- Temporary residence card results are returned within 05 working days as prescribed.
- Applicants for temporary residence cards receive results directly at the Immigration Department. Temporary residence card results are currently not returned by express delivery or post.

Submit application for temporary residence card in Hanoi:
- Immigration Department: No. 44 Tran Phu Street, Dien Bien Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi (Available for all businesses, companies and individuals from Quang Nam to the North)

Submit application for temporary residence card in Ho Chi Minh City, Thu Duc:
- Immigration Department, Southern office: No. 333 Nguyen Trai Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City (Available for all businesses, companies, and individuals in the Southern provinces, Central Highlands, and South Central Coast)

Submit application for temporary residence card in other provinces and cities.
- Submit to the Immigration Department of the provincial or municipal police where the enterprise or company has its headquarters and the individual sponsoring the relative has a permanent or temporary residence registration.

B. Register and submit temporary residence card online for foreigners 
Applicants for temporary residence cards can submit applications for temporary residence cards online at the National Public Service Portal.

Step 1: For companies/organizations: Use the digital signature USB/digital signature token of the enterprise and register an account on the Public Service portal. 
            For individual sponsors: Register an account on the National Public Service Portal using the owner's phone number.
Step 2: Log in to your account on the Public Service portal
Step 3: Fill in the information of the applicant for temporary residence card, and attach all required documents (scanned in PDF format)
Step 4: Check all the information declared and attached documents, then click submit.
Step 5: Save the declared file code to track the processing.