Vietnam Temporary Residence Card
1. What is Vietnam residence card?
Vietnam temporary residence card (or long-term visa) is a document issued by the Vietnam Immigration Department or a competent authority of the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs, allowing a foreign national to reside in Vietnam for a fixed length of time.
2. Benefits of getting TRC
Vietnam temporary residence card holds a lot of benefits for foreigners who wish to stay long-term in the country. Here are some advantages that its holders may have:
⋅ Foreigners can to buy a public housing unit and maybe soon in the near future, they have their own house in Vietnam.
⋅ Foreigners do not need to repeatedly apply or extend your short-term visa
⋅ Foreigners can open a bank account in Vietnam
⋅ Foreigners can travel with domestic flight on the TRC without their passport.
⋅ Foreigners can save up their travel costs due to leaving Vietnam for their visa renewal.
⋅ Foreigners can save their passport pages because temporary residence card is valid up 2 or 3 years.
⋅ Foreigners can carry out their business and marriage procedures without any hassle.
3. Who are eligible for applying Temporary Residence Card
Foreigners are eligible for Temporary Residence Card if they are one of the following:
⋅ A foreigner has a work permit which is valid up at least 1 year at the time of submitting the temporary residence card application.
⋅ Foreigners whose visa are issued under the type of ĐT 1, ĐT 2, ĐT 3 are granted a temporary residence card with corresponding symbol.
⋅ Foreigners have their parent or spouse who is Vietnamese citizen.
⋅ Foreigners who are members of diplomatic missions, consulate or embassy offices, representative offices of international organizations directly linked with the Union Nations or intergovernmental organizations in Vietnam, their spouses and children under 18 years old and housemaids accompanied are granted temporary residence card under NG3 category.
⋅ Foreigners who are spouses or children of foreign employees having a valid residence card and legal sponsor company in Vietnam
⋅ Foreigners are exempt from work permit. The work permit exemption certification issued by the Foreign Manpower Management Division is required
⋅ Foreigners come to study in Vietnam with admission letter of school or educational institutions of Vietnam.
4. Required documents
Here is the checklist of documents required to apply for a temporary residence card:
⋅ A completed NA6 form if sponsor is a company or agency or completed NA7 form if sponsor is an individual.
⋅ A completed NA8 filled in and signed by applicant, attached with 01 photo 3x4cm
⋅ A copy of applicant’s passport and valid visa (the original passport is submitted along for comparison)
Depending on each case, other supporting documents are required as bellows:
⋅ For foreign employee:
– 01 copy of business registration certificate of sponsoring company/agency/organization
– A copy of work permit or work permit exemption certificate
⋅ For foreign investor/owner or shareholder of company:
– 01 copy of investment certificate
– 01 copy of license for establishment of company, representative office or branch of company
– A certificate of a member of Boards of Management.
⋅ For foreign spouse, children:
– Marriage certificate, birth certificate or family register as relationship proof (authenticated and notarized to use in Vietnam)
– A paper or certificate of temporary residence is issued by the Commune Police
5. How to apply TRC
Please follow these steps:
Step 1: Prepare documents as mentioned above
Step 2: Submit the dossier of temporary residence card
After all required documents are collected, a representative of company/organization/agency or individual will visit the Vietnam Immigration Department to submit the application of temporary residence card. Depending on where company/organization/agency register their business or individual registered their residency, the application is lodged accordingly. The following is the addresses of the Immigration Department of Vietnam in Ha Noi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City
– 44 – 46 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh, Ha Noi City
– 254 Nguyen Trai, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
– 7 Tran Quy Cap, Da Nang City
Regular working time: 8:00am – 5.00pm Vietnam time GMT+7 from Monday to Friday (not included the weekend and national holiday)
Step 3: Receive results
You present the receipt, identity card or passport to the official who will return the application result. Then, the official will ask to pay the processing fee and hand your temporary residence card.
6. The fee, processing time and validity of TRC
The normal processing time of temporary residence card is 5 working days since the required documents are fully received.
The cost of temporary residence card is slightly different according to its validity. According to Circular No.219/2016/TT-BTC issued on November 10, 2016 by the Ministry of Finance, the fee of a temporary residence card at the Vietnam Immigration Department is
⋅ 145USD for a temporary residence card of 2 years
⋅ 155USD for a temporary residence card over 2 years up to 5 years
The shortest duration of a card is 30 days and the longest one is 5 years. The length of time is determined according to the type of temporary residence card with more details as follows:
⋅ The validity of a temporary residence card is at least 30 days in case the validity of applicant’s passport is less than 30 days.
⋅ The temporary residence card under the LĐ1, LĐ2 and PV1 category is valid for no more 02 years
⋅ The temporary residence card under the NN1, NN2, ĐT3 and TT category is valid for no more 03 years
⋅ The temporary residence card under the NG3, LV1, LV2, LS, ĐT2 and DH category is valid for no more 05 years
⋅ The temporary residence card under the ĐT1 category is valid for no more 10 years
7. How can extend TRC
Extending temporary residence card is required to apply upon its expiry. In order to get it extended, applicant has to prepare documents as follows:
⋅ Physical passport
⋅ Extension visa application form NA5
The supporting documents are required according to each case (as mentioned in section 4 in this article)
The processing time is 5 working days and the extension temporary residence card application is submitted at the Vietnam Immigration Department in Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh or Da Nang City.