Temporary residence card (TRC) in Vietnam

According to the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam 2014, a temporary residence card (TRC) is a document issued by an immigration management agency or a competent agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This card is issued for foreigners to be allowed to reside for a certain period of time in Vietnam.

Who can apply for a TRC in Vietnam?

People like the following can apply for a TRC in Vietnam:

– Foreigners who have a work permit in Vietnam with a validity of 12 months or more at the time of applying for a TRC.

– Foreigners who are members of diplomatic missions, consular offices, representative offices of international organizations under the United Nations, intergovernmental organizations in Vietnam and their spouses, children under 18, the domestic helpers accompanying about to complete of their term of residence. (The TRC for these objects has the symbol NG3)

– Foreigners who are granted LV1, LV2, DT, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LD, TT visas are granted temporary residence cards with symbols similar to visa symbols. The Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam 2014 stipulates new types of symbols and the duration of each type of visa for foreigners in Vietnam.

Requirements and conditions for granting  TRCs

Foreigners must temporarily reside in Vietnam for 1 year or more

whose passports are still valid for at least 13 months.

Required documents to apply for a temporary residence card in Vietnam

The guarantor’s written request for a TRC for foreigners (Form NA6 for agencies or organizations; Form NA7 for individuals)

• Information declaration form for a  TRC with 3cm x 4cm photos (Form NA8)
• A copy of a valid passport and visa (bring the original for comparison);
• 02 photos 3 * 4cm (01 photo attached to the Information Sheet, 01 photo saved separately)

Depending on the circumstances, one of the following is required:

– 01 copy of the business registration certificate of the guarantor agency, organization, or enterprise.

– Work permit or work permit exemption;

If applying for a TRC in Vietnam without a work permit:

– Investment certificates

– License for establishment of representative offices and branches of the company

– Certificate of Board of Directors member

– Birth certificate, marriage registration certificate, household registration book… if applying for a TRC for a spouse, child, etc., who is a foreigner

– Declaration of temporary residence or Certificate of temporary residence in the locality stamped with the seal of the commune-level police department.

Note: Consular legalization and notarized translation into Vietnamese are required for all documents in foreign languages.

How to get a TRC for foreigners in Vietnam?

Here are the steps to get a Vietnamese TRC for foreigners:

Step 1: Prepare documents according to the provisions of law.

Step 2: Submit documents

Agencies, organizations, and individuals submit their dossiers at one of three working offices of the Immigration Department – the Ministry of Public Security:

44-46 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi.

254 Nguyen Trai, District 1, HCMC.

7 Tran Quy Cap, Da Nang City

Application time: Mornings, Monday to Saturday (except holidays).

After that, the officer receiving the dossier will check the legality and content of the dossier:

If the application is complete and valid, the officer will print and give a receipt for an appointment

If there are not enough documents, the staff will guide you to complete them.

Step 3: Get the result.

The person receiving the results gives the receipt, identity card or passport to the officer returning the results for checking and comparison. If there is a result of granting a temporary residence card, the officer will request the person to pay the fee and hand over the temporary residence card.

Time to receive results: From Monday to Friday (except public holidays).

Time and fee for processing temporary residence card in Vietnam

The time for processing a dossier of application for a temporary residence card to a foreigner in Vietnam is 05 working days from the date of receipt of a complete dossier.

According to Circular No. 219/2016 / TT-BTC dated November 10, 2016 by the Minister of Health, the cost of making a Vietnamese temporary residence card at the Vietnam Immigration Department is:

$145 for a card valid for up to 2 years

$155 for a card valid for more than 2 to 5 years

Validity of Temporary Residence Card

The validity of the temporary residence card in Vietnam is at least 30 days shorter than the remaining validity of the passport.

A temporary residence card with the symbol DT1 is valid for not more than 10 years.

Temporary residence cards with symbols NG3, LV1, LV2, LS, DT2, and DH are valid for no more than 5 years

Temporary residence cards with symbols NN1, NN2, DT3, TT are valid for no more than 03 years.

Temporary residence cards with symbols LD1, LD2, PV1 are valid for no more than 02 years.

An expired temporary residence card will be considered for a new issue.

How to change temporary residence card in Vietnam

—> Cases of changing temporary residence cards

• The temporary residence card is lost;
• The temporary residence card is torn or blurred…

Foreigners are issued with a new passport in which the new passport number is different from the passport number on the temporary residence card

Departments for granting and changing temporary residence cards for foreigners

On a case-by-case basis, foreigners can carry out procedures for granting and changing temporary residence cards at one of the following agencies in Vietnam:

1. Administration of Immigration
2. Immigration Management Office of Provincial and Municipal Police

The duration of the extended TRC

The duration of a re-issued TRC is the same as that stated on the previously issued TRC.

Dossier to change Vietnam temporary residence card

– The passports of foreigners must be valid for at least 06 months;

– Work permit (Investors, project managers, NGOs, foreign lawyers who are allowed to practice in Vietnam do not have to apply for a work permit)

Application for issuance of TRC in Vietnam.

– Foreigner information sheet (with photo and stamp);

– 01 photo 3cmx4cm;

– Official letter explaining the reason for changing temporary residence card

– Other documents at the request of the Immigration Department

How to extend temporary residence card in Vietnam

Foreigners can renew their temporary residence card in Vietnam when it expires by preparing the following documents:

Visa application, or an extension of stay (Form NA5)

– Passport

– Follow the same procedure to get a new temporary residence card as outlined above.

– The fee for renewing a temporary residence card in Vietnam is 10 USD and the processing time is 5 working days from the date of receipt of complete documents.