Obtaining A Vietnam Temporary Residence Card

Foreigners, who want to reside in Vietnam in the long run to work, do business, study or research may be interested in the renewed policies on immigration of Vietnamese government. Ten years ago, foreigners who wanted to stay in Vietnam for a long period of time were only able to apply for a six- to twelve-month visa and were not exempted for entry or exit visa.

After the issuance of the Ordinance No. 24/2000 on Entry, Exit and Residence of foreigners in Vietnam, a foreigner may get permanent or temporary residence card valid for one to three years. The card will act as a proof of identity and an entry visa when traveling within, in and out of Vietnam. This helps foreigners save a large amount of time and money for visa application as well as visa extension during the entry, exit and residence in Vietnam. This article will summarize basic regulations and procedures applicable to a Temporary Residence Card (TRC):

Who can apply

• Members of a limited liable company with two members or more
• Owner of a one-member limited liability company
• Members in the Board of a joint-stock company
• Foreign lawyers who have been licensed by Ministry of Justice to practice law in Vietnam as stipulated by law
• Foreigners having work permit, work in various kinds of foreign enterprises and representative offices of foreign companies.
• Professionals, students, trainees working or studying in national programs and projects signed between the ministries and approved by the government.
• Accompanying relatives (father, mother, wife, husband, children under 18 of the granting residence card person).

Issuing Authority 

TRC is issued by the authorized provincial office managing entry and exit under the Ministry of Public Security

Required documents

• 01 written request for TRC (form N5A), declaration of information on foreigners applying for TRC (form N5B) with photos (attached 02 photos sized 3x4 cm).
• 01 copy of passport or visa which is still valid (bring the original for comparison).
• 01 copy (bring the original for comparison) of legal record of the agency, organization or enterprise which gives sponsorship for the person requesting TRC. Depending on specific cases legal record may include Business registration Certificate or Investment Certificate or License for the establishment of representative office
• 01 copy of work permit (bring the original for comparison) in case it is required
• Proof document of temporary residence address from local police department
• In case of accompanying relatives, documents showing proof of relationship such as: birth certificates, marriage registration and family book are a must.

Validity

• TRC is valid for a period of one to three years.
• The duration of TRC is at least 01 month shorter than the duration of the passport.
• No TRC will be issued for person with passport valid for less than one year.

Processing time and fee

• The processing time is 05 working days from the date of receiving complete documents (except for replacing card lost).
• The fee varies according to the time limit of TRC. To be specific: one year: 60USD, from one to two years: 80 USD, from two to three years: 100 USD.
• Payment is made in VND

Useful Information

When you get your TRC lost, you must immediately notify the issuing agency. Re-issuing procedure is similar to granting a new one but the regular processing time is 14 working days.