TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CARD

1. What is a temporary residency card and why is it needed?

A temporary residence card is a document issued by the Immigration Department or a competent agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam to a foreigner. The Temporary Residence Card is valid as an alternative to a Vietnam visa for a limited duration, often from three to five years. When a foreigner is granted a Temporary Residence Card, he or she will be able to legally stay in Vietnam (for a limited time). In addition, temporary residence card holders can also exit and enter Vietnam without applying for a visa (an unlimited number of times) during the validity of the card. Therefore, keeping a temporary residence card in hand will give you more advantages in international travel than the unnecessary inconveniences of keeping a visa.

2. Individuals may apply for a temporary residency card:

You will be eligible to apply for a temporary residence card if you belong to one of the following categories:

• Foreigners who are sponsored by a company to come to Vietnam to work, have a valid Work Permit or are exempted.
• Foreigners and members of non-governmental organizations such as diplomatic missions, consulates, international organizations, etc. (Accompanying relatives such as wife/husband, child below 18, or helper is also granted).
• Sponsorship by the spouse or kid of a foreigner (with a temporary residence card) working in Vietnam in order to apply for a temporary residence card.
• Investors, shareholders, or members of the board of directors in a business establishment in Vietnam
• Vietnamese  citizens  sponsor relatives (foreigners) such as parents sponsoring children (or vice versa), husbands sponsoring wife (or vice versa)
• Foreign lawyers practicing in Vietnam
• Foreigners entering Vietnam for the purpose of study (or internship)

3. Reasons to apply for Temporary Residence Card for foreigners

In addition to the main benefits mentioned above, the temporary residence card grants foreigners a variety of extra advantages, including:

• Save time and money by avoiding multiple visa renewals.
• Easily carry out business or marriage procedures in Vietnam.
• Being allowed to buy an apartment and being able to buy a house in Vietnam in the future.
• Have the right to sponsor relatives (including grandparents, fathers, mothers, spouses, and children) to Vietnam in the form of visiting relatives.
• Allowed to sponsor a spouse and children under 18 years of age living in Vietnam (within the validity period of the card and approved by the sponsor/employer).
• It comes in a small card form that is easier to store and protect than having to carry around your passport.

4. Conditions for issuing foreigners temporary residence cards

Foreigners from the above-mentioned categories must satisfy the following requirements in order to be given a temporary residency card in Vietnam:

4.1 Have a passport valid for at least 13 months

Note: the validity period of the temporary residence card will be at least 30 days shorter than the remaining validity of the passport. For example, if the validity of your passport is 13 months, you may be granted a temporary residence card with a maximum validity of 12 months. In case the employee needs to apply for a temporary residence card for a longer period than the valid passport, the employee must first apply for a new passport.

4.2 Must have a temporary residence registration at the commune/ward police station in accordance with regulations

In line with Vietnamese government rules, foreigners must complete the temporary residency registration processes at the commune/ward police station when applying for a temporary resident card.

Note: the following foreigners will not be allowed/not eligible to apply for a temporary residence card in Vietnam:

• Foreigners who are being prosecuted for criminal liability or are being defendants related to disputes outside Vietnam (including civil, economic, and labor disputes)
• Foreigners who are obliged to execute civil, economic, and criminal judgments outside Vietnam
• Foreigners who have committed administrative violations, tax payment obligations, and other financial obligations are currently complying with the sanctioning decisions of the above acts.

5. Types of temporary residence card application services (for work permit holders, investors, and spouses who are Vietnamese citizens)

The application for a Temporary Residence Card will have different requirements for each specific object. Following is:

1. For those with valid work permits or work permit exemptions in Vietnam

Documents to be prepared in this case include: 

• Copies (Notarized) of Business License, Investment License, Operation License of representative office, branch…, depending on the type of business in which you work
• Certificate of seal sample registration or written notice on posting information about the seal sample of the business on the National Business Registration Portal
• A copy (notarized) of the foreign worker’s work permit or work permit exemption certificate, valid for at least 12 months
• Registration of seal and signature samples for the first time at the Import-Export Agency (Form NA16)
• Documentary and Temporary Residence Card application form for foreigners (Form NA6)
• Application form for Temporary Residence Card for foreigners (Form NA8)
• Reference letter for employee (Vietnamese) to assist with Temporary Residence Form application at the Immigration Office.
• Original passport (valid for 1 year or more if you want a longer-term temporary card). Note: the passport must have a visa for the appropriate purpose of employment, together with a Labor or Business seal.
• Certificate of temporary residence registration or temporary residence registration book of foreigners issued by the police of the ward or commune in Vietnam where the foreigner is temporarily staying (if any).
• 02 profile pictures 2cm x 3cm.

2. For investors

Documents to be prepared in this case include: 

• Copies (Notarized) of Business License, and Investment License and clearly shows the contributed capital of the Temporary Residence Card applicant.
• Certificate of seal sample registration or written notice on posting information about the seal sample of the business on the National Business Registration Portal
• Registration of seal sample and first signature at Import – Export Authority (Form NA16)
• Documentary and Temporary Residence Card application form for foreigners (Form NA6)
• Application form for Temporary Residence Card for foreigners (Form NA8)
• Reference letter for employee (Vietnamese) to assist you with the application procedure of Temporary Residence Form at the Immigration Office. 
• Original Passport ((valid for 1 year or more if you want a longer-term temporary card). Note: the passport has a visa for the right purpose.
• Temporary Residence Registration or Temporary Residence Registration book of foreigners certified by Ward/Commune Police Office where the foreigner is staying in Vietnam (if available)
• 02 profile pictures 2cm x 3cm

3. For the wife/husband who is a Vietnamese citizen

Documents to be prepared in this case include: 

• Copy (notarized) Certificate of marriage registration in Vietnam or if you are married abroad, you need to provide a Consular Legalized Copy of the Marriage Notes in Vietnam.
• Application for guarantee and issuance of Temporary Residence Card for foreigners (Form NA7)
• Application form for Temporary Residence Card for foreigners (Form NA8)
• Original Passport ((valid for 1 year or more if you want a longer-term temporary card). Note: the passport has a visa for the right purpose.
• A notarized copy of the Vietnam household registration book of the Vietnamese wife/husband.
• A notarized copy of the identity card of a Vietnamese wife/husband.
• 02 profile pictures 2cm x 3cm

6. Temporary Residence Card application process at VisaLinks

With many years of experience in this field, VisaLinks has standardized and optimized the Temporary Residence Card process, helping customers to minimize unnecessary difficulties during the process but efficiency remains the same.  

The process of Temporary Residence Card application includes these steps:

Step 1: Document preparation

Customers shall provide the status of their Visa (according to the available category) for VisaLinks. 

Step 2: Document Analyzation

Experts from VisaLinks will analyze and evaluate clients’ eligibility to apply for a temporary residency card. In order to ensure that customers can successfully apply for a temporary residence card, they can advise or guide necessary support to supplement the profile (if the client’s profile is insufficient) to work efficiently and quickly.

Step 3: Documents Submission

After the client agrees with the direction and implementation of VisaLinks, the client will hand over the documents to the VisaLinks team and make a deposit (if necessary).

The team of specialists of VisaLinks will receive the documents and apply for temporary residence cards for customers. 

Step 4: Get the Temporary Residence Card

After receiving the Temporary Residence Card the specialists of VisaLinks will announce the good news to clients. The clients shall arrange the rest payment according to the contract and receive the Temporary Residency Card from VisaLinks.