Vietnam Temporary Residence Card 2026: Eligibility, Required Documents, Corporate VNeID and Key Updates

What are the changes in the procedures for applying for a Temporary Residence Card for foreigners living and working in Vietnam in 2026?

1. What is a Vietnam Temporary Residence Card?

A Temporary Residence Card, commonly referred to as a TRC, is a residence document issued by the Vietnamese immigration authority to eligible foreign nationals who intend to reside in Vietnam for an extended period.

During its validity, a TRC may be used in place of a visa for entry into and exit from Vietnam. Its validity depends on the applicant’s immigration category, sponsoring documents and remaining passport validity.

The principal legal framework includes Law No. 47/2014/QH13, as amended by Law No. 51/2019/QH14 and Law No. 23/2023/QH15.

2. Corporate VNeID requirements in 2026

Since 1 July 2025, organizations and companies have been required to use their organizational electronic identification accounts on VNeID for identification and access to applicable online public services. Business accounts previously issued by the National Public Service Portal or ministerial and provincial systems were only valid until 30 June 2025.

Before submitting an immigration application, the sponsoring company should confirm that:

  • Its legal representative has a level-2 personal VNeID account;
  • The company’s organizational VNeID account has been activated;
  • The enterprise code, legal representative and personal identification information are correctly synchronized;
  • The person handling the application has been properly authorized.

Corporate VNeID should not be confused with a digital signature. VNeID is primarily used for identification and authentication, while certain electronic immigration procedures still require a legally valid electronic signature. Therefore, VNeID has not necessarily eliminated the need for a USB Token or another approved digital-signature solution.

3. Who may qualify for a TRC?

Eligible applicants may include:

  • Foreign investors under the ĐT1, ĐT2 or ĐT3 categories;
  • Foreign employees holding a work permit under the LĐ2 category;
  • Foreign employees holding a work-permit exemption confirmation under the LĐ1 category;
  • Foreign lawyers practising in Vietnam;
  • Long-term students and trainees;
  • Members of foreign representative offices and organizations;
  • Resident journalists;
  • Eligible spouses and children under 18 of certain foreign residents;
  • Foreign parents, spouses or children of Vietnamese citizens under the TT category.

The commonly eligible immigration categories include LV1, LV2, LS, ĐT1, ĐT2, ĐT3, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LĐ1, LĐ2 and TT.

4. Maximum validity of a TRC

The maximum validity depends on the card category:

  • ĐT1: up to 10 years;
  • NG3, LV1, LV2, LS, ĐT2 and DH: up to 5 years;
  • NN1, NN2, ĐT3 and TT: up to 3 years;
  • LĐ1, LĐ2 and PV1: up to 2 years.

A TRC must expire at least 30 days before the passport expires. Upon expiry, the foreign national may apply for a new card rather than extending the expiry date printed on the existing card.

The actual period granted may also be limited by the validity of the applicant’s work permit, work-permit exemption confirmation, investment documents or other supporting documents.

5. Required documents for a TRC application

The standard application generally includes:

  1. Application form NA8;
  2. The applicant’s original valid passport;
  3. Two colour photographs measuring 2 cm × 3 cm;
  4. An original document establishing eligibility, such as:
  • A work permit;
  • A work-permit exemption confirmation;
  • An investment certificate;
  • Evidence of family relationship;
  • Another valid document supporting the requested residence category.

Where the company is sponsoring a foreign national for the first time, it may first need to register its sponsoring entity information, legal documents, authorized signature and seal with the immigration authority.

Are electronically certified documents required?

They may be required for an online application.

Under the published procedure:

  • The original passport must be sent to the receiving authority through the public postal service;
  • Other documents must be electronically certified;
  • Documents that have not been electronically certified may need to be sent in hard copy through the public postal service.

It would therefore be inaccurate to state that electronic certification is no longer required in all TRC applications.

6. Temporary residence declaration

A temporary residence confirmation is not listed as a universal core document in the currently published standard TRC dossier.

Nevertheless, the foreign national must be properly registered at their place of temporary residence. The declaration may be completed electronically or by using the prescribed temporary residence declaration form. Immigration authorities may verify the information in the system or request supporting evidence where necessary.

7. Employment-based TRCs and Decree No. 219/2025/NĐ-CP

Decree No. 219/2025/NĐ-CP regulates work permits and confirmations of exemption from work-permit requirements. It does not directly regulate the issuance of Temporary Residence Cards.

For an LĐ1 or LĐ2 TRC, the work permit or exemption confirmation should be valid and consistent with:

  • The sponsoring employer;
  • The position or form of employment;
  • The registered workplace;
  • The employee’s passport;
  • The requested residence period.

As a practical risk-control measure, companies should normally apply after the relevant employment document has been issued and is legally usable. Where its effective date is in the future, the filing schedule should be confirmed with the competent immigration authority.

8. Place of submission and processing time

Applications may be submitted to:

  • The Immigration Department;
  • The provincial Immigration Division where the sponsor is located;
  • The National Public Service Portal or the Ministry of Public Security Public Service Portal, where online submission is available.

The published processing time is up to five working days from receipt of a complete and valid application.

The period does not include time required to amend an incomplete dossier, send original documents by post or resolve inconsistent information.

9. Government fees

The currently published fees are:

  • TRC valid for up to 2 years: USD 145 per card;
  • TRC valid for more than 2 years and up to 5 years: USD 155 per card;
  • TRC valid for more than 5 years and up to 10 years: USD 165 per card.

10. Visa Approval Letter

A Visa Approval Letter and a Temporary Residence Card are separate procedures.

A Visa Approval Letter allows a foreign national sponsored by a Vietnamese organization to obtain a visa and enter Vietnam. After entering Vietnam and meeting the relevant requirements, the foreign national may apply for a TRC.

The sponsoring organization generally needs:

  • A registered sponsoring-entity dossier;
  • An electronic account issued by the immigration authority;
  • A valid electronic signature;
  • Form NA2;
  • Passport, entry schedule and purpose-of-entry information.

The published processing periods are:

11. Common application problems

Common causes of additional-document requests include inconsistent passport information, insufficient passport validity, mismatched employer information, changes in employment position or workplace, incomplete temporary residence registration, incorrectly sized photographs, inactive corporate VNeID accounts, missing authorization, invalid digital signatures and documents that have not been properly electronically certified.