🔄 Last updated: 11 July 2026
The Temporary Residence Card (TRC) is what every long-term foreign resident in Vietnam wants. The reason is simple: it has the legal value of a visa. With a TRC you enter and leave Vietnam as often as you like for the card's whole validity — no visa applications, no visa runs, no counting days.
But there are two facts almost nobody states plainly:
- Most foreigners currently in Vietnam are not eligible for a TRC — not because their paperwork is weak, but because they entered on the wrong visa type in the first place.
- A TRC cannot be renewed. When it expires, you apply for a brand-new card, redoing nearly the whole file.
This article walks through each condition and answers the question directly: are you in the eligible group?
1. What a TRC actually is
Under the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam (Law 47/2014/QH13), a temporary residence card is a document issued by the immigration authority to a foreigner permitted to reside in Vietnam for a fixed term, and it has the value of a visa.
Put simply: a TRC is a long-term visa affixed in your passport.
What it gets you:
- Lawful residence for the card's whole validity — no visa extensions, no visa runs
- Multiple entries and exits on the card alone, no new visa needed
- Eligibility to register for VNeID (e-identification) — something tourists cannot do
- Smoother banking, business and marriage procedures
- The ability to sponsor your spouse and children under 18 to live with you (subject to conditions and your sponsor's agreement)
2. ✅ The 5-condition checklist — how many can you tick?
☐ Box 1 — You entered on the RIGHT visa type
This is the box that eliminates the most people, and the one fewest know about.
A TRC is only issued to foreigners who entered on a visa with an eligible symbol: LĐ1, LĐ2 (work), ĐT1–ĐT3 (investment), TT (family), DH (study), NN1, NN2, LV1, LV2, PV1, LS…
Not on the list: E-Visa (EV), tourist visa (DL), and visa exemption.
❗ If you're in Vietnam on a 90-day E-Visa or a 45-day visa exemption, you cannot apply directly for a TRC. You must move into the correct category first — usually meaning a sponsoring company, a work permit, and re-entering Vietnam on an LĐ or ĐT visa.
☐ Box 2 — You have a sponsor
You cannot file for a TRC by yourself. The file is submitted by the inviting or sponsoring organization or individual: your employer, the company you invested in, or your Vietnamese spouse.
No sponsor → no application.
☐ Box 3 — Your passport is valid for at least 13 months
That's the number to remember. And it comes with a rule set out in Article 38 of the Immigration Law:
A TRC is always valid for at least 30 days less than the remaining validity of your passport.
The practical result: a passport with exactly 13 months left → a TRC of at most 12 months. Want a 2-year card? Your passport needs more than 2 years left.
Advice: if your passport is running low, renew the passport FIRST, then apply for the TRC. Otherwise you pay roughly the same fee for a far shorter card.
☐ Box 4 — You hold valid proof of your residence purpose
Depending on category:
- Work → work permit (or work permit exemption certificate), typically required to have over 12 months' validity left
- Investment → investment registration certificate / enterprise registration certificate
- Family → marriage certificate, birth certificate…
Foreign documents must be consular-legalised and notarially translated. This is usually the slowest step.
☐ Box 5 — Your temporary residence is properly declared
Wherever you live (hotel, landlord, building management) must declare your temporary residence to the local police. The declared address must match your file.
Moving house without re-declaring is one of the most common reasons files get sent back.
3. 📋 Look-up table: how long will your card be?
The maximum term is not your choice — it's locked to the card symbol:
| Symbol | For | Maximum term |
|---|---|---|
| ĐT1 | Investors (highest capital tier) | Up to 10 years |
| LV1, LV2, ĐT2, DH, NG3, LS | Work with agencies/organizations, investment, study | Up to 5 years |
| NN1, NN2, ĐT3, TT | Organization representatives, investment, family | Up to 3 years |
| LĐ1, LĐ2, PV1 | Employment, press | Up to 2 years |
Why is the work card capped at 2 years? Because it's tied to the work permit, which itself maxes out at 2 years. The card can't outlive the thing it rests on.
And remember Box 3: the real term is also capped by your passport. The final term is decided case by case by the Immigration Department.
4. Cost and timing
Government fee (per the current immigration fee schedule set by the Ministry of Finance — check the rate in force when you file):
| Card validity | Reference fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 2 years | approx. USD 145 per card |
| Over 2 to 5 years | approx. USD 155 per card |
The fee is paid in USD or VND (converted at the rate on the day) and is non-refundable if the application is refused.
Processing time: under the Immigration Law, the authority decides on the card within 5 working days of receiving a complete and valid file.
⚠️ Don't confuse "5 working days" with "done in 5 days". That clock only starts once the file is complete and valid. The preparation before it — obtaining a work permit, consular-legalising foreign documents — usually takes several weeks. Count backwards from the day your current visa expires.
New for 2026: from 1 June 2026, an organization's online immigration procedures — including TRC applications — must go through the organization's VNeID e-ID account. If your sponsoring company hasn't completed that step, your TRC file can stall. Read more on VNeID for foreigners.
🔔 An expired TRC is fined just like an expired visa
Many people assume that once they hold a TRC they're "safe". Not quite.
Article 21 of Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP applies to all four residence document types, including the temporary residence card. Using an expired TRC without authorisation is penalised on the same seven-tier scale: under 16 days VND 500,000 – 2,000,000; 16–30 days VND 5–10 million; rising to VND 30–40 million for an overstay of a year or more.
And because TRCs run for years, their expiry date is exactly the kind of thing people forget.
👉 Turn on free expiry reminders with Visa Tracker — works for both visas and residence cards. No account needed.
5. ⚠️ Common misconceptions
❌ "My TRC is expiring — I'll go and renew it." → FALSE. Under current law a TRC cannot be renewed directly. When it nears expiry you apply for a NEW card — the authorities re-examine your sponsor's standing and your residence conditions from scratch. The fee is charged for the new card's term, not as a "renewal fee".
❌ "I'm here on an E-Visa, I'll just apply for a TRC while I'm at it." → FALSE. E-Visa is not among the visa symbols eligible for a TRC. You must move into the correct category first — usually exiting and re-entering on an LĐ/ĐT visa arranged by a sponsor.
❌ "My passport is still valid, that's enough." → FALSE. It needs at least 13 months, and the card is always at least 30 days shorter than the passport. A short passport means a short card — for roughly the same fee.
❌ "With a TRC I can do whatever I like." → FALSE. The card is bound to your residence purpose and your sponsor. Change employer or role (say, from employee to investor) → you need a new card, not an edit to the old one. Engaging in activities other than the declared purpose can draw a fine of VND 20–25 million under Decree 282/2025.
❌ "With a TRC I no longer need temporary residence declaration." → FALSE. Your accommodation still has to declare you. Moving without re-declaring is a common reason new-card applications are rejected — and accommodation providers who fail to declare are fined too.
❌ "A temporary residence card is a permanent residence card." → FALSE. Two entirely different documents with different conditions. A TRC is time-limited and tied to a residence purpose.
6. If you're NOT eligible — and most people aren't
If you read the checklist in section 2 and failed at Box 1, you're not alone. Most foreigners living in Nha Trang, Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City entered on an E-Visa or a visa exemption — and for them, a TRC isn't today's problem.
Your real question is: what do you do when your stay runs out?
- A visa exemption cannot be extended in-country.
- An E-Visa cannot be applied for from inside Vietnam — the system detects it, the application is almost certain to be refused, and the fee is non-refundable.
The usual route is to exit and re-enter on a fresh 90-day E-Visa. ViEntry supports E-Visa applications — we check your photo and details before submission to reduce the risk of refusal — and Visa Run trips for a lawful exit and re-entry.
If you're planning for the long term (opening a company, taking a job, bringing family over), the path is: work permit / investment registration → LĐ or ĐT visa → TRC. That's a journey of months, not days — so start early.
Not sure which way to go? The free Advisor suggests a route based on your nationality and dates.
7. Further reading
- VNeID for foreigners: who must register, who doesn't — why the TRC is the "key" to e-identification
- Vietnam overstay fines under Decree 282/2025 — the seven-tier table, which also covers TRCs
- Vietnam entry guide
Sources
- Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam (Law 47/2014/QH13, as amended) — Article 38 on TRC validity
- Vietnam Immigration Department — Ministry of Public Security
- National Public Service Portal — TRC issuance procedure for foreigners
- Ministry of Finance — immigration fee schedule
- Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP — Article 21, penalties for using an expired residence card
Note: This article is informational and compiled at the time of the last update. Conditions, fees and processing times can change — check the Immigration Department's official channels before starting any procedure. Card issuance and its specific term are decided case by case by the competent authorities. ViEntry is a technology platform connecting users with independent service operators; ViEntry does not handle TRC or work permit procedures, is not an immigration authority, and does not provide legal advice.
Need help with E-Visa or Visa Run? Telegram @vientry_support · WhatsApp +84 963 091 001 · Hotline 0963 091 001
