🔄 Last updated: 14 July 2026

The paradox you need to understand in 30 seconds

⚖️ The law does NOT require you to register your stay.

💸 But the law will NOT save you when your landlord forgets.

The duty belongs to your LANDLORD. The consequences land on YOU.

That's the whole article.

⚖️ PART 1 — WHAT THE LAW SAYS (AND WHO MUST ACT)

Article 33, Law 47/2014/QH13

The person DIRECTLY MANAGING AND OPERATING the accommodation is responsible for registering a foreigner's temporary residence with the Commune/Ward Police where the accommodation is located.

Three numbers you must remember

🚨 IF YOUR LANDLORD CHARGES YOU TO "DO THE REGISTRATION" — THEY ARE SCAMMING YOU.

It is a FREE procedure. And it is their LEGAL DUTY, not a service they sell you.

❌ And here's the most common misconception

"If my landlord won't do it, I'll just register myself online."

YOU CAN'T.

The registration system is built for ACCOMMODATION PROVIDERS — it requires an account registered with the police.

You don't have that account. You cannot register yourself.

You have exactly ONE option: make your landlord do it — or move out.

💥 PART 2 — FOUR THINGS YOU LOSE WHEN THEY FORGET

You might think: "Not my problem."

Wrong. Here's what YOU — not your landlord — will lose:

❌ 1. You can't renew your visa

Immigration will ask where you live. No registration slip = no proof.

❌ 2. You can't get a Temporary Residence Card (TRC)

A TRC application requires confirmation of lawful residence. → Temporary Residence Card: who qualifies

❌ 3. You can't get a Judicial Record Certificate

Needed for: work permits, marriage, company registration, some banking procedures.

❌ 4. You have a problem if you're checked

Police check where you live and you're not in the system — you'll be the one explaining.

Your landlord pays a fine once. You lose the ability to stay in Vietnam legally.

Who's worse off?

🔔 Do this now — it takes 30 seconds

If your landlord never registered you, you'll find out on exactly the day you need to renew your visa — and by then it's too late.

People who overstay aren't lazy. They're people who assumed everything was fine.

👉 Turn on free visa expiry reminders with Visa Tracker — alerts at 30 / 21 / 15 / 7 days. Free, no account needed.

Thirty days out, you can still fix a residence problem. Three days out, you can't.

💰 PART 3 — HOW MUCH IS YOUR LANDLORD FINED? (THIS IS YOUR LEVERAGE)

Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP (in force 15 Dec 2025) — Article 21:

⚠️ If the accommodation is an ORGANISATION (company, hotel) → the fine DOUBLES.

Your landlord can lose VND 5 million over a five-minute task.

Tell them that number. It works better than pleading.

🖥️ PART 4 — THE SYSTEM CHANGED ON 21 MAY 2026 (YOUR LANDLORD MAY NOT KNOW)

This is why so many landlords are registering incorrectly — or not at all.

Since 21 May 2026, the Ministry of Public Security runs a single nationwide system: It COMPLETELY REPLACES:

• ❌ The old province-by-province portals (hanoi.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn, etc.)
• ❌ The old ASM software

What landlords must do:

• Add a locality prefix to their old account
• Enable two-factor authentication (Google Authenticator)

⚠️ Rollout is happening locality by locality — not everywhere at once.

Before you do anything — ask your Ward Police: "Which system does this ward use to register foreigners' temporary residence?"

Don't trust this article. Don't trust your landlord. Ask the ward police.

If your landlord says "the system is broken, I can't register you" — they've most likely not updated their account. That's their problem to solve, not a reason to skip it.

🗣️ PART 5 — REAL SCRIPTS: WHEN YOUR LANDLORD REFUSES

Here are the four things you'll hear. And the four things to say back.

💬 Landlord: "No need, you're only staying a short time."

You: "The law doesn't distinguish short from long. Article 33 of Law 47/2014 requires registration within 12 hours. If you don't, you can be fined VND 3–5 million under Decree 282/2025."

💬 Landlord: "Just go register yourself at the ward."

You: "I can't — the system is only for accommodation providers and requires an account registered with the police. The law places this duty on the person managing the accommodation."

💬 Landlord: "Fine, but there's a 500k paperwork fee."

You: "Temporary residence registration is FREE and it's the landlord's legal obligation. I won't be paying a fee for it."

🚩 If they still insist on money — that's your signal to find somewhere else.

💬 Landlord: "Yeah yeah, I'll do it later."

You: "Could you send me a photo of the registration slip (or the confirmation screen) today? I need it on file for my visa application."

✅ THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LINE IN THIS ARTICLE. DON'T ACCEPT A PROMISE — DEMAND PROOF.

🔴 If they still refuse

You have three options — in this order:

1. Go directly to the Ward Police where you live. Bring your passport and rental contract. Explain that your landlord hasn't registered you. Ask them to advise you.
2. Demand that the registration duty be written into your rental contract — before you sign.
3. Move out. A landlord who won't perform a free, five-minute, legally-required task will not be reliable about much else either.

✅ PART 6 — YOUR CHECKLIST

Print it. Or screenshot it.

• Within 12 hours of arriving — ask your landlord whether they've registered you
• Get a photo of the registration slip / confirmation screen — never accept a verbal promise
• Back that photo up to the cloud — you'll need it when you renew your visa
• Don't pay anything for registration — it's free
• Write the registration duty into your rental contract — before signing
• Every time you move — repeat this whole process
• Travelling to another province, staying in a hotel — hotels usually register you, but ask anyway
• Turn on Visa Tracker — so you never discover a problem at the last minute

⚠️ Common misconceptions

❌ "I can register my own temporary residence online." → NO. The system is for accommodation providers and requires an account registered with the police. Foreigners cannot self-register. The duty sits with the person managing the accommodation (Article 33, Law 47/2014).

❌ "I have to pay my landlord to do the registration." → WRONG. Registration is FREE. Anyone charging you for it is scamming you.

❌ "Short stays don't need registration." → WRONG. The law makes no distinction by length of stay. One night still requires registration.

❌ "Hotels always register you, so I don't need to worry." → MOST do — but not all. Small homestays, Airbnbs and informal rentals often skip it. Always ask.

❌ "If my landlord gets fined, that's their problem, not mine." → COMPLETELY WRONG. They lose money once. You lose the ability to renew your visa, get a TRC, or obtain a judicial record.

❌ "I registered once, so I'm done." → EVERY CHANGE OF ADDRESS IS A NEW REGISTRATION. Moving house, travelling to another province, changing hotels — do it again.

❌ "I have a valid visa, so I don't need residence registration." → TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS. A visa gives you the right to ENTER. Registration records WHERE YOU ARE. Without the second, you can't renew the first.

❌ "My landlord says the system is down." → THEY'VE PROBABLY NOT UPDATED THEIR ACCOUNT for the new system introduced on 21 May 2026. That's their problem to fix, not a valid excuse.

Sources

• Law 47/2014/QH13 (amended 2019, 2023) — Article 33: the duty to register temporary residence lies with the person directly managing and operating the accommodation; deadline 12 hours (remote areas: 24 hours) · Article 31: temporary residence certification
• Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP (in force 15 Dec 2025) — Article 21: fines on accommodation providers failing to register foreigners (VND 3–20 million; double for organisations)
• Unified temporary residence registration system (live since 21 May 2026) — tbltkbtt.bocongan.gov.vn · app TBLT KBTT — Ministry of Public Security
• Ministry of Public Security public service portal — dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn
• Your local Commune/Ward Police — the final and only authoritative source

Note: This article compiles publicly available information as of the update date and is not legal advice.

The new registration system is being rolled out locality by locality, not everywhere at once. The exact procedure in your ward may differ from what's described here. Ask your Ward Police directly — they are the only authoritative source.

ViEntry is a technology platform connecting you with independent service operators. ViEntry is NOT an immigration authority, NOT the police, does NOT register temporary residence on your behalf or your landlord's, and does NOT represent you before the State.

We wrote this because every month someone comes to us to renew their visa — and discovers that for the past six months, they never existed in the residence system at all. By then, it's too late to fix.

Landlord refusing to register you? Message us — we'll tell you exactly what to say to them, and when it's time to move out.

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