Long-Term Stay Options in Vietnam for Foreigners: Visas, TRC, and the 2026 Route

Long-term stay in Vietnam requires a Temporary Residence Card (TRC), which is a residence document tied to one qualifying purpose. Work uses the LĐ2 visa, family uses the TT visa for spouses and relatives of Vietnamese citizens, and investment uses the ĐT visa in four capital tiers, ĐT1 to ĐT4. ĐT1, ĐT2, and ĐT3 can support a TRC while ĐT4, under VND 3 billion, is a 12 month visa only. A TRC is valid for two to ten years depending on the route, and you keep it by renewing.

Spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese can hold a five year visa exemption certificate instead, which allows stays of up to 180 days per entry but is not residence. Permanent residence (PRC) is open to a short list, mainly spouses of Vietnamese citizens plus a few award and expert categories. Vietnam has no retirement or digital nomad visa. Every long-stay option needs a Vietnamese sponsor and a defined reason.

How foreigners reach long-term legal status in Vietnam

1. Confirm a qualifying purpose under Article 36 of the immigration law (work, investment, family, organisational role)
2. Secure sponsorship from a Vietnamese employer, registered company, spouse, or approved organisation
3. Enter on the matching long-stay visa (LĐ2 for work, ĐT1 to ĐT3 for investment, TT for family). If your visa code does not match the TRC category, change purpose before applying
4. Submit the TRC application at the provincial Immigration Department where you live, using forms NA6 or NA7, plus NA8
5. Pay the government fee, collect the TRC after the official 5 working days, and register VNeID
6. Renew the TRC alongside the underlying purpose document (work permit, IRC, or marriage record)

This guide covers the long-stay visa categories that lead into a Temporary Residence Card or, in narrow cases, permanent residence. It does not cover short-stay entry types like the e-visa, tourist visa, DN1 or DN2 business visas. For the full work-based path, see the short-stay to labour TRC pathway. For the family route, see the TT visa and TRC guide for foreign spouses.

Who long-stay in Vietnam is designed for

Vietnam grants long-stay status through a sponsor and a matching purpose. Four groups fit it:

• Workers employed by a Vietnamese or foreign-invested company
• Investors with registered capital in a Vietnamese company
• Spouses and family members of Vietnamese citizens
• NGO, diplomatic, or similar staff sponsored by an approved organisation

Each group has its own visa code and TRC length, but all need a sponsor on the Vietnamese side.

People who do not fit these groups often arrive expecting a route to exist and find that one does not. Retirees with a pension, freelancers working for foreign clients, online business owners, and frequent travellers all sit outside the long-stay categories until they create one of the qualifying ties.

Immigration lawyers and visa agencies describe remote workers using the e-visa and short business visas in repeated cycles, but that is an entry pattern, not legal residency. Foreigners living in Vietnam say the same thing. The routes that actually last are a family tie, an employer-sponsored work permit, or a qualifying investment. Repeated visa runs are common, but they get you in as a visitor and can lead to refused entry over time. For the full legal and practical split, see the guide to working remotely from Vietnam legally.

Long-term stay options for foreigners in Vietnam at a glance

The long-stay routes that lead to a TRC in 2026:

The investor figures are set in Vietnamese đồng (VND) under the immigration law. USD equivalents move with the exchange rate. As a working reference, VND 3 billion is about USD 120,000 at roughly 25,000 VND to the dollar in mid-2026.

Why sponsorship and purpose drive every long-stay path

The Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners (Law 47/2014/QH13, amended by Laws 51/2019/QH14 and 23/2023/QH15) ties long-stay status to a defined purpose. Article 36 lists the visa codes eligible for a TRC. Each code maps back to a sponsor type, an employer, an investment licence, a Vietnamese family member, or an approved organisation.

A visa code is not interchangeable. Entering on an e-visa and then applying for a TRC needs a formal change of purpose. You cannot reclassify the visa at the immigration counter.

The sponsor stays responsible for the whole period of residence. If the employer's work permit lapses, the LĐ2 status no longer supports the TRC. See what to do when your Vietnam TRC is still valid but your work permit has expired for that situation. If a marriage record cannot be verified by Vietnamese civil authorities, the TT route does not open.

Step by step from sponsor to TRC

The path from the first decision to TRC collection breaks into four stages. Real timelines vary by category, but the order is the same.

Step 1: Confirm your qualifying purpose and visa category

Start from the immigration code that matches your situation, not the first sponsorship offer. Each group has a natural entry code:

• Workers: LĐ2, sponsored by the employer who holds the work permit decision
• Investors: ĐT1, ĐT2, or ĐT3 by capital tier. ĐT4, under VND 3 billion, is a 12-month visa, not a TRC route
• Foreign spouses: TT, once the marriage is registered or recorded
• Sponsored organisational staff: the category assigned by their approved body

For workers, the LĐ2 route depends on an approved work permit or a written work-permit exemption. If the degree, experience, or job title on the file do not line up, the permit can be returned, which stalls the LĐ2 visa and the TRC behind it. See the Vietnam work permit qualification mismatch guide for what can be fixed. English teachers also depend on school sponsorship and teaching certificates, covered in teaching English in Vietnam legally.

For investors, ĐT3 (VND 3 billion to under 50 billion) is the most common entry point for a small business. The capital must be paid into a Vietnamese-registered company, not just committed on paper. For the route from an e-visa to a small business under ĐT3, see the e-visa to DT investor visa pathway.

For spouses, the marriage record is the qualifying document. A marriage registered in Vietnam works directly. A marriage registered abroad must first be recorded with Vietnamese civil authorities, a step called ghi chú kết hôn, covered in the foreign marriage recognition guide. If the marriage has not happened yet, start with the Vietnam marriage registration guide for foreigners. A TT card lets you live in Vietnam but not take a local job without a separate work permit.

Step 2: Enter or convert to the right visa code

The biggest 2026 timeline change happens at this step. Practitioner sources reported in February 2026 that some immigration offices tightened practice and were issuing TRCs only after the applicant held the matching work (LĐ2) or family (TT) visa. This is an office-level practice change, not a change in the law. Article 36 still lists the ĐT and organisational codes as TRC-eligible, as the table above shows.

Anyone arriving on a DN1 or DN2 business visa, a VR visiting visa, or an e-visa now has to complete a formal change of visa purpose (chuyển đổi mục đích) before the TRC application can proceed. That conversion usually adds about two weeks.

Entering on the right code from the start avoids the conversion step. Workers arriving on LĐ2, sponsored by an employer who already holds the work permit decision, skip it. Foreign spouses can enter on a TT visa once the marriage is registered or recorded. Investors setting up a company usually have to live with the conversion, since the IRC and capital contribution have to be in place first.

Step 3: Submit the TRC application at the provincial Immigration Department

The TRC application is submitted at the provincial Cục Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh in the city where the applicant lives. The official portal is xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn.

The published procedure lists three forms:

• NA6, used by a sponsoring agency or organisation
• NA7, used by an individual applying in their own name
• NA8, the information form, with a photo attached

From 1 July 2026, the updated NA6, NA7, and NA8 forms under Circular 70/2026/TT-BCA apply, and provincial police notices say old forms may be refused. Use the current versions.

Two photos are needed overall, one attached to the form and one loose. The public-service procedure lists them at 2×3 cm, but the size has varied, so check the current form before printing. Under Article 38, the passport must stay valid at least 30 days beyond the requested TRC validity. For a one-year card that is about 13 months, and longer cards need more.

The official processing time is 5 working days from a complete file. Complex cases can take longer if the office asks for corrections. Common correction points include photo size, translation or notarisation, sponsor details, and address documents.

Step 4: Register VNeID and stay compliant

VNeID is Vietnam's national digital identity platform, run by the Ministry of Public Security. Since 1 July 2025, VNeID registration has applied to foreign TRC and PRC holders, and many residents now use it for public service and bank-linked checks. Foreign nationals aged 6 and over who hold a TRC or PRC can open both Level 1 and Level 2 accounts.

Level 1 can be set up in the VNeID app. Level 2 needs an in-person appointment at the immigration agency or provincial public security office for biometric capture. Most foreign TRC holders find Level 2 worth the appointment, since it unlocks bank-link verification and stores the residence card in the app.

A TRC also lets you convert a foreign driving licence to a Vietnamese one, a common next step for new residents. See the Vietnam driver's licence guide for foreigners. For how banking connects to VNeID and visa type, see the banking for foreigners guide.

Documents you will need

The TRC application needs only a short form set. The heavier paperwork is in the work permit, marriage record, or investment registration behind it.

Required for every TRC file

Every applicant submits, from the published procedure:

• Form NA6 (sponsoring agency or organisation) or Form NA7 (individual application)
• Form NA8, the information form, with a photo attached in the size the current form specifies
• Valid passport that stays valid at least 30 days beyond the requested TRC validity, under Article 38 (about 13 months for a one-year card, more for longer cards)
• Two photos in the size the current form specifies, usually 2×3 cm
• The criminal record certificate for foreigners, where it is needed for the underlying document such as a work permit

Conditional by category

What changes is the proof of qualifying purpose:

• LĐ1 or LĐ2 (work): the work permit, or written confirmation of work permit exemption. Under Decree 219/2025/NĐ-CP, the work permit dossier and the criminal record certificate can now be submitted together via the National Public Service Portal (dichvucong.gov.vn).
• ĐT1, ĐT2, or ĐT3 (investment): the Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) and Enterprise Registration Certificate, plus capital-contribution evidence at the tier claimed.
• TT (family): the marriage certificate, with ghi chú kết hôn for foreign-registered marriages, plus the Vietnamese sponsor's identity documents.
• Organisational (NN, LV, LS, DH, PV): the written confirmation or invitation from the sponsoring body.

Investors below VND 3 billion in capital should note one thing. The work permit exemption that ĐT1, ĐT2, and ĐT3 holders rely on does not extend to ĐT4 holders, who must obtain a work permit separately if they take an active role in their company.

Translation, notarisation, and the September 2026 apostille change

Foreign-language documents must be translated into Vietnamese and notarised, and the notary must be one the local Immigration Department recognises. Using an unfamiliar firm is a common reason a file gets returned.

Until 11 September 2026, foreign public documents such as degrees, marriage certificates, and criminal record certificates must be consular-legalised at the Vietnamese embassy in the issuing country. From that date, a single Apostille replaces the legalisation chain for documents from member states that have not objected to Vietnam's accession. Applicants whose file crosses that date should time their document collection around it, since legalising too early may waste the effort.

Processing time and government costs

The published rule is 5 working days from a complete file at the provincial Immigration Department. With document preparation, any visa purpose change, and one likely round of corrections, plan for 3 to 6 weeks total in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

The fee schedule below comes from Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC, signed 27 March 2026 and effective 1 April 2026. It replaces Circulars 25/2021 and 62/2023. The fee is set by how long the card is valid, not by the visa type.

So a 2-year work card costs USD 145, a 3-year family or ĐT3 card costs USD 155, and a 10-year ĐT1 card costs USD 165. The USD 10 line covers extending a temporary residence stamp, not printing a new card. A new physical TRC is charged at the grant rate above. The permanent residence card costs USD 100 under the same Circular.

These are government fees only. First-time applicants also pay for translation, notarisation, and usually an agent or law firm to prepare the file, which varies by provider and case.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Between March 2025 and mid-2026, the rules behind Vietnam's long-stay system changed in five concrete ways. Most older guides still describe the earlier rules, which is why they read as out of date.

Decree 25/2025/NĐ-CP, effective 1 March 2025, moved labour-management from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) to the Ministry of Home Affairs (Bộ Nội vụ). Decree 219/2025/NĐ-CP took effect on 7 August 2025 and now governs the foreign worker rules, replacing Decrees 152/2020 and 70/2023.

Work permit authority moved to provincial People's Committees. From 1 July 2025, issuance, renewal, and revocation sit at the provincial level. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have delegated this to the Department of Home Affairs (Sở Nội vụ), while other provinces still route through DOLISA.

Decree 219/2025 also folded the demand-for-foreign-worker report into the work permit dossier. The dossier can be filed through dichvucong.gov.vn together with a request for the criminal record certificate. The expert experience requirement dropped to two years for university-degree holders, and new exemption categories cover finance, science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, and prioritised socio-economic sectors.

A February 2026 practice tightening, reported by immigration advisers, means some offices issue TRCs only after the applicant holds the matching LĐ2 or TT visa, so others must change purpose first. This adds about two weeks. It is office-level practice, not a change to Article 36.

VNeID has been required for administrative procedures since 1 July 2025. TRC and PRC holders can hold Level 1 and Level 2 accounts, and Level 2 is becoming the working identifier for tax, banking, and residence procedures.

Vietnam acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 31 December 2025, and it enters into force on 11 September 2026. From that date, foreign documents apostilled in non-objecting member states are accepted directly, replacing the consular legalisation chain.

Work permit validity remains up to two years and can be renewed once for up to two more, under Decree 219/2025. The Investment Law 2025 (Law 143/2025/QH15) took effect on 1 March 2026, with conditional-business-list provisions following on 1 July 2026. It updates the FDI framework but does not change the capital amounts that decide ĐT1 to ĐT4.

Permanent residence and who qualifies

Permanent residence in Vietnam exists, but the eligibility list is short. Under Articles 39 and 40 of Law 47/2014/QH13, an applicant must fall into one of four groups:

• A holder of a Vietnamese state award or honorary title for contributions to Vietnam
• A scientist or expert holding a TRC and recommended by the relevant minister
• A foreigner sponsored by a parent, spouse, or child who is a Vietnamese citizen with permanent residence
• A stateless person continuously resident in Vietnam since before 2000

Sponsored applicants must have lived in Vietnam continuously for at least three years. Article 40 adds two general conditions, a lawful place to live and a stable income for self-support.

The decision rests with the Minister of Public Security, who has up to four months to decide on a complete file, extendable by up to two months for extra verification. The card costs USD 100 under Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC.

Most long-term foreign residents stay on a renewed TRC rather than aim for permanent residence. Renewal handles multi-year and indefinite stays without the high PRC bar, and family-sponsored applicants remain the largest group that actually qualifies.

Practical tips and what applicants commonly experience

Office and regional variation

Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi process the most foreign applicants and have the most settled internal procedures, even where those procedures are not all written down. Both were first to run the People's Committee-to-Sở Nội vụ delegation for work permits. Both also scrutinise foreign-language documents more closely. Visa agencies note that the Hanoi office can be stricter on sponsorship consistency during visa purpose changes.

Other provinces differ, with some still routing work permits through DOLISA and others using centralised administrative service centres. A few smaller offices ask for items not on the published TRC list. Confirming with the office that serves your address before applying beats relying on a national checklist.

Problems applicants report

The most common reasons a file gets returned, reported across practitioner sources and expat forums:

• Photo size or format mismatch, especially a 2×3 cm photo submitted for an online form that expected 3×4 cm or the reverse
• Translation rejected because the notary firm is not recognised by the local office
• Sponsor and applicant documents that do not match, especially during a change from DN1 or e-visa to LĐ2
• A timing gap between the work permit and the TRC, which can leave the applicant on an interim visa longer than planned

The pattern is more about local-office preference than the law. An agent or in-house immigration team that knows the office's recent practice can reduce correction rounds.

What long-stay applicants report

Foreigners running a small company for a TRC report that a company with little real revenue can face a shorter renewal, and that checks on paper-only companies have tightened. This lines up with the ĐT3 rule that capital must be paid in, not just committed.

Among foreign spouses, a common mix-up is the difference between the TT residence route and the five-year visa exemption certificate issued to spouses and overseas Vietnamese. That certificate allows stays of up to 180 days per entry and is not a residence card, so it does not lead to a TRC on its own. Anyone planning to settle on the family route needs the TT card.

This guide reflects long-stay visa and residency rules as understood in July 2026. Requirements can change without advance notice. Verify current requirements directly with the Vietnam Immigration Department (Cục Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh) before proceeding.

Key Sources

• Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners (Law 47/2014/QH13, amended by Laws 51/2019/QH14 and 23/2023/QH15)
• Decree 219/2025/NĐ-CP on Foreign Workers in Vietnam (issued 7 August 2025)
• Decree 25/2025/NĐ-CP on the functions and structure of the Ministry of Home Affairs
• Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC on entry, exit, transit, and residence fees (effective 1 April 2026)
• Circular 70/2026/TT-BCA amending immigration and residence forms (effective 1 July 2026)
• Investment Law 2025 (Law 143/2025/QH15), effective 1 March 2026
• Vietnam Immigration Department portal