How Foreign Spouses of Vietnamese Citizens Get a TT Visa and Apply for a TRC

A foreigner married to a Vietnamese citizen who wants to live legally in Vietnam long-term must do two things in sequence: first convert their current visa to a TT (family/spouse) category visa, and then — with a valid TT visa in hand — apply for a TT Temporary Residence Card (TRC) that grants up to three years of continuous residency without visa extensions or border runs.

The TRC application process is the same whether you are applying for the first time or making a new application after your previous TRC has expired. There is no renewal pathway. Under Law 51/2019/QH14, Vietnam abolished TRC renewal (gia hạn thẻ tạm trú) entirely — every application, including those made when an existing card expires, is a full fresh issuance (cấp lại thẻ tạm trú). What changes is only whether you need Stage 1 (the visa conversion) or can skip it and go straight to Stage 2 (the TRC application itself).

This guide covers both pathways in one place and tells you exactly where to start depending on your situation.

Process at a Glance

If you are currently on a tourist visa, e-visa, or any non-TT visa:

1. Confirm your marriage documentation is correctly legalised — Vietnamese-registered marriages are the simplest case; foreign-registered marriages require a full consular legalisation chain
2. Vietnamese spouse submits a TT visa conversion application on your behalf at the local Immigration Department using Form NA5 (Stage 1)
3. Receive the TT visa — typically 5–7 working days from a complete application
4. Complete the khai báo tạm trú (temporary residence declaration) before starting the TRC application — done by the Vietnamese spouse at the ward police or online at kbtt.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn
5. Vietnamese spouse logs in to dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn using their VNeID credentials, completes the online TRC application, and uploads all required documents
6. Both spouses attend the immigration office in person to have originals verified — passport is not surrendered at this stage
7. Fee payment notification arrives; fee paid online; both spouses return to surrender the passport and receive a yellow receipt (phiếu hẹn)
8. Wait for official notification (not the date on the receipt); collect the TRC and passport in person

If your existing TT TRC is expiring: Skip to Stage 2. The process is identical to the steps above from Step 4 onward. Your TT visa status is already established and no conversion is needed.

[Conditions described here as of March 2026 may change without notice, so verify current TT visa and TRC requirements, fee structure with Vietnam Immigration before applying.]

In this guide

• Who This Is For
• Why a Tourist Visa Cannot Go Directly to a TRC
• TT Visa vs the 5-Year Spouse Exemption
• Stage 1: Converting to a TT Visa
• Getting the Marriage Documents Right
• Stage 2: Applying for the TT TRC
• Required Documents
• Processing Time and Costs
• There Is No Renewal — Every Expiry Requires a New Application
• Common Problems and What Gets Applications Returned
• What Applicants Commonly Experience
• Practical Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who This Is For

This guide is written for foreign nationals married to Vietnamese citizens who are either: currently in Vietnam on a tourist visa, e-visa, or other short-stay visa and want to convert to a stable long-term status without leaving the country repeatedly; or currently holding a TT TRC that is approaching expiry and need to make a new application before the card lapses.

It is not for foreigners on employment-based visas seeking an LD TRC, investors applying for a DT-category TRC, diplomatic personnel, students, or anyone whose Vietnamese partner is not a Vietnamese citizen permanently residing in Vietnam.

Why a Tourist Visa Cannot Go Directly to a TRC

This is the point most online guides either miss or gloss over, and misunderstanding it costs weeks.

A Temporary Residence Card in Vietnam is not issued in exchange for any visa. It is issued only to holders of specific, purpose-matched visa categories. The symbol on your TRC mirrors the visa type that underpins the application — a TT TRC requires a valid TT visa already in place at the time of filing. A tourist visa (DL), e-visa, business visa (DN), or personal visit visa (VR) does not qualify.

What immigration practitioners are currently reporting (early 2026): offices are processing TRC applications primarily for holders of TT and LD2 visas. The underlying statute — Law No. 47/2014/QH13 as amended — still lists a broader set of eligible visa categories, but current processing practice appears narrowed. Applicants whose visa category falls outside TT should verify the current position directly with the Immigration Department before filing.

For those starting on a tourist or e-visa, the TT visa conversion must come first. No amount of supporting documentation bypasses this sequence.

TT Visa vs the 5-Year Spouse Exemption

Foreign spouses of Vietnamese citizens can also obtain a 5-year visa exemption certificate, which is sometimes presented as a convenient long-stay option. For anyone planning continuous residence, it does not replace the TT TRC pathway.

For anyone building daily life in Vietnam — housing leases, banking, health insurance — the TRC is the right structure. The exemption has genuine value for those who travel regularly and do not need uninterrupted continuous residency.

Stage 1: Converting to a TT Visa

Re-applicants whose existing TT TRC is expiring: your TT visa status is established. Skip to Stage 2.

If you are currently in Vietnam on a tourist or e-visa, the first step is changing your visa category to TT inside Vietnam. Your Vietnamese spouse applies on your behalf at the local Immigration Department (Cục Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh) — you do not need to leave the country.

Core documents for the TT visa conversion:

The Vietnamese spouse submits Form NA5 (application for visa issuance or change within Vietnam), certified by the ward/commune Public Security office where the sponsor's permanent address is registered. Required alongside it are the foreigner's original passport (valid for at least 6 months), a properly legalised copy of the marriage certificate, and the Vietnamese spouse's CCCD — address verification now comes through the VNeID-linked national population database rather than a physical household registration book.

Processing time and timing: The TT visa typically takes 5–7 working days from submission of a complete dossier. If your current visa is close to expiring, extend it before starting the conversion rather than allowing it to lapse — overstay penalties apply regardless of whether a conversion is in progress.

A full dedicated guide to the TT visa conversion — including the complete Form NA5 requirements and what officers check at the counter — covers this stage in detail. The summary above is sufficient to understand where Stage 1 sits in the overall sequence before proceeding to Stage 2.

Getting the Marriage Documents Right

The marriage certificate is the document most commonly responsible for an application being returned, at both the TT visa and TRC stages. It is worth covering in detail regardless of which stage you are at.

Marriage registered in Vietnam is the simpler case. Documents produced by the local People's Committee (UBND) are in Vietnamese, require no external legalisation, and are accepted at the counter with notarised copies. If you are still at the planning stage and both parties can register locally, this materially shortens the document chain.

Marriage registered outside Vietnam must complete a five-step chain before it is accepted at a Vietnamese immigration counter:

1. Notarised in the country where the marriage was registered
2. Authenticated by the relevant national authority (apostille for Hague Convention countries, or state/federal authentication)
3. Consularly legalised by the Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in that country — this is a mandatory separate step that an apostille alone does not satisfy
4. Translated into Vietnamese by a certified translation firm authorised to work in Vietnam
5. Notarised by a Vietnamese notary office (phòng công chứng)

All five steps are required in sequence. A document that has only been apostilled, or only translated without the Vietnamese consular legalisation step, will be returned at the counter. Allow a minimum of 2–4 weeks for the consular legalisation stage — turnaround varies significantly by Vietnamese diplomatic mission.

All document certifications must be dated within 6 months of the application submission date.

Stage 2: Applying for the TT TRC

This section applies to everyone — whether you are applying for the first time after completing the TT visa conversion, or making a fresh application because your existing TT TRC is about to expire.

The entire TRC application is now submitted online first through the Ministry of Public Security's public service portal at dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn, initiated by the Vietnamese spouse using their VNeID credentials. Walk-in manual submissions without prior online filing are no longer accepted.

VNeID — Sort This First

The Vietnamese spouse must have a Level 2 VNeID account (verified digital identity linked to their CCCD) before anything else can begin. Without it, the portal login does not work. If the VNeID account is not yet activated, or if it is linked to an old mobile number, this must be resolved first at a local police office — it is free to set up but takes time. Do not leave this to the day of application.

Khai Báo Tạm Trú — Complete This Before the Online Application

Before opening the TRC application on dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn, the Vietnamese spouse must first complete a khai báo tạm trú (temporary residence declaration) for the foreign spouse. This is a separate step that confirms the foreign spouse's residential address in Vietnam.

The declaration is filed by the Vietnamese spouse as the host, not the foreign applicant. It can be submitted online at kbtt.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn or in person at the local ward police office (Công an phường/xã). Either way, it must be signed and stamped by the ward police before it is included in the TRC dossier. Complete this and have the stamped document ready to scan before starting the main online application.

Note: the Vietnamese spouse's own permanent address is pulled automatically from the national population database via VNeID and does not require a separate document. The sổ hộ khẩu (household registration book) is no longer required as part of the TRC dossier.

Step 1 — Vietnamese Spouse Logs In to the Portal

Go to dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn and log in using the VNeID account (CCCD number and VNeID password, or QR scan via the VNeID mobile app), then confirm with OTP to the registered mobile number. The portal interface is entirely in Vietnamese — couples who are not fluent often use assistance for this step.

Step 2 — Locate the TRC Application

Once logged in, click "Nộp hồ sơ trực tuyến" (Submit online application), search for "Cấp thẻ tạm trú", and select "Cấp thẻ tạm trú cho người nước ngoài tại Việt Nam (cấp tỉnh)" — TRC issuance for foreigners at provincial level. Click "Nộp hồ sơ" to open the form.

Step 3 — Complete the Form and Upload Documents

The portal presents a structured form covering the foreign applicant's personal details (name, passport number, nationality, current visa or TRC details, contact email and phone), the Vietnamese sponsor's details (name, CCCD, relationship — select Thân nhân), and the processing authority — select the Phòng Quản lý Xuất nhập cảnh for the province where you currently reside.

Then upload scanned copies of all required documents. Upload a 4×6 cm digital photo of the foreign applicant at this stage — this is the standard format required by the portal for digital submission.

Scan quality matters: documents must be clear, correctly oriented, and in accepted file formats. The foreign spouse must sign the NA8 form before it is scanned.

Step 4 — Bring Originals to the Immigration Office

After online submission, the portal generates an application summary. Print this out, gather all original documents that were uploaded, and both spouses attend the Phòng Quản lý Xuất nhập cảnh (Provincial Immigration Office) in person. The officer compares originals against the online submission. If everything is in order, you are sent home to wait — the passport is not surrendered at this stage. If any document has a problem, the officer advises on the spot.

Step 5 — Application Confirmed; Fee Payment Notice Sent

Once the in-person document review is accepted, a confirmation is sent to the registered email and/or mobile number. A subsequent notification follows when the fee payment is due.

Step 6 — Pay the Fee Online

The fee is paid online through the portal using a bank card, internet banking, or QR code payment. A digital payment receipt is generated. Download and save this receipt — it is required at the collection stage.

Step 7 — Return to Surrender the Passport

After fee payment is confirmed, both spouses return to the immigration office. At this visit, the passport (and current TRC if re-applying) is surrendered. A yellow receipt (phiếu hẹn) is issued, listing the documents submitted, the fee paid, and a tentative collection date.

Step 8 — Wait for Official Notification; Then Collect

Do not go to the office on the date printed on the yellow receipt. That date is an estimate only — multiple applicants report arriving on the printed date to find their card is not ready. Wait for the immigration office to contact you by phone, SMS, or portal update before returning. Once notified, collect the new TRC and passport at the office. Before leaving, check that the passport number printed on the TRC is correct.

Required Documents

Processing Time and Costs

Official processing time: 5 working days from the date of an accepted complete dossier and confirmed fee payment — though on the ground, most applicants report the card arriving closer to 7–10 working days. This clock does not start until the dossier is confirmed complete — a dossier returned for missing or incorrect documents restarts the timeline entirely.

If additional verification is required: 5 to 30 working days.

Recommended lead time: Begin at least 30 days before your current TRC or visa expires. For first-time applicants whose marriage certificate requires consular legalisation abroad, allow 4–6 weeks in total — 2–4 weeks for the legalisation chain, plus the conversion and TRC processing time.

Official fees (Circular 25/2021/TT-BTC as amended):

Additional costs to budget for:

• Certified translation of foreign documents: 500,000–2,000,000 VND per document
• Vietnamese notarisation: variable but typically modest
• Consular legalisation at a Vietnamese Embassy: varies by mission fee schedule
• Immigration assistance services (if used): several million VND depending on scope

There Is No Renewal — Every Expiry Requires a New Application

This surprises many first-time TRC holders. Under Law 51/2019/QH14, TRC renewal (gia hạn thẻ tạm trú) was abolished. When your card expires, there is no extension or renewal process — you submit a completely new application using the same Stage 2 procedure described in this guide. The immigration office collects the old card and issues a new one with a fresh validity period.

Start the new application at least 30 days before your current TRC expires. Overstay fines apply from the day after expiry — the application being in progress does not provide legal cover for an expired card.

Common Problems and What Gets Applications Returned

Varies by provincial office: Requirements in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are well-documented, but smaller provincial offices sometimes apply additional requirements or formatting preferences. Applicants outside major cities should confirm current requirements directly with the local immigration office.

What Applicants Commonly Experience

VNeID is the starting bottleneck. A recurring practical issue is that the Vietnamese spouse's VNeID account is not ready at the point of application — either it was never activated, or credentials are linked to an old phone number. Sort this before anything else.

Navigating the portal in Vietnamese. The application interface on dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn does have an English language option, but it is limited — not all procedure names and menu options render correctly in English, and switching languages mid-session can redirect users back to the home page. Since it is the Vietnamese spouse who initiates and submits the application using their own VNeID account, working in Vietnamese throughout is the practical default. Couples who are not comfortable with Vietnamese often seek assistance specifically for the form completion stage — this is the primary legitimate use of immigration services, rather than any attempt to bypass the process.

Passport surrender causes anxiety. The period between surrendering the passport (Step 7) and collection is open-ended. The yellow receipt is the only official document the foreign spouse holds during this time. Photograph every page of the passport before surrendering it. If any international travel is planned, the timing of the application needs to account for this — travelling while the passport is held is not possible.

Do not go on the date on the receipt. This is the most consistently repeated piece of advice from applicants who have been through the current process. The tentative date on the yellow receipt is an estimate. Wait for the official call, SMS, or portal update.

When documents are clean, processing is reasonably predictable. The official window is 5 working days, but applicants who completed the process in 2024–2025 more commonly report 7–10 working days from the Step 7 passport surrender to collection notification. Delays beyond that are almost always caused by document problems caught at Step 4, or by the immigration authority needing to conduct additional verification.

Practical Tips

Register the marriage in Vietnam where possible. A marriage registered with the local People's Committee (UBND) in Vietnam produces Vietnamese-language documents immediately and eliminates the consular legalisation requirement entirely. For couples who have the flexibility to do this, it is the single most effective way to shorten the overall document process.

Keep your current visa valid while Stage 1 is in progress. If the tourist or e-visa is close to expiry, extend it before starting the TT visa conversion. Allowing the existing visa to lapse while paperwork is in motion creates an overstay situation, which complicates the conversion and goes on the immigration record.

Complete khai báo tạm trú before touching the TRC portal. Applicants who start the online application without the stamped ward police declaration ready to upload find themselves pausing the process mid-way. Do the declaration first, have it stamped and scanned, then open the TRC application.

A pattern of repeated border runs before the TRC application can attract scrutiny. One or two exits during a genuine transitional period are not a problem. A long record of consecutive short-stay exits immediately before a long-term residency application may receive additional attention from reviewing officers.

Once you hold a TT TRC, you can sponsor family members. A TT TRC holder can sponsor children under 18 and parents for their own TRC applications. This is one of the practical advantages of holding the card over continuing on visa extensions.

Key Official Sources

• Law No. 47/2014/QH13 on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam (as amended by Laws 51/2019/QH14 and 23/2023/QH15)
• Circular No. 04/2015/TT-BCA and Circular No. 22/2023/TT-BCA — Ministry of Public Security (official forms NA5, NA7, NA8)
• Circular No. 25/2021/TT-BTC as amended by Circulars 62 and 63/2023/TT-BTC — Ministry of Finance (fee schedule)
• Ministry of Public Security Public Services Portal: dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn
• Temporary Residence Declaration Portal: kbtt.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn
• VNeID digital identity framework: Decree 69/2024/NĐ-CP