How Foreigners With a TRC Can Get a Criminal Record Certificate in Vietnam

Foreigners legally residing in Vietnam on a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) can apply for a Vietnamese criminal record certificate, but since March 2025 the application is handled through the Ministry of Public Security system rather than the provincial Department of Justice.

Criminal record certificate process in Vietnam for foreigners with a TRC

1. Confirm whether you need Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp No. 1 or No. 2.
2. Identify the competent police authority based on your current or last place of residence in Vietnam.
3. Prepare your passport, TRC, residence proof, application form, and any authorization documents if allowed.
4. Submit the dossier in person, by post, or through the official public-service route where available.
5. Pay the fee and monitor the file if you submitted through the portal.
6. Receive the certificate and order extra copies if you need them for multiple uses.

[Conditions described here as of early 2026 may change without notice, so verify current requirements with the relevant immigration authority before applying.]

In this guide

• What changed in 2025
• Who can apply
• Which criminal record certificate you need
• Which authority handles the application now
• Documents foreigners with a TRC usually need
• Step-by-step: how to apply
• Processing time, fees, and copies
• Common friction points in practice
• FAQ

What changed in 2025

This is the most important procedural point in the article.

From March 2025, state management and public-service handling for criminal record certificates were transferred from the Ministry of Justice system to the Ministry of Public Security (Bộ Công an) system. In practical terms, this means foreigners should no longer rely on older guidance telling them to file at the provincial Department of Justice (Sở Tư pháp) or the old National Center for Judicial Records under the Ministry of Justice.

Current public-service procedures now sit under BCA decisions and use the 2025 form set, including Form 01/2025/LLTP for a standard self-filed application and Form 02/2025/LLTP where authorization is allowed.

That change matters because a lot of older articles, forum threads, and even some still-indexed legacy pages point applicants to the old Justice Ministry route. For a 2025-2026 application, that is outdated.

Who can apply

Under Vietnam's judicial-record framework, a foreigner who is currently residing in Vietnam can request a criminal record certificate covering their record status in Vietnam. A foreigner who previously resided in Vietnam may also request one through the competent ministry-level route even after leaving the country.

For the audience of this article, a valid TRC is strong practical evidence that you are a lawful long-term resident. A spouse TRC and a work-related TRC both fall within the kind of residence profile that usually supports the application, provided your identity documents and residence details are consistent.

There is no separate rule saying you must first complete a minimum number of months on a TRC before you are legally allowed to apply. What matters more in practice is whether the receiving authority can identify your residence history and match your identity information cleanly.

Which criminal record certificate you need

Vietnam issues two main versions.

Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp No. 1

This is the certificate most foreigners need for ordinary administrative purposes such as employment files, work-permit support, licensing, immigration paperwork abroad, or general background-check requests.

For No. 1, authorization is allowed in some cases. If someone submits on your behalf, the authorization must follow the legal rules and document format requirements.

Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp No. 2

This is more restricted. It is generally used at the request of criminal-procedure bodies or when an individual specifically requests the fuller record extract for their own legal purposes.

A key rule remains important: an individual requesting No. 2 may not authorize an ordinary third party to file on their behalf, except for the limited situation involving a minor through a parent.

If an employer, school, licensing body, embassy, or foreign immigration authority simply asks for a "police clearance" or "criminal record certificate," No. 1 is usually the safer default unless the requesting body expressly asks for No. 2.

Which authority handles the application now

The relevant official authority is now the Ministry of Public Security (Bộ Công an), not the Ministry of Justice.

For current residents, the application is handled through the competent police authority in the province or centrally run city where you reside, typically through the provincial police system handling judicial-record files.

For foreigners who used to live in Vietnam but are no longer residing there, the ministry-level route applies through the Department of Professional Profile / Ministry of Public Security in Hanoi.

That resident-versus-former-resident split is the practical rule you should follow:

• Still living in Vietnam on a TRC: use the competent police authority linked to your current place of residence.
• Already left Vietnam and no longer residing there: use the ministry-level route under the Ministry of Public Security.

If you are in a grey area — for example, your TRC is valid but you have recently moved provinces, or your registered temporary address does not match the city where you want to file — confirm the competent receiving office before submission. Jurisdiction mistakes are one of the easiest ways to lose time.

Documents foreigners with a TRC usually need

The official public-service procedures now list the core identity and application documents. In practice, foreigners with a TRC should prepare a more complete file than the bare minimum.

Core documents

You will usually need:

• the completed application form under the current form set, normally Form 01/2025/LLTP if you are self-filing
• your passport copy
• your TRC copy
• the original passport and TRC for comparison if filing in person, or certified copies if you cannot present originals
• proof of your place of residence in Vietnam if requested or if your current address is not obvious from the file
• an authorization document if someone is allowed to file No. 1 on your behalf

Residence proof that often helps in practice

Official procedures do not always spell out every local document officers may want to see at first contact, especially where there is a mismatch or incomplete address history. For that reason, it is practical to bring supporting residence evidence such as:

• temporary residence confirmation or police residence registration output
• landlord registration record if available
• employer letter confirming your posting and address
• spouse-related residence documents if you are on a family-sponsored TRC

This is not because the law creates a new hidden requirement. It is because address history and jurisdiction are frequent friction points, especially for foreigners who have moved apartments, changed sponsors, or renewed status over several years.

Which form to use now

Use the 2025 forms, not the older 2013 forms that still appear on many websites and old blog posts.

The main forms currently referenced on the National Public Service Portal are:

• 01/2025/LLTP — self-filed application
• 02/2025/LLTP — authorization/parental case where legally permitted
• 04/2025/LLTP and 05/2025/LLTP — interactive electronic forms in the online route

Step-by-step: how to apply

Step 1: Decide whether you need No. 1 or No. 2

Do not skip this. The certificate type affects whether authorization is possible and what level of disclosure appears on the certificate.

If you are applying for routine administrative reasons, start by assuming No. 1 unless the receiving institution clearly states otherwise.

Step 2: Confirm the correct filing authority based on where you reside

If you currently live in Vietnam on a TRC, identify the competent provincial-level police authority for judicial-record applications in your province or city.

Do not rely on pre-March-2025 instructions telling you to go to the provincial Department of Justice. That route is outdated for current applications.

If you are no longer residing in Vietnam, use the Ministry of Public Security route for former residents.

Step 3: Prepare the dossier carefully

Match your name, passport number, nationality, date of birth, and residence history across all documents.

This matters more than many applicants expect. Files are often slowed not by a dramatic legal problem but by ordinary inconsistencies such as:

• old passport number on prior residence records
• TRC showing a sponsor relationship that changed later
• address history spread across multiple apartments or provinces
• English spelling differences in names across supporting documents

If you have renewed your passport since first living in Vietnam, bring the old passport copy if you still have it.

Step 4: Submit the application through an accepted channel

Current official procedures generally allow submission:

• in person
• by postal service
• online through the public-service route where the implementation path is available

For foreigners, the online route should be treated cautiously. Vietnam's criminal-record e-service is now integrated into the public-service system and national digital-identity ecosystem, but in practice the fully smooth route is still more straightforward for Vietnamese citizens using VNeID. Foreign nationals should verify the exact current filing path before depending on an online-only strategy.

If you have a deadline for an embassy, employer, or licensing file, an in-person or clearly confirmed postal route is usually safer than assuming the digital route will work end-to-end for your case.

Step 5: Pay the fee and keep proof of submission

After the file is accepted, pay the applicable fee and keep the receipt, application code, or appointment slip.

If you file online, monitor the application status through the official portal and watch for requests for supplementation.

Step 6: Collect the certificate and check the details immediately

When you receive the certificate, check:

• your full name and passport details
• certificate type (No. 1 or No. 2)
• number of copies issued
• whether the document matches the purpose for which you requested it

If you need multiple originals for different embassies or institutions, ordering additional copies at the same time is usually easier than starting over later.

Processing time, fees, and copies

The official timeline currently shown on the National Public Service Portal is:

• 10 days from receipt of a valid application
• up to 15 days where extra verification is required, including cases involving foreigners

The portal wording does not clearly add "working days" in the procedure summary, so the safest article wording is simply 10 days, or up to 15 days in verification cases. In real life, applicants should still build in extra buffer, especially where residence history spans more than one province or older records need checking.

The standard fee is currently 200,000 VND per person.

If you ask for more than two certificates in one application, the fee for the third copy onward is 5,000 VND per copy.

Applicants should confirm current fees and document requirements directly with the Ministry of Public Security / competent police authority before submitting, as implementation details can change.

Common friction points in practice

Using the wrong office because older guidance is still online This is now the biggest practical trap. Older articles still direct applicants to the Department of Justice because that used to be correct. For current filings, start from the Ministry of Public Security system.

The requesting institution did not specify No. 1 or No. 2 Do not guess blindly. Ask. If they simply want a general criminal-record clearance, No. 1 is usually the appropriate starting point.

The applicant wants to authorize a third party for convenience That may work for No. 1 if the authorization is legally valid. It does not generally work for No. 2.

People expect a foreign-style police certificate covering the whole world A Vietnamese criminal record certificate is a Vietnamese legal document covering the relevant record information managed within Vietnam's system. It is not a substitute for background checks from your home country or every country where you have ever lived.

Sources

1. National Public Service Portal procedure pages under BCA decisions for issuing judicial record certificates, including the current 2025 forms and timeline.
2. Government news on the transfer of judicial-record state management and public-service handling from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Public Security effective March 2025.
3. Vietnam Embassy in the UK guidance reflecting the post-1-March-2025 receiving authorities for criminal record certificate applications.
4. Law on Judicial Records (for the underlying legal framework and certificate categories).