How Foreigners With a TRC Apply for a Criminal Record Certificate in Vietnam

A foreigner holding a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) in Vietnam applies for a criminal record certificate (Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp) at the Division of Records Management of the Provincial Police where they reside. The Ministry of Public Security has handled this procedure since 1 March 2025, not the Department of Justice.

How a TRC holder applies for a criminal record certificate in Vietnam

1. Decide whether you need Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp No. 1 or No. 2.
2. Identify the Provincial Police Division of Records Management for your residence.
3. Prepare passport, TRC, the 2025 application form, and residence proof.
4. Submit in person, by post, or through the National Public Service Portal or VNeID.
5. Pay the fee and keep the receipt or application code.
6. Collect the certificate, check the details, and order extra copies if needed.

> This guide reflects the criminal record certificate procedure for TRC holders in Vietnam as understood in May 2026. Requirements can change without advance notice. Verify current requirements directly with the Department of Records Management, Ministry of Public Security, before proceeding.

A Vietnamese criminal record certificate is the document that confirms your record status under Vietnam's judicial-record system. Foreigners with a TRC commonly need it for a Vietnam work permit application, for use abroad in immigration files, or for marriage registration overseas. Licensing bodies that require a Vietnamese police clearance also ask for it. The procedure changed in March 2025, so guidance dated before that point is no longer reliable.

This guide covers the route used by foreigners currently residing in Vietnam on a TRC, plus a separate section for those who have already left the country. It does not cover Vietnamese-citizen procedures, the foreign work permit application that uses this certificate as one input, or downstream steps such as consular legalization for use abroad.

Who Needs This and When You Can Apply

A foreigner residing in Vietnam on a valid TRC can apply at any time during the card's validity. The rules do not set a minimum number of months you must hold a TRC before applying. Practitioner sources note that foreigners residing for less than six months may also apply, though officers may ask more questions about address evidence.

The certificate is most often requested by:

• foreign workers preparing or renewing a Vietnam work permit, where Article 41 of Decree 219/2025/ND-CP requires a Form No. 1 confirming the applicant has no current criminal liability
• foreign spouses on a TT TRC needing the document for use in their home country's immigration, divorce, or family-law procedures
• investors and business founders submitting documents to overseas authorities or banks
• retirees and long-stay residents asked for a Vietnamese police clearance by their home country's pension or visa office
• foreign teachers, where employers and licensing bodies require it as part of recruitment files

A spouse-sponsored TRC and a work-related TRC fall within the standard residence profile that supports an application. What officers care about most is consistency between your identity documents, the residence on file, and the address you list on the form.

No. 1 vs No. 2: Which Certificate to Request

Vietnam issues two versions of Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp.

No. 1 is the standard certificate for ordinary administrative use. It records unexpunged convictions only and omits expunged ones. It is the version Vietnamese employers, work-permit files, and most foreign embassies asking for "police clearance" will request. Authorization for someone else to file on your behalf is allowed.

No. 2 records the full criminal history, including expunged convictions. It is normally used by criminal-procedure bodies, or when an individual specifically asks for the fuller record extract. For No. 2, an ordinary third party cannot file on your behalf. The only exception is a parent applying for a minor.

If a foreign immigration authority, employer, or licensing body simply asks for a "criminal record certificate" or "police clearance" without specifying, request No. 1. Some destination countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Korea, and Japan, sometimes ask applicants to obtain Form No. 2 for immigration files. Practitioner sources recommend confirming the specific form name with the requesting institution before submission.

Vietnam's amended Law (Law 107/2025/QH15, effective 1 July 2026) restricts when domestic Vietnamese authorities may demand No. 2 from individuals. From that date, recruitment, licensing, and routine administrative procedures inside Vietnam can only request No. 1. No. 2 still exists for personal requests, judicial use, and foreign procedures that require it.

What Changed in March 2025

This is the most consequential procedural change in the recent guidance.

From 1 March 2025, criminal record certificates moved from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Public Security (Bộ Công an). The transfer was implemented through Decree 02/2025/ND-CP and related government restructuring. Older articles and forum posts still point applicants to the provincial Department of Justice (Sở Tư pháp) or to the old National Center for Judicial Records. That guidance is out of date.

Current procedures sit under Ministry of Public Security decisions and use the 2025 form set:

• Form 01/2025/LLTP — self-filed application
• Form 02/2025/LLTP — application filed under authorization (where allowed)
• Form 04/2025/LLTP and 05/2025/LLTP — interactive electronic forms used in the online filing route

Applications submitted on the older 2013 forms are not accepted.

Where TRC Holders File Now

The receiving authority for current residents is the Division of Records Management at the Provincial Police in the province or centrally run city where the applicant resides. The Ministry of Public Security maintains the central database; the Provincial Police office accepts the file.

The pattern by location:

• Hanoi: Hanoi Police, Division of Records Management at 13 Hàn Thuyên, Phạm Đình Hổ Ward, Hai Bà Trưng District
• Ho Chi Minh City: HCMC Police, Division of Records Management at 268 Trần Hưng Đạo, Nguyễn Cư Trinh Ward, District 1
• Other provinces and centrally run cities: the province's Public Security office. Confirm the exact unit before going in person. Some divisions sit at the main Provincial Police compound; others sit at a separate records-management office.

For foreigners who used to live in Vietnam and have left, the central route runs through the Department of Records Management at the Ministry of Public Security in Hanoi. The reported address is on Trần Hưng Đạo Street in Hoàn Kiếm or Cửa Nam Ward, Hanoi. Confirm the current postal address before mailing a file from abroad.

The simple rule: if your TRC is valid and your residence is in one province, file there. If you have moved provinces, your registered current address is the one that controls jurisdiction.

Documents You Need

The 2025 dossier is built around identity, residence, and the application form itself.

Required for All Applicants

• Form 01/2025/LLTP for self-filing, or Form 02/2025/LLTP if filing under valid authorization
• Passport copy showing the photo page, the current Vietnam visa stamp, and entry-exit pages
• Original passport for in-person verification
• TRC copy plus the original for in-person verification
• Proof of residence in Vietnam if your current address is not already on file with the receiving office

Conditional Documents

• Power of Attorney if someone is authorized to file Form No. 1 on your behalf. The authorization must be valid under Vietnamese rules. A close family member (parent, spouse, or child) is usually not asked for an authorization document, though practitioner sources note officers sometimes request proof of the relationship.
• Old passport copy, if you have renewed your passport since first arriving in Vietnam. The old number will be on earlier residence records and reduces verification delays.
• Marriage certificate or family book if you are on a spouse-sponsored TRC and your sponsor's identity needs to be confirmed.

Step-by-Step Application

Step 1: Decide Whether You Need No. 1 or No. 2

If you are applying for routine administrative reasons inside Vietnam, request No. 1. If a foreign authority specifically names "Form No. 2" or asks for the full criminal history record, request No. 2. Authorization rules differ between the two, so the wrong choice can stop the file before it starts.

Step 2: Confirm Your Filing Authority

Identify the Provincial Police Division of Records Management for your registered residence. Do not file at a Department of Justice office. That route closed on 1 March 2025.

If you live in a province where you have only recently registered, confirm the receiving unit before going in person. Officers expect the residence on the form to match the residence on file at the police database.

Step 3: Prepare the Dossier

Match your name, passport number, nationality, date of birth, and address across every document. Officers slow files down for ordinary inconsistencies more often than for substantive issues.

Common verification problems include:

• a different passport number on prior residence records
• a TRC sponsor relationship that has changed since the residence was first registered
• address history split across multiple apartments or provinces
• spelling differences in the applicant's name across supporting documents

Bring the old passport copy if you have changed passports during your time in Vietnam.

Step 4: Submit Through an Accepted Channel

The current procedure allows three channels:

• In person at the Provincial Police Division of Records Management
• By post to the same office
• Online through the National Public Service Portal at dichvucong.gov.vn or the VNeID app

The online channel relies on a Level 2 VNeID account. Foreigners with a valid TRC or PRC have been able to register a Level 2 account at provincial public security offices since 1 July 2025. Decree 69/2024/NĐ-CP sets the rules for that registration. The fully digital route for foreigners is workable, but practitioners note it is still smoother for Vietnamese citizens than for foreign nationals. If you have a hard deadline for an embassy or employer, an in-person submission is the safer choice.

Step 5: Pay the Fee and Keep Proof

After the office accepts the file, pay the fee in cash or by bank transfer. Keep the receipt, the application code, and any appointment slip you are given. If you filed online, monitor the application status through the portal and watch for requests for extra documents or corrections.

Step 6: Collect the Certificate and Verify Details

When the certificate is issued, check:

• your full name, passport number, and nationality
• the certificate type (No. 1 or No. 2)
• the number of copies issued
• the purpose stated on the form, if a purpose was required

If you need multiple originals for different embassies or institutions, request them in the same application. Ordering a separate batch later usually means starting the process again.

Applying From Outside Vietnam

A foreigner who previously resided in Vietnam can still obtain a Vietnamese criminal record certificate after leaving. The route runs through a Vietnamese diplomatic mission abroad. It ends at the Department of Records Management at the Ministry of Public Security in Hanoi, or at the Provincial Police where the applicant previously resided.

The practical chain looks like this:

1. Prepare the application form and two copies of every passport used during your Vietnam residence. Add two copies of the residence permit if applicable, and two Letters of Authorization naming an individual or organization in Vietnam to submit on your behalf.
2. Sign the documents in person at the Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate-General in your country. Alternatively, have the Power of Attorney notarized and authenticated through Vietnam's consular legalization chain.
3. Send the certified set to your authorized representative in Vietnam.
4. Your representative submits the file to the Department of Records Management, Ministry of Public Security, or to the Provincial Police where you used to live.
5. The certificate is issued and collected by your representative, then forwarded to you.

Foreign-issued documents intended for use inside Vietnam must go through consular legalization and Vietnamese notarized translation before they are accepted. A Power of Attorney signed abroad is the most common example. The Vietnam Embassy guidance for the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States confirms this chain in current consular notices.

This route adds time. Plan for several weeks beyond the standard processing time, depending on how quickly the diplomatic mission and the postal service in your country handle the documents.

Processing Time, Fees, and Extra Copies

The National Public Service Portal lists 10 working days for a standard file. Cases that need additional verification can take up to 15 working days. Files involving foreigners often fall into the longer window because residence history has to be confirmed across more than one record.

The standard fee is 200,000 VND per person for the first issuance, which covers up to two copies in the same application. From the third copy onwards in the same application, the fee is 5,000 VND per additional copy.

Practitioner sources from 2025 note a 20 percent fee reduction for online submission, applied through 31 December 2025 under Vietnam's e-government promotion. Whether that discount carries into 2026 is not confirmed in current public-service notices. Check the published fee at the receiving office before submitting.

Confirm fees and document requirements directly with the Provincial Police Division of Records Management before submitting. Implementation details, including which channels accept which payment method, can change without separate public notice.

Practical Tips and Common Friction Points

Office and Regional Variation

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City handle high volumes of foreigner applications and tend to have the most established procedures. Smaller provinces process foreigner files less often. Practitioner sources note that officers in smaller offices may ask for additional residence proof, especially if the applicant has only recently registered in the province.

The online channel works best where the foreigner has already obtained a Level 2 VNeID account and has a Vietnamese-language reading ability or a representative who does. Without one or the other, the in-person route at the Division of Records Management is more predictable.

Applicant-Reported Problems

Practitioner sources and community guides note three recurring issues for TRC holders.

The first is filing at the wrong office because older guidance is still indexed online. Articles published before March 2025 still send applicants to the Department of Justice. Officers there cannot accept the file under the current rules.

The second is mismatched address history. A foreigner who has moved between two or three apartments during a long-stay TRC may need to attach extra residence registration printouts to confirm the chain.

The third is choosing No. 2 when No. 1 would have worked. No. 2 cannot be filed by an authorized representative outside the parent-of-minor exception, so the applicant has to attend in person. This is the friction that catches foreigners most often when their employer or embassy did not specify which form was required.

There are also credible reports from foreigners that the VNeID app did not show any menu option for a criminal record application when the language was set to English.

A Vietnamese criminal record certificate covers record information held in Vietnam's system. It is not a substitute for police clearances from your home country or other countries where you have lived.

Key Sources

• Ministry of Public Security Public Services Portal — https://dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn
• Embassy of Viet Nam in the UK, Criminal Record Certificate guidance — https://vietnamembassy.org.uk/consular-services/criminal-record-certificate-vietnamese-police-check/
• Consulate General of Viet Nam in New York, criminal records certificate page — https://www.vietnamconsulate-ny.org/service/14/criminal-records-certificate-police-check-for-foreigners-who-resided-in-viet-nam.html
• Law 107/2025/QH15 amending the Law on Judicial Records (National Assembly, 5 December 2025; effective 1 July 2026)
• Decree 02/2025/ND-CP transferring criminal record certificate functions to the Ministry of Public Security (effective 1 March 2025)
• Decree 219/2025/ND-CP on foreign workers in Vietnam, Article 41