Information of Temporary Residence Cards (TRC)

1. WHAT IS THE TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CARD FOR FOREIGNERS?

TRC can be seen as Vietnam long-term visa granted for foreign workers who have work permit, foreign investors investing in Vietnam or foreigners’ relatives with TRC.
The TRC granted is valid for at least 1 year, 2 years and 3 years to the utmost. Once foreigners have TRCs which are still valid, they are not required Vietnam visa but have a right to reside within time period written on the card, use card together with passport for Vietnam entry or exit, act as a guarantee for their families to enter Vietnam for travelling or living.
Symbols on TRC
Symbols on TRC granted for foreigners are regulated:

• A: To grant members of foreign representative office, relatives and assistants accompanying mission or people on an assignment
• B1:  To grant foreigners working with Supreme People's Procuracy of Vietnam, Supreme People's Court of Vietnam, ministries, ministry-level bodies, Government agencies, People’s Committee of Provinces, cities under the central government, Central Agencies of People, Mass’s organization in Vietnam.

• C: To grant foreigners temporarily residing in Vietnam for other purposes.

2. REQUIREMENT FOR TRC

The requirements to get TRC for foreigners in Vietnam can be summarized into the following conditions:

• Passport must be valid for at least 1 year
• In case of having work permit, foreigners’ work permit is required 1 year of validity since the time of TRC application. Investors are asked to have proof documents of foreigners’ investment in Vietnam (business registration certificate, investment license, etc are accepted)
• Foreigners must have fixed period of temporary residence in Vietnam. In some cases, The Immigration Department stipulates “already registered residence in Vietnam 1 year and over.

3. WHO CAN APPLY

• Foreigners with legal residence in Vietnam are investors, members of NGOs, foreigners with work permit and representative office leaders.
• It depends on certain cases, businesses can apply for TRC at The Immigration Department or The Immigration offices of police station in province, city, business and organization which has headquarter

NOTE: According to Law, the processing time for TRC is 5 working days from the date of receiving complete documents.

4. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Foreigners are business owners with capital investment (for Director, Investors in Vietnam who has names on investment, business registration certificates with the presence of capitals for the establishment)
Required documents:

1. Business registration Certificate (certified copy)
2. Certificate of stamp registration (certified copy)
3. Original passport (with valid Visa)
4. 02 photos sized 3x4 cm (with white background)
5. Paper confirming work permit exemption
6. Original paper confirming residence in Vietnam
7. Sample confirming 3 signatures and 3 stamps of company’s law representatives
8. Sample official document of The Immigration Department
9. Letter of attorney + blank references

Note:

• Customers need to prepare conditions from 1 to 6, conditions 7 to 9 are written and sent to customers for signatures, affixing, over lapping stamp. Condition 8 is used for Sample official document customers provide address prior to entering Vietnam.
• In some cases of having companying wife, husband and children, proof documents of relationships are required. (certified Vietnamese translated paper)
• Besides the requirements of documents, procedures for TRC, foreigners’ passports are required at least 1 year of validity from the date of application.

To salary-paid foreign workers/ representatives of foreign enterprises (Foreign citizens with work permit in Vietnam)
Required Documents include:

1. Business registration certificate (certified copy)
2. Certificate of stamp registration (certified copy)
3. Original passport (with valid Visa)
4. 02 photos sized 3x4 cm (with white background)
5. Work permit (more than 1 year of validity)
6. Original paper of residence confirmation
7.  Sample confirming 3 signatures and 3 stamps of company’s law representatives
8. Sample official document of The Immigration Department
9. Letter of attorney + blank references

Note:

• Customers need to prepare conditions from 1 to 6, conditions 7 to 9 are written and sent to customers for signatures, affixing, over lapping stamp. Condition 8 is used for Sample official document customers provide address prior to entering Vietnam.
• In some cases of having companying wife, husband and children, proof documents of relationships are required. (certified Vietnamese translated paper)
• Besides the requirements of documents, procedures for TRC, foreigners’ passports are required at least 1 year of validity from the date of application.

5. TIME PERIOD OF TRC FOR FOREIGNERS

• For representative office leaders, time period for TRC depends on period of that representative office’s operation.
• For workers with work permit applying TRC, time period for TRC depends on valid period of work permit

6. WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WHEN TRC EXPIRES?

When foreigners’ TRC expires, enterprises or organizations where they work have to ask for an extension of TRC at The Immigration Department or The Immigration Office of city where they work.
For foreign workers, work permit should be taken into consideration. If work permit is about to expire, enterprises or organizations are asked to extend work permit for foreigners. Work permit with at least 1 year of validity is required.
Documents for TRC
Note: Expiry date of TRC is written on the card. If the date of expiry is going to come, an extension is advised if foreigners want to continue using the TRC. You will be fined in case of excess of time limit.

7. FREE SERVICE OF APPLYING AND OFFERING ADVICE ABOUT TRC FOR FOREIGNERS

We have seen an increase in the number of foreigners working in Vietnam. The residing formality is a matter of concern to foreigners during the time they work and live in Vietnam. For the good of foreigners residing in Vietnam, we would like to recommend the instruction and consultation process for application of the temporal residence card for foreigners.

8. PROCESS OF APPLYING FOR TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CARD

Step 1 – Prepare the required documents
Step 2 – Foreigners applying for temporal residence card need approval and invitation from organizations, institutions, or individuals who act as guarantee for starting the procedure with The Immigration Office of province and city under the central of government. (for example, foreigners residing in Hanoi conduct procedure for TRC at The Immigration Office of Hanoi and foreigners residing in Ho Chi Minh city conduct procedure for TRC at The Immigration Office of Ho Chi Minh city).
Agencies, organizations and individuals who act as guarantee for foreigners send files to The Immigration Office of Province or City under the central of government.
Managerial staffs receive files, check legality and the content:

• If file is complete and in order, sender will get receipt and pay fees for staff. Staffs then write a receipt of payment, give receipt together with receipt of payment to sender.
• If file is incomplete and invalid, sender will get advices from staff for timely renewal.

Step 3: Get TRC at the division of The Immigration Office of province and city under the central of government which is responsible for receiving and returning the result.
Receivers show receipt and receipt of payment to compare. Staffs give the result and ask for receivers’ signature, then give TRC for receivers.

9. METHODS OF IMPLEMENTATION:

1. Place of document submission: Directly submit at headquarter of The Immigration Office of province and city under the central of government.
2. Document includes: …………(click for further details)
Aids we can give you for the procedure of TRC application for foreigners:

• Free advices about regulations on TRC & Visa grants
• Free advices about period of granting and extending TRC for foreigners according to regulations
• Free advices about related problems
• On behalf of customers to prepare related document translation and certification
• Preparing document for TRC & Visa application
• On behalf of customers to apply TRC at The Immigration Department or The Immigration Office of province or city where they reside.
• On behalf of customers to observe documents and inform the result of documents.
• Receiving TRC according to promising letter of competent government agencies.