Step to step for application of Residence card in Vietnam

Temporary Residence Card in Vietnam. In economical globalization, the number of foreign laborers in Vietnam increase significantly, which leads to the economic improvement of Vietnam and foreign investor’s absorptions. According to the law on foreigners’ entry into, exit from, transit through, and residence in Vietnam, foreigners have to be granted a temporary residence card for easy population management and residence time.

Legal basis of  procedures for granting foreigners temporary residence cards in Vietnam

• Law on foreigners’ entry into, exit from, transit through, and residence in Vietnam (Number: 47/2014/QH13, 16/06/2014).
• Circular No 04/2015/TT-BCA dated January 05, 2015, on specimen papers concerning foreigners entering, leaving, and residing in Vietnam.
• Circular No. 219/2016/TT-BTC dated November 10, 2016, on the rate, collection, submission, administration, and use of the charges on entry, exit, transit, and residency in Vietnam.

Cases eligible for grant of temporary residence cards and symbols of temporary residence cards in Vietnam

• Foreigners who are members of diplomatic missions, consular offices, representative offices of international organizations affiliated to the United Nations or intergovernmental organizations in Vietnam, their spouses, under-18 children, and housemaid who live with them during their terms of office.
• Foreigners who hold LV1, LV2, ĐT, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LĐ, or TT visas.

Visa symbols

• LV1 – To be granted to people who come to work with departments, agencies, and units under the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Central Committee; the National Assembly, the Government, the Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the State Audit of Vietnam, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, People’s Councils and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities.
• LV2 – To be granted to people who come to work with socio-political organizations, social organizations, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
• LS – to be granted to foreign lawyers practicing in Vietnam
• DT1 – To be granted to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam and contributing capital of VND 100 billion or more or investing in business lines benefitting from investment incentives, in administrative divisions benefitting from investment incentives decided by the Government.
• DT2 – To be granted to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam and contributing capital of VND 50 billion to less than VND 100 billion or investing in business lines benefitting from investment incentives treatment decided by the Government
• DT3 – To be granted to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign organizations investing in Vietnam and contributing capital of VND 3 billion to less than VND 50 billion.
• NN1 – To be granted to heads of representative offices or projects of international organizations and foreign non-governmental organizations in Vietnam.
• NN2 – To be granted to heads of representative offices or branches of foreign traders, representative offices of other foreign economic, cultural, professional organizations in Vietnam.
• DH – To be granted to people who come to practice as probationers or study in Vietnam.
• PV1 – To be granted to permanent correspondents and journalists in Vietnam.
• LD1 – To be granted to foreigners working in Vietnam and certified of eligibility for work permit exemption, unless otherwise specified by international agreements to which Vietnam is a signatory.
• LD2 – To be granted to foreigners working in Vietnam requiring a work permit
• NG3 – To be granted to members of diplomatic missions, consular offices, and representative offices of international organizations affiliated to the United Nations, representative offices of intergovernmental organizations and their spouses, under-18 children, and housemaids who live with them during their terms of office.
• TT – To be granted to foreigners who are parents, spouses, under-18 children of foreigners holding LV1, LV2, ĐT, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, or LĐ visas, or foreigners who are parents, spouses, or children of Vietnamese citizens.

Steps of procedure for foreigners to grant temporary residence cards

Step 1: Prepare dossier according to legislation.

Step 2: Submit dossiers.

The place to submit dossiers of application for temporary residence cards for foreigners

The applicants or authorized agencies submit dossiers at one of the headquarters of Immigration  Administration – The Ministry of Public Security:

• No 44-46, Tran Phu street, Ba Đinh district, Hanoi city.
• No 254, Nguyen Trai street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh city.
• No 7, Tran Quy Cap street, Danang City.
• Or Immigration Office – Public Security of the central-affiliated provinces and cities.

Immigration agencies mentioned above receive dossiers and examine the legal status and contents of the dossiers.

• If dossiers have adequate information and are valid, reception officers will receive dossiers, print, return the receipt of documentation, and appoint a date for returning dossiers.
• If dossiers are invalid, reception officers will instruct the applicants to submit additional dossiers for adequacy.

Time for submission of dossiers.

• From Monday to Saturday morning every week. (except Tet holiday, national festivals, and Sunday).

Step 3: Receive results.

Within 5 working days, applicants provide advice of receipt, identity card or passport for officers to examine and check information, and then, require payment, sign and give applicants their temporary residence card when having the result in granting temporary residence card (even when granting of temporary residence cards is not permitted)

Time of dossiers results to return.

• From Monday to Saturday morning every week. (except Tet holiday, national festivals, and Sunday).

Requirements, conditions for being a place

• The validity duration of the passport is more than 01 year.
• The validity duration of papers proving the eligibility for grant of temporary residence cards of foreigners is at least more than 01 year. (Eg: Work permits,…)

A dossier of application for a temporary residence card

A dossier of application for a temporary residence card of foreigners who have Vietnam work permits.

• A written request of the inviting or guaranteeing agency, organization, or individual;
• A declaration for grant of a temporary residence card stuck the applicant’s photo;
• The passport of foreigners to apply for temporary residence cards in Vietnam;
• Certificate confirming the operation of enterprise using foreign workers (enterprise registration certificate, investment license, registration certificate of representative offices, registration certificate of branches,… there are other documents based on enterprises and types of enterprises.
• Registration certificate of the seal or written notice about uploading the information of the company’s seal on the National Enterprise Registration Portal.
• A notarized copy of work permit or certificate of work permit exemption of foreign workers.
• Register for the first seal and signature at Immigration agencies (NA16);
• Written request and application form for issuance of temporary resident card (NA6).
• Application form for issuance of the temporary resident card for foreigners (NA8).
• Letter of introduction to Vietnamese employees for carrying out procedures’ temporary residence application at Immigration agencies.
• The passport (Note that the passport has visa having the right purpose of Vietnam entry, in circumstance foreign workers granted temporary residence card before have to provide that temporary residence card)
• The Confirmation of temporary residence or temporary residence book of foreigners has been confirmed by public security agencies of communes, wards in localities where foreigners have temporary residence in Vietnam. In some circumstances, Immigration management agencies require workers to provide these documents.
• 02 personal photos in 2×3 cm size.

A dossier of application for a temporary residence card of foreigners getting marriage to Vietnamese people.

• A written request of the inviting or guaranteeing agency, organization, or individual;
• A declaration for grant of a temporary residence card stuck the applicant’s photo;
• Passport of applicants.
• A notarized copy of marriage registration certificate in Vietnam or a copy of Consular Legalization for getting married in Vietnam in circumstance foreign marriage registration.
• Application form for issuance of temporary resident card (NA7).
• Application form for issuance of the temporary resident card for foreigners (NA8).
• Passport and visa (the validity duration of passport is at least 13 months and visa has the right purpose of Vietnam entry).
• 02 personal photos in 2×3 cm size.
• A notarized copy of the household registration book of a Vietnamese wife or husband.
• A notarized copy of the identity card of the Vietnamese wife or husband.

A dossier of application for a temporary residence card of foreign investors in Vietnam

• A written request of the inviting or guaranteeing agency, organization, or individual;
• A declaration for grant of a temporary residence card stuck the applicant’s photo;
• Passport of applicants.
• A notarized copy of enterprise registration certificate, investment license including contributed capital of foreign investors specifically.
• Registration certificate of the seal or written notice about uploading the information of the company’s seal on the National Enterprise Registration Portal.
• Register for the first seal and signature at Immigration agencies (NA16);
• Written request and application form for issuance of temporary resident card (NA6).
• Application form for issuance of a temporary resident card for foreigners (NA8).
• Letter of introduction to Vietnamese employees for carrying out procedures’ temporary residence application at Immigration agencies.
• Passport and visa (the validity duration of passport is at least 13 months and visa has a right purpose of Vietnam entry).
• the Confirmation of temporary residence or temporary residence book of foreigners has been confirmed by public security agencies of communes, wards in localities where foreigners have temporary residence in Vietnam.
• 02 personal photos in 2×3 cm size.

Competence to grant temporary residence cards to foreigners

1. Diplomatic missions, consular offices, or other authorized foreign agencies in Vietnam shall send dossiers of application for NG3 temporary residence cards to the competent agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2. Inviting or guaranteeing agencies, organizations and individuals shall directly submit dossiers of application for temporary residence cards for foreigners who hold LV1, LV2, ĐT, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LĐ, or TT visas to immigration management agencies in localities where inviting or guaranteeing agencies, organizations and individuals are located or where invited or guaranteed persons reside.
3. Within 5 working days after receiving a complete dossier, the immigration management agency or competent agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall consider granting a temporary residence card.

The validity duration of temporary residence cards of foreigners in Vietnam.

• The validity duration of a temporary residence card granted to a foreigner is at least 30 days shorter than the remaining validity duration of the passport of its holder.
• The validity of DT1 temporary residence cards does not exceed 10 years.
• Validity of NG3, LV1, LV2, LS, DT2, and DH temporary residence cards do not exceed 5 years.
• Validity of NN1, NN2, DT3, and TT temporary residence cards do not exceed 3 years.
• The validity of LD1, LD2, and PV1 temporary residence cards does not exceed 2 years.
• An expired temporary resident card shall be considered for issuance anew.

The consultant services of Viet An Law Firm about temporary residence cards in Vietnam for foreigners

• Consult about legislation on temporary residence cards for foreigners.
• Consult about conditions for grant of a temporary residence card for foreign workers.
• Provide clients instructions on dossiers to grant a temporary residence card.
• Translate, notarize and provide consular authentication for dossiers to grant a temporary residence card.
• Accomplish dossiers of application for a temporary residence card in Vietnam.
• Represent clients to accomplish procedures for grant of temporary residence cards at competent agencies.
• Besides, Viet An Law Firm also consults clients about laws on procedures for grant of temporary residence cards for foreigners: consults about work permit; procedures for confirming workers who are ineligible for grant of work permits; procedures for visa application in Vietnam…