The correct sequence from entry through to holding a temporary residence card, the four cases of in-country change of visa purpose, the distinction between LD1 and LD2, the formula for determining the term of a temporary residence card, sponsorship of relatives and the temporary residence declaration obligation.
About this article
The rule behind the whole route. The work permit must come before a labour visa, and the visa before the temporary residence card. A foreign national cannot apply for a labour temporary residence card until the labour procedures are complete. A mistake in the order at the start can usually be fixed only by leaving and re-entering Vietnam.
Information updated to September 2026. This article provides general information and does not replace legal advice for a specific case. Forms and a number of procedural rules were amended during 2026, so the current forms need to be checked before a dossier is prepared.
1. Work permit, visa and card must be obtained in the right order
- The enterprise applies for the work permit between 60 days and 10 days before the employee's expected start date. Under Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP, the report explaining the need for foreign workers is now part of this step, not a separate procedure.
- The work permit is issued within 10 working days of a complete application. A refusal must be given in writing, with reasons, within 3 working days. The provincial People's Committee issues the permit.
- Apply for the entry approval letter (personnel clearance) if the employee is not yet in Vietnam.
- Collect the visa at a Vietnamese mission abroad, or at an international border gate if the approval letter says so.
- Enter Vietnam and declare temporary residence at the place of stay.
- Apply for the temporary residence card at the immigration division of the provincial police or at the Immigration Department.
- Receive the temporary residence card within 5 working days.
- Once the employee holds the card, they can sponsor family members for TT visas and temporary residence cards.
2. Entering in the right category is a precondition
2.1. The four cases in which the purpose of a visa may be changed in-country
In principle, a visa's purpose cannot be changed. Immigration law allows only four exceptions:
| Case | Change to | Evidential condition |
|---|---|---|
| Holds documents proving status as an investor or as the representative of a foreign organisation investing in Vietnam | DT1 to DT4 | An Investment Registration Certificate or Enterprise Registration Certificate showing the capital contribution; the amount determines the symbol and card term |
| Holds documents proving they are the parent, spouse or child of the inviting or sponsoring individual | TT | Civil status documents, consular legalised and translated with notarisation |
| Invited or sponsored by an agency or organisation to work, and holds a work permit or exemption confirmation | LD1 or LD2 | Two conditions: a sponsoring organisation, and a work permit or confirmation already issued |
| Entered on an e-visa and holds a work permit or exemption confirmation | LD1 or LD2 | Added specifically for e-visas |
2.2. A visa-free entrant has no visa to convert
The rules on changing purpose apply only to a visa. A person who enters visa-free has no visa, so on the wording of the law there is nothing to convert. Because the law adds a separate case for e-visas but none for visa-free entry, the gap is even clearer.
The law does not expressly prohibit it, so practice may vary. Still, the usual outcome is that an employee who entered visa-free, even with a work permit, must leave and re-enter on a labour visa under an approval letter sponsored by the enterprise.
Enter on an e-visa or a sponsored visa. An employee who plans to complete the procedures in Vietnam should enter on an e-visa or an enterprise-sponsored visa, not visa-free for convenience.
3. LD1 and LD2 visas cover two different groups
| Symbol | Granted to | Mandatory document |
|---|---|---|
| LD1 | People working in Vietnam who are not required to hold a work permit | Work permit exemption confirmation |
| LD2 | People working in Vietnam who must hold a work permit | Work permit |
LD1 and LD2 visas last up to 2 years. LD1 and LD2 temporary residence cards also last up to 2 years.
Long-term residents should obtain a written confirmation, not just give notice. Some exempt cases need only give notice 3 working days in advance instead of obtaining a written confirmation. But an LD1 visa or card application requires the written confirmation, so someone who only gave notice will not have it. A person who will stay long-term should obtain a written confirmation from the start.
4. The enterprise obtains an entry approval letter so the employee can get a visa
The application for an entry approval letter includes: the request form for consideration and clearance of the foreign national; the seal and signature specimen of the authorised signatory (first application only); a copy of the enterprise registration certificate or operating licence; and the work permit (LD2) or exemption confirmation (LD1). Investor applications need proof of capital contribution; family applications need civil status documents.
The Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security handles the application: 5 working days normally, 3 working days if the visa will be collected at an international border gate, and 12 working hours in urgent cases.
New forms apply from 1 July 2026. Circular No. 70/2026/TT-BCA of 25 May 2026 amends the forms for foreign nationals' entry, exit and residence, with new forms from 1 July 2026. Check the current forms before preparing an application, because forms in older guidance may be out of date.
From 1 July 2026, Law No. 118/2025/QH15 also allows invitations and sponsorships to be filed by post or online, as well as in person.
5. The card's term depends on the work permit and the passport
5.1. The dossier and the handling authority
The application includes: the request from the sponsoring agency or organisation (or the sponsoring individual, for family members); the temporary residence card application form with a photo stamped by the sponsor; the original passport with a valid visa; the work permit or exemption confirmation; a 2x3 cm photo on a white background; and the temporary residence registration certificate.
The immigration division of the police of the province where the sponsor has its head office, or the Immigration Department, handles the application within 5 working days of receiving a complete, valid application.
5.2. Fees
Under Circular No. 25/2021/TT-BTC, the fee for issuance of a temporary residence card is USD 145 per card for a card valid for up to 02 years; USD 155 for a card valid for over 02 years up to 05 years; and USD 165 for a card valid for over 05 years up to 10 years. The fee for extending or amending a visa is USD 10 per occasion.
5.3. Determining the term of the temporary residence card
Three limits apply at the same time to a temporary residence card's term:
- The passport limit. The card must expire at least 30 days before the passport.
- The cap by symbol. LD1 and LD2: 2 years; TT and DT3: 3 years; DT2, DH, LS, LV1, LV2 and NG3: 5 years; DT1: 10 years.
- The work permit limit. An LD2 card cannot outlast the work permit. Since a work permit lasts up to 2 years under Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP, an LD2 card in practice also stops at 2 years.
The card term is therefore the shortest of: the cap for the symbol, the work permit term, and the passport's remaining validity minus 30 days.
In practice, immigration usually requires about 13 months of passport validity to issue a 12-month card. If the passport is close to expiry, renew it first, rather than accept a short card and repeat the procedure a few months later.
5.4. Two new visa symbols apply from 1 July 2026
Law No. 118/2025/QH15 adds two visa symbols: UD1 for high-quality digital technology personnel, and UD2 for their spouses and children under 18, with visas of up to 5 years. DT1, UD1 and UD2 temporary residence cards last up to 10 years.
The Law also provides that documents already held in a national or specialised database need not be submitted again.
6. Employees can sponsor their relatives
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Symbol | TT: for spouses and children under 18 of LV1, LV2, LS, DT1 to DT4, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LD1 or LD2 visa holders; or for parents, spouses or children of Vietnamese citizens |
| Term of the temporary residence card | Up to 3 years, but not beyond the sponsor's card |
| Documents | Marriage or birth certificate, consular legalised and translated with notarisation; valid passport; confirmation of temporary residence declaration |
| Right to work | A TT card does not give the right to work. A family member who wants to work needs a work permit or an exemption, unless they are married to a Vietnamese citizen and live in Vietnam |
This has a practical effect. Because a TT card cannot outlast the sponsor's card, and an LD2 card lasts at most 2 years, family members of an LD2 employee must renew on the same 2-year cycle, even though the TT cap is 3 years.
7. Accommodation providers must declare foreigners' temporary residence
The duty to declare temporary residence falls on the person who manages the accommodation, including hotels, guesthouses, rental housing, enterprises and households where foreign nationals stay. It is not the foreign national's duty.
The declaration is made online or on a declaration form filed with the commune or ward police. Circular No. 87/2026/TT-BCA of 9 June 2026 governs how foreign nationals' temporary residence is declared and received. The accommodation must check the foreign national's documents and declare before letting them stay.
Under Decree No. 282/2025/ND-CP, failing to declare temporary residence is fined VND 3 to 5 million for 1 to 3 people, VND 10 to 15 million for 4 to 8 people, and VND 15 to 20 million for 9 or more. Organisations are fined double.
Landlords who fail to declare often delay applications. Temporary residence card applications are often delayed because the landlord has not declared the tenant, while the application needs a temporary residence registration certificate. Put a declaration clause with a deadline in the lease from the start.
8. On leaving employment or changing employer
A work permit is tied to one employer. If the employee moves to another enterprise, they need a new work permit, not a reissued one.
Within 15 days after a work permit or exemption confirmation ceases to be valid, the employer or employee must return it to the issuing authority. If it is not returned on time, the authority will revoke it.
When the work permit ends, the LD2 card loses its basis, so the employee must deal with the immigration authority. The enterprise should not leave a gap between the end of the contract and sorting out the residence documents, because the employee bears the risk of overstaying and the fine rises with each day.
Decree No. 219/2025 has one helpful point: a person with a work permit in one province may work in another province by notifying the authority there 3 working days in advance. The old procedure to update the place of work has been abolished.
9. The work permit must be extended before the card
- Work permit extension: apply between 5 and 45 days before expiry. Under Decree No. 219/2025, a work permit can be extended only once, for up to 2 years. Decree No. 152/2020 had no limit on the number of extensions.
- Exemption confirmation extension: can be extended once, for up to 2 years. This mechanism is new.
- Temporary residence card: a card cannot be extended. When it expires, the employee applies for a new card.
The safe order at renewal. Because the new card depends on the new work permit, extend the work permit first (about 45 days before expiry), then apply for the new card. Doing it the other way round may produce a shorter card than expected or a rejected application.
10. Dates the enterprise should monitor
- Each person's work permit expiry date, with an alert 60 days ahead.
- Temporary residence card expiry, with an alert 45 days ahead.
- Passport expiry, with an alert 6 months ahead, because a short passport validity shortens the card.
- Family members' card expiry dates, which usually follow the sponsor's cycle.
- Temporary residence declaration status at the current address, updated whenever the address changes.
- How many work permit extensions have been used, since only one is allowed.
- The duty to return documents within 15 days when the employee leaves.