Temporary Residence Card Ho Chi Minh: TRC Guide for Foreigners

If you live, work, or invest in Ho Chi Minh City as a foreign national, a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) — thẻ tạm trú in Vietnamese — is what lets you stay long-term without renewing a visa every few months. Depending on your visa category, a TRC issued in Ho Chi Minh City can be valid for up to 10 years and allows unlimited entry and exit without a separate visa stamp. This guide walks you through who is eligible for a temporary residence card in Ho Chi Minh City (workers, investors, spouses, and family members), what documents you’ll need, where to file after the July 2025 city merger, how much it costs, how long it takes, and what has changed under the newest 2025–2026 immigration rules. If your case involves a self-sponsored business, a mixed-nationality family, or a previously rejected file, Nam Sơn Law’s lawyers can review your eligibility and help you get it right the first time.

What Is a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) in Vietnam?

A Temporary Residence Card, or thẻ tạm trú, is an official document issued by Vietnam’s immigration authorities that allows a foreign national to live in Vietnam for a fixed period — anywhere from 2 to 10 years — without applying for a new visa every time they enter or leave the country.

The TRC is defined under Article 3 of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam (Law No. 47/2014/QH13, as amended by Law No. 51/2019/QH14 and Law No. 23/2023/QH15). It’s roughly the size of a national ID card and is issued by the provincial immigration office — for Ho Chi Minh City, that’s the Immigration Management Office under the city’s Police Department — based on the underlying purpose of your stay: employment, investment, marriage or family ties, study, and a handful of other categories.

How Is a TRC Different From a Visa, a Work Permit, and a Permanent Residence Card?

A visa gets you into Vietnam; a TRC lets you stay and come and go freely once you’re here; a work permit authorizes you to be employed; and a permanent residence card (thẻ thường trú) is the only one of the four with no expiry date.

In practice, most foreigners in Ho Chi Minh City move through these documents in sequence: a visa to enter, then — once the underlying purpose of stay (a job, an investment, a marriage) is confirmed — a TRC to live here long-term, and potentially, years later, a permanent residence card if they meet the stricter eligibility rules for that.

Who Is Eligible for a TRC in Ho Chi Minh City, and How Long Does It Last?

Eligibility for a TRC is tied to the visa category you already hold, and each category carries its own maximum validity period — from up to 2 years for most employees to up to 10 years for large-scale investors.

In every case, your TRC’s term must fit within your passport’s remaining validity, with at least 30 days to spare — so a full 12-month card, for example, generally requires a passport valid for at least 13 months.

Who Qualifies for an LĐ-Category TRC as a Foreign Employee?

If you’re employed by a company in Ho Chi Minh City, your employer can typically sponsor an LĐ-category TRC once your work permit — or your work-permit exemption confirmation — is in place, usually valid for up to 2 years and renewable alongside your employment status. LĐ1 generally applies to foreign employees who are exempt from needing a work permit, while LĐ2 applies to those who hold one; either way, your employer’s role as sponsor is central to the process.

Since 7 August 2025, work permits themselves are governed by a new rule, Decree No. 219/2025/NĐ-CP, which shifted approval authority to provincial People’s Committees, folded the labor-demand explanation step into a single application dossier, and added an online “one-stop” option that links your work permit application with your judicial record request. Because your work permit (or exemption) is the foundation of an LĐ-category TRC, this decree can affect your document checklist even though the TRC rules themselves haven’t changed.

Who Qualifies for an ĐT-Category TRC as an Investor?

Your TRC eligibility as an investor depends on how much registered capital you’ve contributed: ĐT1 (VND 100 billion or more, or in a specially encouraged sector or area) can receive a TRC valid up to 10 years; ĐT2 (VND 50 billion to under 100 billion) up to 5 years; ĐT3 (VND 3 billion to under 50 billion) up to 3 years — and ĐT4, for capital under VND 3 billion, does not qualify for a TRC at all and receives only a visa, valid up to 12 months.

Many foreign entrepreneurs sponsor their own TRC application as the legal representative of a company they’ve registered in Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City’s immigration office has been applying closer scrutiny to these self-sponsored files lately, so it’s worth having your capital contribution evidence and enterprise documents reviewed before submission.

Who Qualifies for a TT-Category TRC as a Spouse or Family Member?

If you’re married to a Vietnamese citizen, or you’re the minor child or parent of one, you may qualify for a TT-category TRC valid for up to 3 years. The same category also covers close family members of certain other TRC holders — for example, the spouse or child of someone on an investor or long-term work visa — though in that case the dependent’s TRC generally can’t outlast the sponsoring family member’s own card.

What Documents Do You Need to Apply for a TRC?

Every TRC application starts with the same core paperwork — your passport, a completed declaration form, and a sponsorship letter — and then adds category-specific documents on top, such as a work permit for employees or a marriage certificate for family-based applications.

• Valid passport with at least 13 months of remaining validity
• Completed TRC declaration form (Form NA8)
• Two recent passport-style photos
• Current visa or TRC, if you’re renewing or converting
• Sponsorship documents from your employer, your investment enterprise, or your Vietnamese relative (Form NA7, and Form NA6 for organizations)

Documents issued outside Vietnam — a foreign marriage certificate, for instance — generally need consular legalization and a certified Vietnamese translation before they can be submitted.

Where and How Do You Apply for a TRC in Ho Chi Minh City?

Since Ho Chi Minh City’s July 2025 merger with Bình Dương and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu provinces, TRC applications for the expanded city are filed with the Immigration Management Office, whose main counter is now at 196 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Street, Xuân Hòa Ward.

Where Do You File a TRC Application in Ho Chi Minh City After the 2025 Merger?

The Immigration Management Office of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department currently operates three intake locations to serve the enlarged city:

• Main office: 196 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Xuân Hòa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City — tel. (028) 38.299.398
• Former Bình Dương area: 239 Ngô Gia Tự, Thủ Dầu Một Ward
• Former Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu area: 120 Phạm Hùng, Bà Rịa Ward

Ward names and procedures have been settling since the merger, so it’s worth confirming the current address and counter before you go — or letting Nam Sơn Law confirm it for you.

What Are the Steps in the TRC Application Process?

1. Confirm your category and gather documentsMatch your situation to the right TRC category — worker, investor, or family member — and assemble the core and category-specific paperwork.
2. Complete the official formsFill in the NA8 declaration, the NA7 sponsorship form, and — if an organization is sponsoring you — the NA6 official letter.
3. Submit your dossierFile in person at the Immigration Office, or online through the National Public Service Portal if your sponsoring organization has a registered VNeID corporate account.
4. Pay the statutory feeFees are paid in USD or the VND equivalent at the time of submission.
5. Receive your TRCFor a complete, valid dossier, processing normally takes 5 working days.
6. Register your VNeID profileTRC holders are now required to complete Level-2 VNeID registration in person, with their passport, physical card, and a Vietnamese SIM in their own name.

How Much Does a TRC Cost, and How Long Does It Take?

Government fees for a TRC are set nationwide by Circular No. 25/2021/TT-BTC and scale with how many years the card is valid for; processing takes 5 working days from the date the immigration office receives a complete, valid dossier.

These are government fees only — they don’t include translation, notarization, consular legalization, or professional fees for legal support.

How Do You Renew a Temporary Residence Card Before It Expires?

You renew a TRC by filing a fresh application with the same office before your current card expires, using updated documents that show your eligibility is continuing — for example, a renewed work permit or evidence that your marriage or investment status hasn’t changed.

It’s best to start the renewal process around 30 days before expiry, since a gap between your old TRC expiring and a new one being issued can leave your legal status in Vietnam unclear. Overstaying a valid residence document can lead to fines and, in more serious cases, complications with future entry into Vietnam — so building in a buffer is worth the extra planning.

What’s Changed for TRC Applicants in Ho Chi Minh City in 2025–2026?

TRC rules and procedures in Ho Chi Minh City have moved more in the past year than in the several years before it — mainly driven by the citywide administrative merger, a new digital-identity requirement, and two fresh pieces of immigration-related legislation.

Vietnam’s tourism authorities have also proposed a 5–10 year “Golden Visa” residency program for select cities, potentially including Ho Chi Minh City. As of this writing, that remains a proposal under government review, not an enacted law — we’ll update this guide if and when it takes effect.

Should You Apply for a TRC Yourself, or Get Legal Support?

Straightforward cases — a single employee with a clean work permit, for example — are often manageable on your own. Legal support tends to pay for itself once your situation gets more complex, or once a first attempt has already gone wrong.

Some of the most common reasons Ho Chi Minh City immigration offices reject or delay TRC applications include:

• A job title on the labor contract that doesn’t match the one listed on the work permit
• An application built on the wrong entry visa category for the applicant’s actual purpose of stay
• Foreign documents submitted without proper consular legalization or certified translation
• Investment capital contribution evidence that doesn’t clearly support the investor tier being claimed

Nam Sơn Law’s role in a TRC application is to assess your eligibility, prepare and check your dossier against current requirements, and represent you before the immigration authority — which makes the final decision on every application, as with any state administrative procedure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion: Getting Your TRC Right the First Time

Getting a Temporary Residence Card in Ho Chi Minh City comes down to matching the right category to your situation — employment, investment, or family — and then building a complete, correctly translated dossier before you submit it. The rules have moved more in the past year than in the several years before it: a citywide merger changed where you file, VNeID registration became mandatory, and new decrees reshaped the paperwork behind work-permit-based applications. None of that needs to slow you down if your file is prepared correctly from the start.

Nam Sơn Law’s lawyers work with foreign employees, investors, and families across Ho Chi Minh City to assess eligibility, prepare and check TRC dossiers, and represent clients before the immigration authority. If you’d like a straightforward, no-guesswork path to your Temporary Residence Card, we’re ready to help.