What is Vietnam's Work permit + temporary residence card (TRC)?

Anyone employed by a Vietnamese entity. The work permit comes first; the TRC is what actually lets you stay without visa runs. It lasts work permit up to 2 years; TRC issued to match, renewable. Permanent residence exists but is narrow in practice — largely for those with Vietnamese family ties or exceptional contributions. Most long-term foreigners simply keep renewing the TRC.

What is Vietnam's Investor visa / TRC (DT categories)?

Founders and shareholders in a Vietnamese company. Tiered DT1–DT4 by capital contributed. It lasts from 12 months at the lowest tier up to 5 years at the highest. Large, sustained investment can support a permanent residence application, but it is not automatic.

What is Vietnam's Family / spouse TRC (TT visa)?

Spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens, and dependants of TRC holders. It lasts up to 3 years, renewable. Spouses of Vietnamese citizens have the most realistic route to permanent residence.

GlobeQuest

Moving from Timor-Leste to Vietnam

What your passport gets you at the border — and what it takes to actually stay.

Timor-Leste

VietnamShort stay

e-Visa

Timor-Leste passport holders need an e-visa for Vietnam, applied for online before travelling.

This is short-stay visitor policy only. It does not let you work, study or settle in Vietnam — that needs a residence permit.

Passport Index · updated 17 February 2026Vietnam's official immigration service

Long stay

How you actually move to Vietnam

Work / sponsoredHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

Work permit + temporary residence card (TRC)

Anyone employed by a Vietnamese entity. The work permit comes first; the TRC is what actually lets you stay without visa runs.

What you need

Job offer from a registered Vietnamese employer
Degree plus at least 3 years' relevant experience for most 'expert' roles
Criminal record check — from Vietnam if you've been resident 6+ months, otherwise from home
Health check at an approved Vietnamese hospital
Legalised and consularised documents (degree, police check)

How long it lasts: Work permit up to 2 years; TRC issued to match, renewable.
Path to permanent residence: Permanent residence exists but is narrow in practice — largely for those with Vietnamese family ties or exceptional contributions. Most long-term foreigners simply keep renewing the TRC.
Cost: Work permit and TRC state fees are modest; legalisation, translation and agent fees usually dominate.
Processing time: Budget 1–3 months, mostly waiting on document legalisation.

Worth knowing

Document legalisation is the step that derails timelines. Start it in your home country before you fly.
The TRC is tied to your sponsoring employer — changing jobs means a new work permit.
Vietnam has no digital nomad or remote-work visa. Remote workers use the 90-day multiple-entry e-visa, which is a visitor permission: it creates no residence, no TRC and no path to anything. Any site advertising a 'Vietnam digital nomad visa' is describing the e-visa under a nicer name.
Tax residency is not only the 183-day count. You are also resident if you have a permanent residence in Vietnam — which includes a leased place taken for a qualifying period — and cannot prove tax residence elsewhere. That second limb is routinely omitted and catches people who kept their days under 183 but held a year-long lease.

Sources:Vietnam Immigration Department Ministry of Home Affairs — labour and work permit rules

InvestmentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Investor visa / TRC (DT categories)

Founders and shareholders in a Vietnamese company. Tiered DT1–DT4 by capital contributed.

What you need

Registered Vietnamese company with you named on the investment registration certificate
Capital contribution — the DT tier, and the length of stay it earns, scales with the amount
Business licence appropriate to the activity

How long it lasts: From 12 months at the lowest tier up to 5 years at the highest.
Path to permanent residence: Large, sustained investment can support a permanent residence application, but it is not automatic.
Cost: Company formation and capital requirements dwarf the visa fees.
Processing time: 1–3 months including incorporation.

Worth knowing

The DT tier is set by capital actually contributed, not merely registered.
An investor TRC does not by itself permit you to be employed by another company.
Vietnam's much-reported 'golden visa' — a 5-to-10-year investor or talent residence — remains a proposal. It was put to the Prime Minister in May 2025 and has not been legislated, so there is no application process. The DT categories here are the real investor route today.

Sources:Vietnam Immigration Department

FamilyMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Family / spouse TRC (TT visa)

Spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens, and dependants of TRC holders.

What you need

Marriage or birth certificate, legalised and translated
Sponsor's Vietnamese ID or valid TRC
Proof of accommodation and residence registration

How long it lasts: Up to 3 years, renewable.
Path to permanent residence: Spouses of Vietnamese citizens have the most realistic route to permanent residence.
Cost: State fees are low; translation and legalisation are the real costs.
Processing time: Several weeks once documents are legalised.

Worth knowing