Vietnam · Permanent Residency
Permanent-residence routes: eligibility, required years of residence, and the official application steps — including any investment routes where a country offers them.
AI-drafted, editorially reviewed. Confirm specifics with the official authority.
Vietnam’s permanent residence card (thẻ thường trú) is limited, granted mainly to those with special contributions to Vietnam, stateless persons long resident, or the spouse/child/parent of a Vietnamese citizen after several years. Most foreigners instead hold renewable temporary residence cards; permanent residence lets you stay without a visa.
Vietnam has permanent residence cards, but the route is narrow. Most foreign residents use temporary residence cards or visa categories tied to work, investment, family or study.
- Older official legal text lists permanent residence consideration for contributors and spouses, children or parents of Vietnamese citizens residing in Vietnam.
- Permanent residents must hold a permanent residence card and comply with reporting rules.
- Do not treat Vietnam PR as a broad points-based or investor-open route; verify eligibility with immigration authorities.
- 1
Check eligibility
Permanent residence is mainly for those with special contributions, long-resident stateless persons, or close family of a Vietnamese citizen.
- 2
Meet the family-route conditions
For the family route, you generally need a Vietnamese sponsor (spouse/parent/child) and several years of prior temporary residence.
- 3
Apply to the Immigration Department
File the permanent-residence application with the Immigration Department with sponsor, residence and criminal-record documents.
- 4
Await approval
Approval is discretionary and can take months; the permanent residence card (thẻ thường trú) is renewed periodically.
- 5
Receive permanent residence
Permanent residence lets you stay without a visa and work; you register your address with local police.
- 6
Understand alternatives and citizenship
If PR is out of reach, renewable temporary residence cards are the norm; Vietnamese naturalization generally requires giving up other nationality.
- Eligibility (contribution / stateless / Vietnamese family)
- Vietnamese sponsor + prior temporary residence (family route)
- Immigration Department application + documents
- Discretionary approval (months)
- Permanent residence card (renewable)
- Address registration with local police
- Alternative: renewable temporary residence card
- Naturalization usually requires renouncing other nationality
- Vietnam legal database — permanent residence provisions
Official legal text on permanent residence cards and eligibility.
- Vietnam Immigration Department
Immigration authority.
Frequently asked questions
Is permanent residence common in Vietnam?
No — it is limited and mostly for special contributors or close family of Vietnamese citizens; most foreigners hold temporary residence cards.
What is the alternative to PR?
A renewable temporary residence card (thẻ tạm trú), typically tied to work, investment or family, is the usual long-stay route.
Does Vietnam allow dual nationality?
Generally no — naturalization usually requires renouncing your other nationality, with limited exceptions.
Government portals
- Viet Nam Government Portal — Central government portal for ministries, policy and legal documents.
- National Portal on Immigration — e-Visa application, visa extension and temporary residence cards.
- Vietnam Customs — Tariff schedules, import and export procedures and the customs single window.