How to get permanent residence in Vietnam in 2026

11 min read · Published 7 October 2026 · Updated 8 October 2026

The permanent residence card goes to a narrow group: spouses and relatives of Vietnamese citizens after 3 years, scientists and experts. The fee is about $100 and the card lasts 10 years.

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Key facts	2026
Who qualifies	spouses, parents and children of citizens, scientists and experts, people with merit
How long	3 continuous years on a temporary residence card for the family ground
Work and investment	do not lead to permanent residence; they give a 2-10 year temporary card
Language and exam	not required for permanent residence
Income	stable lawful income, no fixed amount
Fee	~$100 for the permanent residence card
Card validity	10 years; citizenship after 5 years of permanent residence

Data checked: 08.10.2026

A Vietnamese permanent residence card is a rare document. The Law on Entry and Residence of Foreigners grants it to four groups: spouses, parents and children of Vietnamese citizens, scientists and experts on a ministry's proposal, people with merit to the country, and stateless persons living in Vietnam since 2000. Employment and investment do not lead to permanent residence on their own: they give a temporary residence card for 2-10 years.

For those who qualify the route is clear: 3 years on a temporary card, stable income, a fee of about $100 and a decision by the Minister of Public Security within 4 months. Below: the grounds, documents, timelines, common reasons for refusal and how permanent residence differs from citizenship.

We will work out online the investment or income your family needs and what the permit costs for each member.

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How many years until permanent residence in Vietnam

Residence ground	Years to permanent residence	Special conditions
Marriage to a Vietnamese citizen	3 years	temporary residence card, spouse's sponsorship, stable income
Parent or child of a Vietnamese citizen	3 years	sponsorship by a relative who lives in Vietnam permanently
Scientist or expert	no fixed period	temporary residence and a proposal from a ministry or agency
Merit to Vietnam	no fixed period	state award or honorary title
Stateless person	special procedure	living in Vietnam since 2000 or earlier
Employment	does not lead to permanent residence	temporary card for up to 2 years, renewable
Investment	does not lead to permanent residence	temporary card for up to 10 years depending on the amount

Temporary cards differ by ground: investors get up to 10, 5 or 3 years depending on the amount invested, employees up to 2 years, family members of Vietnamese citizens up to 3 years. The card is issued for less than the passport's remaining validity, so the passport is renewed in advance.

Most foreigners who live in Vietnam for work or business rely on a temporary residence card: it can be renewed any number of times, but without a family ground it does not lead to permanent residence. Card types and how to move are covered on our moving to Vietnam page.

Who can apply for permanent residence in Vietnam

You can apply for a permanent residence card if you live in Vietnam lawfully, have a stable income and fall under one of the grounds in the law. The most common is marriage or kinship with a Vietnamese citizen: a spouse, parent or child who lives in the country permanently acts as the sponsor.

Conditions by ground:

spouse, parent or child of a Vietnamese citizen: at least 3 years of continuous residence in Vietnam on a temporary residence card and the relative's sponsorship;
scientist or expert: temporary residence in Vietnam and a proposal from the head of the ministry or agency where they work;
person with merit to Vietnam: a state award or honorary title;
stateless person: living in Vietnam since 2000 or earlier.

The application goes to the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security, and the minister decides on the card. It is issued for 10 years and then replaced.

The sponsor, a Vietnamese citizen, writes a letter to the Immigration Department and is responsible for the information about the applicant. If the marriage ends before the decision, the ground disappears and the card is refused.

Family members of a foreign applicant do not get the card automatically: each must qualify on their own ground. A child of a Vietnamese citizen is usually a citizen too, in which case permanent residence is not an issue.

How residence time and absences are counted

The three years are counted by the temporary residence card and entry and exit stamps. The period must be continuous: days on a tourist visa or e-visa do not count, and a gap between temporary cards restarts the clock.

Long absences are checked against passport stamps. The law requires continuous residence, so trips abroad lasting several months before filing are planned so that the years already built up are not lost.

Scientists, experts and people with merit have no fixed period: what decides is the agency's proposal and temporary residence in the country at the time of filing. A marriage-based temporary card is issued for up to 3 years, so one or two cards usually cover the required 3 years.

After the card is issued you still register your residence with the local police and update the details when you change address or passport. The permanent residence card removes the need to renew your status every 2-3 years, but it does not replace address registration.

Documents for permanent residence in Vietnam

application for a permanent residence card on the Immigration Department form;
police certificate from your country of citizenship, with an apostille and a certified Vietnamese translation;
copies of your passport and valid temporary residence card;
sponsorship letter from a spouse, parent or child who is a Vietnamese citizen;
proof of kinship: marriage or birth certificate;
proof of stable income: employment contract, bank statements, income certificate;
for scientists and experts, the ministry's or agency's proposal;
photos meeting the department's requirements.

The Apostille Convention has applied to Vietnam since 11 September 2026: foreign documents are filed with an apostille from the issuing country and a certified translation into Vietnamese. Consular legalisation remains for documents from Germany, Austria and Czechia, which objected to Vietnam's accession. Order the police certificate early: in some countries issuing and apostilling it takes more than a month.

Originals are shown at filing and certified copies stay in the file. The details on the form must match the passport and temporary card letter for letter: a different spelling of a name is a frequent reason to return the file.

Language and exams

There is no Vietnamese language exam for the permanent residence card, and no history or civics test either. All documents are filed in Vietnamese, so translations and dealings with the immigration service go through a translator or representative.

Language comes in at the next step: for citizenship the law requires enough Vietnamese to live in local society. For spouses, parents and children of Vietnamese citizens this condition can be waived.

Everyday life with a permanent residence card does not require Vietnamese either: in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City banks, clinics and international schools work in English.

How much permanent residence in Vietnam costs and how long it takes

Item	Cost
Permanent residence card	~$100
Temporary residence card, depending on validity	~$145-165
Apostille and translation of documents	separately, per document
Our support	a manager will calculate it in the chat

The fee for a permanent residence card is set by the Ministry of Finance: about $100 per card. Processing takes up to 4 months from a complete file, plus up to 2 more months if extra checks are needed.

Before applying you live on a temporary residence card and renew it: each card costs about $145-165 depending on its validity. Apostilles and translations are paid separately and depend on the issuing country.

For a family of three, the whole route costs from $800. We will calculate the exact amount for your family in the chat.

In Vietnam the ground decides, not the years

The law does not prevent you from applying for a permanent residence card on your own. But mistakes cost more than the fee: an application on a ground the law does not list comes back after months of waiting, a gap between temporary cards resets the three years, and a police certificate without an apostille and translation is not accepted. Murblz support removes these risks: we check your ground and time on the temporary card, prepare the sponsorship and income documents, arrange apostilles and translations for certificates and handle the application at the immigration department. We guarantee professional work and a transparent process, and in most cases a result on the first filing.

The support fee depends on your ground and family size; a manager will calculate it in the chat.

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Why permanent residence is refused in Vietnam

less than 3 years of continuous residence on a temporary residence card;
income cannot be proven or is unstable;
the marriage is found to be sham, or the sponsor does not live in Vietnam permanently;
a criminal record or breaches of residence rules;
documents without an apostille or translation;
a ground the law does not list: work or investment without family or an agency proposal.

After a refusal you can only reapply with a corrected ground or documents, and the wait starts again. That is why the ground and the file are checked before filing, and if permanent residence is not yet possible, a temporary card for the longest term is chosen.

What permanent residence in Vietnam gives and how it differs from citizenship

Question	Permanent residence	Citizenship
Duration	10-year card, then replaced	for life
Residence	no renewals while the card is valid	no limits
Passport	you keep your own country's passport	Vietnamese passport
Housing	under the rules for foreigners	same as citizens
Previous citizenship	kept	as a rule you must give it up; exceptions by the President's decision
Elections	no vote	full vote

Permanent residence gives stability to those whose life is tied to Vietnam through family, and it does not require changing passports.

Vietnamese citizenship comes after 5 years of permanent residence, with language and means of support. From 1 July 2025 the nationality law was eased for spouses, parents and children of Vietnamese citizens. Details are on our Vietnamese citizenship page.

Restrictions for specific nationalities

The permanent residence card rules are the same for all nationalities. Entry rules differ: citizens of Russia and Belarus enter Vietnam visa-free for 45 days, citizens of Kazakhstan for 30 days, and citizens of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and several other European countries for 45 days. Everyone else gets an e-visa for up to 90 days.

For permanent residence this means one thing: visa-free and visa days do not count towards the 3 years; a temporary residence card is needed. The police certificate from your country of citizenship is apostilled before filing, and where certificates take long to issue, this step comes first.

Citizens of ASEAN countries enter Vietnam visa-free for 14-30 days, but their route to permanent residence is the same: a temporary card, a ground from the law and 3 years.

This topic in other countries

Permanent residence in other countries:

About this country:

FAQ

Can you get permanent residence in Vietnam?

Yes, but only on the grounds in the law: marriage or kinship with a Vietnamese citizen, work as a scientist or expert on an agency's proposal, or merit to the country.

How many years until permanent residence in Vietnam through marriage?

After 3 years of continuous residence in Vietnam on a temporary residence card, with the spouse's sponsorship and a stable income.

Does investment give permanent residence in Vietnam?

No. An investor gets a temporary residence card for up to 10 years depending on the amount invested, but without a family ground it does not lead to permanent residence.

How much is a Vietnamese permanent residence card?

About $100. A temporary residence card before applying costs about $145-165 depending on its validity.

How long does a permanent residence application in Vietnam take?

Up to 4 months from a complete file, plus up to 2 months if extra checks are needed.

Do I need a Vietnamese language exam for permanent residence?

No. Language is needed later, for citizenship.

How long is the permanent residence card valid?

10 years, after which the card is replaced.

When can I get Vietnamese citizenship?

After 5 years of permanent residence. The law gives concessions to spouses, parents and children of citizens.

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