Steps to obtain an Investor TRC (Temporary Residence Card) in Vietnam

Did you have to provide any evidence that you were actually investing in anything?

Not, really but they asked whether the company is active or not. One of the staff asked to provide tax report. I told her that tax is up-to-date. People who registered company first time should provide the investment certificate.

Wow, that's  cool. I'm trying to get my girlfriend to make a ltd company here ( though i have no idea how) plus my daughter is a VNese citizen so hoping I can just work on-line and be done with the skimmigration mafia

No, immigration staff is now better than rip off agents who take too much money and ask more documents. Actually I intend to give the same consulting firm who take the DT visa on arrival letter for me but they asked so many documents which I need to collect. We approach agents for less hassle but they just take money and give more work to customer
There is one company name SUNVIET in HCMC. One of their staff asked $580, another staff from the same company asked $1200 !!!

your GF's a vietnam citizen ?

charmavietnam wrote:

No, immigration staff is now better than rip off agents who take too much money and ask more documents. Actually I intend to give the same consulting firm who take the DT visa on arrival letter for me but they asked so many documents which I need to collect. We approach agents for less hassle but they just take money and give more work to customer
There is one company name SUNVIET in HCMC. One of their staff asked $580, another staff from the same company asked $1200 !!!

It's the same with the marriage TRC, places quoted me up to 300 usd. All they had to do was lodge the paperwork, which was all of two hours work, not bad money. We did it ourselves and saved on the outrageous fees.

BUMBLEBEE123 wrote:

your GF's a vietnam citizen ?

If you asked the question to me: No, I don't have a GIRL FRIEND

Please use private message function for personal questions, thanks!

colinoscapee wrote:

It's the same with the marriage TRC, places quoted me up to 300 usd. All they had to do was lodge the paperwork, which was all of two hours work, not bad money. We did it ourselves and saved on the outrageous fees.

Yeah, if we spend little time, we can learn and save money!
Even though they are corrupted, they will support and serve original customers if provide sufficient documents. In my case, as I stated, they asked less documents than consulting agents.

charmavietnam wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

It's the same with the marriage TRC, places quoted me up to 300 usd. All they had to do was lodge the paperwork, which was all of two hours work, not bad money. We did it ourselves and saved on the outrageous fees.

Yeah, if we spend little time, we can learn and save money!
Even though they are corrupted, they will support and serve original customers if provide sufficient documents. In my case, as I stated, they asked less documents than consulting agents.

True. I collected all the necessary documents and lodged it, these agents are making a fortune for doing squat. The process has been streamlined since I did my last one.

Thaiger wrote:

I'm trying to get my girlfriend to make a ltd company here

As an "experienced' hand, I will guide you to save money if you really want to register company.
Registering company under Vietnamese citizen's name has many benefits including tax and annual auditing but later it will cost more if you need a transfer of ownership under your name.
Transfer of ownership fee for law firms is bit higher than registering new company under your name. Registration under Vietnamese' name is cheap, just below 5 million including TOKEN and SEAL.

Investor will get a DT TRC. Validity of DT TRC depends on your validity of Work Permit Exemption Certificate. Usually 2 years.

Direct fee : $155

I'm planning to move to Vietnam later this year and this topic got me very interested.

I have few questions, but if my questions needs a whole different thread to answer, I will understand if you ignore them, as I'm not very sure I understand the whole thing correctly.

My case is that I'm a drop-out, getting a work permit would be slightly hard, not impossible, just hard, I don't even know if work permit is needed for the temporary residence card or not.

But I'm curious to know how this all started, do you have an actual company or is it on paper only and not actually active.

How much did the whole process cost? starting from building the company all way to getting the residence card.

What was the hardest/most expensive part during the entire process?

Thanks in advance :3

For what reason will you qualify for a TRC, marriage or work?

FouadAdel wrote:

My case is that I'm a drop-out, getting a work permit would be slightly hard, not impossible, just hard, I don't even know if work permit is needed for the temporary residence card or not.

As this thread is about "Investor TRC", you don't need a WP but WP Exemption given when you register the company.

FouadAdel wrote:

But I'm curious to know how this all started, do you have an actual company or is it on paper only and not actually active.

Yes, I have a real functioning LLC

FouadAdel wrote:

How much did the whole process cost? starting from building the company all way to getting the residence card.

I din't start company to get the TRC. It was registered in 2014. It's a 500m VND company then in the Business License. You should deposit the amount in BIDV legally but there is loophole like any other red tape.
To apply for the Investor TRC, you should provide the Business License, Investment Certificate, Tax Token Certificate, Work Permit Exemption Certificate, Recidential document from the Ward police and should keep your Company Seal for stamping.

FouadAdel wrote:

What was the hardest/most expensive part during the entire process?

There is not much hardest / expensive part in these process but after that is the HARDEST part
Tax reporting, keeping accounts, incoming and outgoing GTGT (VAT) correctly, finding suitable accountant, auditing.....

Thank you so much , that was really helpful, I appreciate the effort you are putting into sharing all these info with us :3

VCCI member but rarely attend events
You can join in various chamber of commerce network meeting in your city.
You can search for meetups in CITYNETEVENTS

Is it possible to get a temporary residence card (or “Investor's Visa”) if you don't have a company, don't have a VNese wife or relative, and are retired, not working?

If you are just a tourist and buy shares in VN companies on the HCMC stock exchange, do you qualify for a TRC?

If you deposit substantial sums in a VN bank, do you qualify for a TRC?

What if you take VNese language courses? Is that a way to qualify?

Are there any other ways to qualify that haven't been mentioned in this thread?

Thanks for any answers.

Greg309 wrote:

Is it possible to get a temporary residence card (or “Investor's Visa”) if you don't have a company, don't have a VNese wife or relative, and are retired, not working?

If you are just a tourist and buy shares in VN companies on the HCMC stock exchange, do you qualify for a TRC?

If you deposit substantial sums in a VN bank, do you qualify for a TRC?

What if you take VNese language courses? Is that a way to qualify?

Are there any other ways to qualify that haven't been mentioned in this thread?

Thanks for any answers.

No.

I have been trying to understand all of this but I am really struggling...

I'd like to get a visa which is longer than 1 year (business visa), so I have been considering an investor visa.

How much do I need to invest and where can I invest?

I am not overly interested in running the business, can I simply invest in any business?

An example could be to invest in an already running bar, cafe etc and just let them keep doing their thing.... Is that possible?

colinoscapee wrote:

Greg309 wrote:

Is it possible to get a temporary residence card (or “Investor's Visa”) if you don't have a company, don't have a VNese wife or relative, and are retired, not working?

If you are just a tourist and buy shares in VN companies on the HCMC stock exchange, do you qualify for a TRC?

If you deposit substantial sums in a VN bank, do you qualify for a TRC?

What if you take VNese language courses? Is that a way to qualify?

Are there any other ways to qualify that haven't been mentioned in this thread?

Thanks for any answers.

No.

Just in case it's not too clear, the "No' that Colin gave applied to the first 4 questions.  For the last one, you can apply for a TRC is you fulfilled one of these requirements:

– Member of a Limited Company with 2 or more members,
– Owner of one-member Limited Company in Vietnam
– Member of Board of Directors of a Vietnamese Joint-stock Company
– Foreign lawyers who are granted a permit to practice in Vietnam
– Foreign employers with related work permit working in Vietnamese enterprises or Representative offices of foreign companies in Vietnam – Professionals, students, trainees working or studying in national programs and projects signed by ministries and approved by the Government.

[color=#e71f1f]

Ciambella wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Greg309 wrote:

Is it possible to get a temporary residence card (or “Investor's Visa”) if you don't have a company, don't have a VNese wife or relative, and are retired, not working?

If you are just a tourist and buy shares in VN companies on the HCMC stock exchange, do you qualify for a TRC?

If you deposit substantial sums in a VN bank, do you qualify for a TRC?

What if you take VNese language courses? Is that a way to qualify?

Are there any other ways to qualify that haven't been mentioned in this thread?

Thanks for any answers.

No.

Just in case it's not too clear, the "No' that Colin gave applied to the first 4 questions.  For the last one, you can apply for a TRC is you fulfilled one of these requirements:

– Member of a Limited Company with 2 or more members,
– Owner of one-member Limited Company in Vietnam
– Member of Board of Directors of a Vietnamese Joint-stock Company
– Foreign lawyers who are granted a permit to practice in Vietnam
– Foreign employers with related work permit working in Vietnamese enterprises or Representative offices of foreign companies in Vietnam – Professionals, students, trainees working or studying in national programs and projects signed by ministries and approved by the Government.

The rules are the same as any anywhere;  You pays your money one place or another to be legally employed and a bona fide resident in VN.  You either must have credentials to receive a job that other qualified VN could perform, big money to invest in VN as an entrepreneur, or marry a VN citizen, and have them take advantage of Govt. exemptions, etc.....and take your chances. Digital nomads and youtubers.....barf.

Not true. I am a 'victim' of the latter
Took too much effort and money (same amount as registering a fresh company) to get back 'my company' under my name, legally
Yes, there are benefits like tax, no yearly auditing...
But once the company started to 'grow', people also change

GuidoVN wrote:

Big money to invest in VN as an entrepreneur, or marry a VN citizen, and have them take advantage of Govt. exemptions, etc.....and take your chances. Digital nomads and youtubers.....barf.

Hello.  I've been looking through this thread and I'm still confused as to how the TRC works.

I'm a U.S. citizen married to a VN citizen.

1.  Can I get a T.R.C. just being married to my VN wife now?
2.  If I have a T.R.C., do I need to still get visas?
3.  Do I need to get the T.R.C. stamped or checked every once in a while?
4.  Is the T.R.C. pasted into your passport like the Visas?
5.  Is it okay to apply for a T.R.C. while you are on any visa? D.N. or tourist, etc.?

One more question about the order of things.  I've got a year long multi-entry D.N. visa that expires in September.  My passport expires in 2.5 years.  In what order should I renew my passport, get a new visa, and apply for a T.R.C.?  I'm worried about having an empty passport if I renew it afterwards. 

Thank you.

mtgmike wrote:

Hello.  I've been looking through this thread and I'm still confused as to how the TRC works.

I'm a U.S. citizen married to a VN citizen.

First off perhaps your query should be in the thread titled "3 Year TRC (Temporary Residence Card) without work permit."  Admittedly the title may not say so but that thread is about the TRC based on marriage to VN citizens.  Sorry for acting as a forum cop of sorts but this thread is for those looking for an investor related TRC.  On second thought, perhaps marriage is the biggest investment of all.   

I will leave the replies to your specific questions to others who hold those marriage related TRC's, but some of the answers you seek may be in the other thread.

THIGV wrote:

mtgmike wrote:

Hello.  I've been looking through this thread and I'm still confused as to how the TRC works.

I'm a U.S. citizen married to a VN citizen.

First off perhaps your query should be in the thread titled "3 Year TRC (Temporary Residence Card) without work permit."  Admittedly the title may not say so but that thread is about the TRC based on marriage to VN citizens.  Sorry for acting as a forum cop of sorts but this thread is for those looking for an investor related TRC.  On second thought, perhaps marriage is the biggest investment of all.   

I will leave the replies to your specific questions to others who hold those marriage related TRC's, but some of the answers you seek may be in the other thread.

Whoops, I got the two threads mixed up.  I'll post it in the other thread.  Thank you.

It's 11 pages.  Happy reading.   

mtgmike wrote:

Hello.  I've been looking through this thread and I'm still confused as to how the TRC works.

I'm a U.S. citizen married to a VN citizen.

1.  Can I get a T.R.C. just being married to my VN wife now?
2.  If I have a T.R.C., do I need to still get visas?
3.  Do I need to get the T.R.C. stamped or checked every once in a while?
4.  Is the T.R.C. pasted into your passport like the Visas?
5.  Is it okay to apply for a T.R.C. while you are on any visa? D.N. or tourist, etc.?

One more question about the order of things.  I've got a year long multi-entry D.N. visa that expires in September.  My passport expires in 2.5 years.  In what order should I renew my passport, get a new visa, and apply for a T.R.C.?  I'm worried about having an empty passport if I renew it afterwards. 

Thank you.

1. Yes, costs about $120
2. No visa needed
3. Nope
4. No. It is a laminated ID card
5. Yes, apply anytime

If you are married, why get a visa?  TRC are normally issued for 3 years.  Get a TRC, relax until time is close for the new passport, get PP, and renew the TRC.

charmavietnam wrote:

Steps to obtain an Investor TRC (Temporary Residence Card) in Vietnam
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To apply for an investor TRC, applicant need a DT visa.
If you apply for TRC yourself, you can save lot of money.
I asked several agents before apply. Their offer was $600 - $1200 !!
If you apply directly, just below $150 !!
Time: If you bring all documents and photocopies, just below 1 hour will suffice to fill form and apply!

I was on a spousal TRC(DL visa) so I should leave Vietnam and re enter with DT visa. It was not easy to take visa from inside Vietnam so I approached an agency. They charged $130 for 1 month single entry DT visa approval letter. Plus $35 for visa stamping fee in the entry point (Moc Bai).
I was told by my agent that I don't need to take Cambodia visa, just exit and can re enter but the immigration officer insistede to take Cambodia visa and come back. So another $35 spent for Cambodia visa. Just enter(Bavet) and got exit stamp.
Came back to Moc Bai (Vietnam border post) apply for DT visa (applicant must provide original visa approval letter, not copy) and stamped it.

[img align=L]https://i.postimg.cc/d3C0jxTD/DT-visa.jpg[/url]

When stamping the DT visa, immigration officer told me that I can use my VEC which he will stamp for 6 months! Funny thing is I took my DL TRC just after 1 week of VEC to avoid border run each 6 months!
Some of you may remember that I posted in other VEC, TRC threads.

I applied for DT visa with my company documents.
After come back from Moc Bai, I went to 196 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Ho Chi Minh City to apply for investor TRC.
Just take all company documents (Business license, Work permit exemption document), passport with DT visa, residential document from ward police and the company seal.
TRC section is on the left side when you enter to the building.
They will give application. You don't need to bring any translator as the staff can speak English very well. You can fill the form and submit with photocopy and original for perusal.
If everything okay, they will guide you to remit the TRC fee in the right side counter. Fee for 1-2 year TRC is $145 and 3-5 year TRC is $155 which is very rare!

[img align=L]https://i.postimg.cc/qRjcdgm2/TRC-application-fee.jpg[/url]

In my case, I just got 14 months only due to the Work Permit Exemption. It means the validity of TRC depends on your Work Permit date or Work Permit Exemption date.
Fresh Work Permit Exemption has 2 years validity. If so you will get 2 years TRC.
It took 1 week to issue the TRC. I just got mine today!

[img align=L]https://i.postimg.cc/dtv79J4Y/Investor-TRC.jpg[/url]

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Would you possibly consider creating another thread regarding how you obtained your DT (Investor) Visa, especially noting the costs involved and the minimum investment needed?

Thanks!

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Would you possibly consider creating another thread regarding how you obtained your DT (Investor) Visa, especially noting the costs involved and the minimum investment needed?

Thanks!

I'm not him but here is what I did:

Trading company started by Vietnamese citizen.  He filed the initial application paperwork with the government.  After it was approved he then sold me 49%.  There was another big batch of paperwork and a couple hundred in lawyer fees.  Charter capital was 500,000,000 for each of us.  This charter capital MUST remain in the company for a minimum of 3 years so we just stuck it in a savings account after we operated for a few months and the business was self-sustaining.  We will renew the savings book for three years and then can pull it out.

Applied for a DT visa with an agent here that he knew.  Total cost $360.  I didn't question the cost but it seemed high to me but I knew it was going to be a one-year deal as I can get TRC or VEC after that.  I just needed to bridge the gap one year.

Work permit exemption took a bit of time, a letter from "back home" showing work experience, translated and certified at VN consulate in US.  Total cost with translate and lawyer about $400.  Work permit exemption good for two years.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Would you possibly consider creating another thread regarding how you obtained your DT (Investor) Visa, especially noting the costs involved and the minimum investment needed?
Thanks!

DT visa approval letter fee for agent = $130
Stamping fee in Moc Bai = $35
Cambodia visa = $35
These fees are on the OP
Mine is a 500M VND company. Not sure about minimum investment.

SteinNebraska wrote:

Applied for a DT visa with an agent here that he knew.  Total cost $360.
Yeah, that was really a total rip off cost
  I didn't question the cost but it seemed high to me but I knew it was going to be a one-year deal as I can get TRC or VEC after that.
No, you can only obtain an investor TRC below 2 years depending on the WP exemption period.
VEC is not for investors.

Work permit exemption took a bit of time, .....  Total cost with translate and lawyer about $400.  Work permit exemption good for two years.
My lawyer took 2000K VND for this, 2 years validity.
I applied for investor TRC after a while so I got just 14 months TRC only at first time.
On the second time, I applied through an agent to by-pass the WP exemption but they gave only 1 year TRC and I went to NTMK office 2 times (1 time with agent to show that I am not a 'robot' and the second time to collect card). It Seems agents are more hassle!

Update:
Minimum amount to apply for investor TRC (1-3 years) was increased in to $30000 (690000000 VND)
People who invested less than that amount only eligible for 1 year DT Visa (single or Multiple entry - optional).

Hi, I am new to this forum and just signed up though I have been straying in HCMC since 2018.

I was told that by setting up a Representative Office(RO) in HCMC I am able to apply for a Temporary Residence Card(TRC). Currently staying in HCMC with a 3 months tourist visa.

My own active Private Limited company was incorporated in 2015 in Singapore with S$100,000 paid up.

Very much appreciate your advice on:-
1) Procedure/s of setting up RO in HCMC with an intention to apply for a TRC.
2) What other documentation/ requirements to activate 1).

Thank you.
TAKE CARE AND STAY SAFE.

ycjim22 wrote:

Hi, I am new to this forum and just signed up though I have been straying in HCMC since 2018.

I was told that by setting up a Representative Office(RO) in HCMC I am able to apply for a Temporary Residence Card(TRC). Currently staying in HCMC with a 3 months tourist visa.

My own active Private Limited company was incorporated in 2015 in Singapore with S$100,000 paid up.

Very much appreciate your advice on:-
1) Procedure/s of setting up RO in HCMC with an intention to apply for a TRC.
2) What other documentation/ requirements to activate 1).

Thank you.
TAKE CARE AND STAY SAFE.

Send me a private message.

I'll give you the contact information for my attorney in HCMC

Please contact me at ***

Please advise sending you a private message as email and mobile numbers are not allowed. Sorry, I am a newbie.
Thank you

ycjim22 wrote:

Please advise sending you a private message as email and mobile numbers are not allowed. Sorry, I am a newbie.
Thank you

Click on his username and then send a message.

Requirements for an investor visa have changed since this thread was first started, but the process for applying seems to be unchanged (someone please correct me if I'm mistaken).

Investors with $30000 and up only eligible for a TRC - TRC - DT1, DT2, DT3 (1,2,3 years depends on your 'Work Permit Exemption" document and validity of passport).
If your investment is lower than the said amount, you are only eligible to apply for 1 year DT4 visa (Single/multiple entry).

Supporting documents are same. Submit your application along with your original passport, old TRC/visa, Tax report of last 3 quarters, Residential document from your ward police and the photographs.
They have a studio set up there to take your photos which cost just 20K VND.
And the fee of Visa/TRC is $135-$145.
Collect your new Visa/TRC and passport next week morning.
I just did mine last month.
Immigration rip off agents asked to bring all documents (yeah, we pay, they let us work for them ) with the fee and service charge from $550 - $1200. If you go by yourself just 30 minutes process. No hassles.
Do some charity for needy poor people not rip off immigration/real estate agents!