I traveled to Vietnam and was truly impressed by the scenery, climate, and people. Consequently, I plan to apply for long-term residency in the country.
However, I am somewhat concerned about the temporary residence card application process. I would like to know what common mistakes foreigners make that lead to application rejections, so I can prepare a complete and compliant dossier and minimize any avoidable risks.
Reader Linda
Legal Advice:
A temporary residence card is a document issued by immigration authorities or competent agencies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to foreigners permitted to reside in Vietnam for a specific period; it serves as a substitute for a visa.
In practice, foreigners often make the following five mistakes that result in the rejection of temporary residence card applications:
1. Passport does not meet validity requirements
Regulations stipulate that the validity period of the temporary residence card must be at least 30 days shorter than the remaining validity of the passport. Therefore, in practice, the passport generally needs to have a remaining validity of at least 13 months.
2. Incomplete sponsorship dossier
A temporary residence card is issued only when there are grounds for legal residence, demonstrated through a sponsorship dossier from an organization or individual in Vietnam. Common errors include: missing work permits or confirmation of exemption from work permit requirements; work permits that are expired, revoked, or inconsistent with the actual job position; sponsoring enterprises lacking legal status, having suspended operations, or having been dissolved; or the dossier being signed by an unauthorized person according to the enterprise's legal records...
3. Entry visa inconsistent with the purpose of the temporary residence card application
For example: a foreigner enters the country on a tourist visa (DL) but applies for a temporary residence card for employment purposes (LĐ1, LĐ2). 4. Failure to declare or incorrect declaration of temporary residence address
This applies to cases where temporary residence has not been declared; the declaration was made past the prescribed deadline; the declared address does not match the information in the temporary residence card application; or the place of residence has changed but the information was not updated.
5. Discrepancies in application information
Information provided in the temporary residence card application does not match the information on the visa or passport (such as full name, date of birth, etc.).