Work Permit vs TRC vs Investor Visa in Vietnam
A Work Permit authorizes employment, an Investor Visa authorizes entry and stay tied to capital investment, and a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) is a longer-stay residence card issued on top of one of those two — not a separate route on its own.
Table of Contents
Three Different Problems, One Sequence
Foreign nationals in Vietnam run into these three at different points, and it's easy to conflate them. A Work Permit and an Investor Visa are two separate routes into the country — an investor holding a DT1–DT4 visa does not need a separate work permit route. A TRC comes after either one, extending how long you can stay without renewing a visa each time.
| Work Permit | Investor Visa (DT1–DT4) | TRC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Authorizes employment | Entry & stay tied to capital investment | Extended residence without renewing a visa each time |
| Basis | Employer sponsorship | Capital contribution / shareholding | Work permit, investor visa, or representative-office status |
| Max validity | Up to 2 years | Up to 5 years (DT1–DT3; DT4 up to 12 months) | Up to 5 years, depends on the underlying symbol |
Work Permit
A work permit authorizes a specific foreign employee to work for a specific employer in Vietnam — the sponsoring employer applies to the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs before the employee starts work.
- Maximum term: up to 2 years per issuance, renewable.
- Basis: employer sponsorship — tied to the job, not to capital invested.
- A valid work permit is the usual basis for a work-permit-linked TRC.
Investor Visa (DT1–DT4)
An investor visa lets foreign investors and shareholders enter and stay in Vietnam based on their capital contribution, without needing a separate work permit route.
- DT1 (over VND 100 billion): up to 5 years visa, up to 10 years TRC eligibility.
- DT2 (VND 50–100 billion): up to 5 years visa, up to 5 years TRC eligibility.
- DT3 (VND 3–50 billion): up to 3 years visa, up to 3 years TRC eligibility.
- DT4 (under VND 3 billion): up to 12 months, not eligible for a TRC.
Temporary Residence Card
A TRC lets a foreign worker, investor, or representative live in Vietnam for an extended period without renewing a visa each time — validity and eligibility depend on which symbol it's issued under.
- DT-symbol (investor) TRC: valid for no more than 5 years, with the specific term set by the DT1–DT4 tier above.
- A TRC is not applied for on its own — it's issued against an existing work permit, investor visa, or representative-office status.
How They Connect
Employees typically go Work Permit → TRC. Investors typically go Investor Visa (DT1–DT4) → TRC, skipping the work-permit route entirely. Either way, the TRC is the extended-stay layer on top — RedTab confirms which route applies, and whether a TRC is worth applying for, as part of a case review.
Legal basis: Decree 152/2020/ND-CP (work permit), Circular No. 04/2015/TT-BCA (investor visa, TRC). Full citations on each service page: Work Permit, Investor Visa, TRC. Content last verified 2026-08-02.
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