Vietnam Dependent Visa for Foreigners (TT Visa) – Eligibility and Procedures

The Dependent Visa (also known as TT Visa or Vietnam family visa) is issued to foreigners entering Vietnam with the purpose of visiting their relatives who are currently residing in Vietnam. The family Visa has a maximum validity of 12 months. However, the validity of the Vietnam dependent Visa will be shorter than the validity of the passport or other international travel documents by at least 30 days.

Foreigners with a TT Visa who meet the requirements can apply for a temporary residence card with a maximum validity of 3 years.

Regulations on Issuing Dependent Visa to Foreigners

• Law No. 51/2019/QH14 – Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam, amended in 2019
• Law No. 47/2014/QH2013 – Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam, 2014
• Circular No. 04/2015/TT-BCA providing detailed regulations on the forms and documents related to entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners in Vietnam
• Circular No. 31/2015/TT-BCA, dated July 6, 2015, by the Ministry of Public Security, providing guidance on visa issuance, temporary residence card issuance, entry-exit permit issuance, and permanent residence settlement for foreigners in Vietnam.
• Decree 144/2021/NĐ-CP prescribing administrative penalties in the fields of security, order, and social safety effective from January 1, 2022.

Foreigners who violate the provisions of the Law on Entry and Exit may be fined from 500,000 VND to 20,000,000 VND or be deported from Vietnamese territory, depending on the circumstances. Institutions or organizations that violate the procedures for inviting and sponsoring visas for foreigners may be fined from 15,000,000 VND to 20,000,000 VND, depending on the circumstances.

Eligible Applicants Vietnam Dependent Visa

Applicants

According to the provisions of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam 2019, a dependent visa is granted to foreigners in the following cases:

• Foreigners who are spouses, children under 18 years old of foreigners granted visas marked LV1, LV2, LS, ĐT1, ĐT2, ĐT3, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LĐ1, LĐ2.
• Foreigners who are parents, spouses, or children of Vietnamese citizens.

Note:

• ĐT1 – Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign-invested organizations in Vietnam with a capital contribution of 100 billion VND or more, or investments in sectors or areas eligible for investment incentives as decided by the government.
• ĐT2 – Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign-invested organizations in Vietnam with a capital contribution ranging from 50 billion VND to less than 100 billion VND, or investments in encouraged investment development sectors as decided by the government.
• ĐT3 – Issued to foreign investors in Vietnam and representatives of foreign-invested organizations in Vietnam with a capital contribution ranging from 3 billion VND to less than 50 billion VND.
• LĐ1 – Issued to foreigners working in Vietnam who have confirmation that they are not subject to work permit requirements, except in cases where international agreements of which Vietnam is a member have different regulations.
• LĐ2 – Issued to foreigners working in Vietnam who are required to have a work permit.
• LS – Issued to foreign lawyers practicing in Vietnam.
• DH – Issued to individuals for internships or study purposes.
• PV1 – Issued to journalists or press members residing in Vietnam.
• NN1 – Issued to individuals who are the head of representative offices or projects of international organizations or NGOs in Vietnam.
• NN2 – Issued to individuals who are the head of representative offices or branches of foreign traders, representative offices of foreign economic, cultural organizations, or other foreign specialized organizations in Vietnam.
• LV1 – Issued to individuals working with central Party agencies, government bodies, units under the central Vietnam Fatherland Front, Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuracy, State Audit, ministries, central agencies, government agencies, provincial Party committees, municipal Party committees, People’s Councils, People’s Committees of provinces or centrally governed cities.
• LV2 – Issued to individuals working with political-social organizations, social organizations, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Required documents to apply for Dependent Visa for Foreigners

If there is a sponsoring organization or business:

The business prepares the following documents at the immigration authority in Vietnam, to apply for an entry permit with the purpose of visiting relatives:

• Passport
• Forms Na2, Na16, Na19
• Documents proving the family relationship, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, household registration, etc. (documents issued by foreign countries need to be translated and notarized according to regulations).
• Business registration certificate/enterprise establishment certificate
• Guarantee letter from the organization or business

If the documents are valid, the business will receive a letter allowing the foreigner to enter Vietnam. The business then sends the letter to the foreigner to affix the dependent visa label upon entering Vietnam. The visa label can be affixed at the registered Embassy/Consulate of Vietnam or the registered point of entry in Vietnam.

If there is a Vietnamese citizen as the sponsor:

The sponsor prepares the documents to be submitted to the immigration authority in Vietnam, including:

• Form Na3
• Passport
• Identification documents of the sponsor (Vietnamese citizen), such as citizen ID card/passport and household registration
• Documents proving the family relationship of the foreigner applying for the visa, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, household registration, etc. (documents issued by foreign countries need to be translated and notarized according to regulations).

Once the results are obtained, the sponsor sends the necessary documents to the foreigner who will proceed with the entry procedures.

Procedures to apply for Vietnam dependent visa

The procedure to apply for Vietnam dependent visa is as follow:

1. Prepare the required documents;
2. Submit the documents to the Immigration Management Department/Immigration Management Bureau;
3. The immigration authorities review and approve the application, and notify the inviting or sponsoring party of the result;
4. The immigration authorities inform the relevant oversea authorities responsible for issuing the dependent visa;
5. The inviting or sponsoring party informs the foreigner to proceed with the visa application at the authorized Vietnam visa agency abroad.
6. The foreigner enters Vietnam using the dependent visa.

Conditions and requirements for foreigners to extend the dependent visa

Conditions for family visa extension

• Valid visa
• Valid passport (as the validity of the visa will be granted for a period shorter than the passport validity by at least 1 month)
• No criminal offenses committed during the stay in Vietnam
• Sufficient and valid documents
• Present in Vietnam to proceed with the visa extension process

Requirements for dependent visa extension

When the dependent visa is about to expire, foreigners who wish to extend their stay need to follow the visa extension procedures according to the law. The specific documents required include:

• Passport (original) of the person applying for the visa extension, with a validity of at least 1 month.
• Current visa being used by the person applying for the visa extension.
• Proof of family relationship: marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.
• Additional documents depending on the specific cases:

1. For foreigners who are spouses or children of Vietnamese citizens: Vietnamese citizen’s identification (ID card) and household registration book of the sponsor; sponsor letter confirmed by the local police.
2. For foreigners who are spouses or children of foreign workers: Request form for visa issuance or temporary residence extension (NA5) and business license (issued by the sponsoring company). Passport and current visa of the sponsoring person (foreign worker)

Note: Documents issued by foreign authorities must be legalized, translated and notarized according to regulations.

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