Investor Visa · Vietnam
Investor (DT) Visa in Vietnam
Live in Vietnam and run your business there on the DT investor visa. Your investment tier sets how long you can stay. Emerhub handles both the investment and the visa.
Four tiers, DT1 to DT4Visa up to 5 yearsResidence card up to 10 yearsFor company investors
Overview
What is the Vietnam investor visa?
The Vietnam investor visa, known as the DT visa from Đầu Tư (Vietnamese for investment), is issued to foreign investors and to the representatives of foreign organizations that invest in the country. It lets you enter Vietnam and run the company you have invested in. There are four tiers, DT1 to DT4, and your tier depends on how much capital you commit, along with the sector you invest in for the higher tiers.
The tier sets two things: how long your visa lasts, and which residence card you can hold afterward. For owners and directors who plan to live in Vietnam while running their company, the DT visa is the standard long-stay route. Vietnam has discussed a golden visa but has not yet introduced one, so for now this is the established path.
Capital here means registered business capital, not property. Your tier is based on the charter or investment capital you register in a Vietnamese company, shown on your Enterprise Registration Certificate or Investment Registration Certificate. Buying real estate does not qualify you for an investor visa, and a property purchase carries no visa rights on its own.
The four tiers
Vietnam DT investor visa tiers and validity
Your tier is set by the capital you contribute. It decides how long the visa lasts and whether you can move onto a residence card.
| Tier | Investment | Visa validity | Residence card |
|---|---|---|---|
| DT1 | VND 100 billion or more, or a priority sector or area | 5 years | Up to 10 years |
| DT2 | VND 50 to under 100 billion, or an encouraged sector | 5 years | Up to 5 years |
| DT3 | VND 3 to under 50 billion | 3 years | Up to 3 years |
| DT4 | Under VND 3 billion | 1 year | None |
The priority and encouraged sectors and areas are defined by the Vietnamese government. The residence card column shows the longest card available once you convert from the visa.
The practical decision point is VND 3 billion. Below it you are DT4, on a twelve-month visa with no residence card and no family sponsorship. At or above it you are DT3, on a three-year visa, with a residence card and family sponsorship. Most foreign founders who plan to stay long term register at least three billion for this single reason.
What you can do
What the DT investor visa allows in Vietnam
The DT visa is a working visa tied to the company you invest in, and it allows multiple entries. With it, you can:
Manage and direct the company you have invested in
Sign contracts and represent the company in negotiations
Hold a paid executive role within that company
Enter and leave Vietnam freely while the visa is valid
What it does not cover. The visa is tied to your own investment, so it does not let you work for, or take income from, unrelated companies, and it is not a tourist visa for activities outside your business. To work for a different Vietnamese employer, you would need an LD work visa and a separate work permit.
Residence card
Getting a Vietnam temporary residence card on the DT visa
After arriving in Vietnam, DT visa holders register their address with the local police and apply for a temporary residence card, the TRC, usually within the first few weeks. Once issued, the TRC replaces the visa and acts as both your residence permit and your re-entry permit, so there is no visa left to renew.
The term of your TRC depends on your DT tier. DT1 holders can get a card valid for up to ten years, DT2 for up to five, and DT3 for up to three. DT4 is the exception: with capital under VND 3 billion there is no card, so you stay on a twelve-month visa and renew it each year. This is the practical reason most investors who plan to stay long term register at least VND 3 billion, since DT3 and above put you on the residence-card track instead of an annual renewal.
As an investor, you are also exempt from the work permit that ordinary foreign employees must hold. And on DT1, DT2, or DT3, you can sponsor your spouse and children for their own dependent (TT) visa and residence card.
What to prepare
Documents required for the DT investor visa
The documents depend on whether you apply from outside Vietnam or are sponsored from inside the country.
Applying from outside Vietnam
- A certified copy of the company’s Enterprise Registration Certificate or Investment Registration Certificate, or the organization’s establishment decision.
- A form introducing the seal and signature of the company’s authorized representative.
- A copy of the investor’s passport, and a guarantee letter.
Sponsored from inside Vietnam
- A copy of the Enterprise or Investment Registration Certificate, or establishment decision.
- A form introducing the seal and signature of the authorized representative.
- The investor’s original passport and valid temporary residence card.
- The visa application form and the temporary residence registration form.
Any document that is not in Vietnamese or English needs a certified translation. We confirm the exact set for your situation and prepare it with you.
How Emerhub helps
How to apply for the Vietnam DT investor visa
The visa follows the investment, so the process starts with the company, and we handle the whole chain.
1
Set up the investment
We register the company and the capital and obtain the Enterprise or Investment Registration Certificate, so your contribution lands in the right DT tier.
2
File the visa approval
The sponsoring company files the approval with the Immigration Department, naming you and the tier you qualify for.
3
Collect the visa
You have the visa stamped at a Vietnamese mission abroad, or on arrival, depending on the approval issued.
4
Convert to a residence card
On DT1, DT2, or DT3, we convert your visa to a temporary residence card, so you can stay for years without renewing.
Investing in a Vietnamese company?
Tell us about your investment plans, and we’ll set up the company, register the capital in the right DT tier, and run the visa and residence card end to end.
Common questions
Vietnam DT investor visa FAQs
The questions foreign investors ask most about the DT visa.
What is the DT visa?
It is Vietnam’s investor visa, issued to foreign investors and to representatives of foreign organizations investing in the country. It comes in four tiers, DT1 to DT4, based on your capital contribution, and it lets you enter Vietnam and run the company you invest in.
How much do I need to invest?
There is no single minimum, but the amount sets your tier. Under VND 3 billion places you in DT4, on a yearly visa with no residence card. VND 3 billion or more reaches DT3 and the residence-card track. The thresholds then rise to VND 50 billion for DT2 and VND 100 billion for DT1, and the two top tiers can also be reached by investing in government-encouraged sectors or areas.
Does buying property qualify me?
No. The DT visa is based on registered business capital in a Vietnamese company, not on real estate. A property purchase carries no investor-visa rights on its own.
How long can I stay?
It depends on your tier. DT1 and DT2 carry a five-year visa, DT3 a three-year visa, and DT4 a twelve-month visa. On DT1, DT2, and DT3 you can then convert to a temporary residence card, valid up to ten, five, and three years respectively, which lets you stay without renewing.
Do I need a work permit?
No. As an investor, owner, or board member, you are exempt from the work permit that ordinary foreign employees must hold.
Can my family join me?
Yes, on DT1, DT2, and DT3. You can sponsor your spouse and children for their own dependent (TT) visa and residence card. DT4 does not allow family sponsorship.
Is there a Vietnam golden visa?
Not yet. Vietnam has discussed a golden visa but has not enacted one. For now, the DT investor visa is the established long-stay route for foreign investors.
Can I use the DT visa to work for another company?
No. The DT visa is tied to the company you have invested in, so it does not let you work for, or take income from, unrelated companies. To work for a different Vietnamese employer, you would need an LD work visa and a separate work permit.
Investor visa in Vietnam?
Talk to our Ho Chi Minh City team
A free, no-obligation call: thirty minutes with our Vietnam team to match your capital to the right DT tier, walk through the company registration and visa process together, and lay out the timeline through to the residence card.