The Honest Visa Guide for Renting Long-Term in Vietnam (2026)

The three roads: e-visa, DN business visa, TRC

Almost everyone renting long-term is on one of three tracks, and it helps to picture them as a staircase. The 90-day e-visa is the ground floor and where many remote workers and long-stayers actually live. As of 2026 it comes in single-entry (cheaper) and multiple-entry (a bit pricier) flavours, you apply yourself at the official portal, and it arrives in a few working days. The DN business visa (DN1/DN2) is the middle floor: valid up to twelve months, multiple entry, but it requires a real Vietnamese company to sponsor you — you cannot simply buy one for yourself. The Temporary Residence Card (TRC) is the top floor: a physical card letting you live here for years rather than months (up to two years on a work visa, up to three on a family visa, longer for bigger investors), open bank accounts easily, and stop thinking about borders. The catch, and it's a big one this year, is who can climb to that top floor — which is where most people's plans quietly break.

Vietnam's eVisa has been available to nationals of every country and territory since 15 August 2023, valid for up to 90 days with single or multiple entry. The fee on the official eVisa portal is US$25 for single entry and US$50 for multiple entry, and it is non-refundable if an application is refused. On 2 December 2025, Resolution 389/NQ-CP added 41 eVisa checkpoints, bringing the total to 83: 17 airports, 27 land borders and 39 seaports.

How long you can actually stay

The e-visa is valid for up to 90 days in total, not 90 days per entry. On a multiple-entry e-visa you can hop out and back as often as you like until the visa itself expires — but here's the detail that trips people up: the e-visa generally cannot be extended from inside Vietnam. When the date on it arrives, you must physically be across a border by 23:59, full stop. The DN visa runs up to a year in one go, which is why people chasing a settled twelve-month lease gravitate toward it. A TRC, once you have one, is the real freedom — measured in years, not months, no border runs, no countdown on your phone. For a straightforward 6-12 month rental, most people either cycle 90-day e-visas or, if they can get a legitimate sponsor, sit on a one-year DN. Both are perfectly workable; they just feel very different day to day.

As of March 15, 2025, the 45-day visa exemption for citizens of 12 countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland) is governed by Resolution No. 44/NQ-CP of March 7, 2025, valid through March 14, 2028. Eligible citizens may enter Vietnam visa-free for a temporary stay of up to 45 days from the date of entry. The waiver applies regardless of passport type and purpose of entry, provided the traveler satisfies Vietnam's legal entry conditions. The previous resolutions No. 32/NQ-CP (March 15, 2022) and No. 128/NQ-CP (August 14, 2023) expired on March 15, 2025. The exemption period itself may be considered for extension under Vietnamese law, but the resolution does not guarantee it.

Resolution 229/NQ-CP of 8 August 2025 adds a further 12 European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland) with a 45-day tourist stay from 15 August 2025 to 14 August 2028, so the two resolutions together cover 24 countries. Decree 282/2025 raised the maximum overstay fine to VND 40 million, effective 15 December 2025.

The 2026 change that catches everyone: DN no longer walks straight to a TRC

This is the single most important update, and it's why so much older advice is wrong. Two law-firm alerts from February 2026, neither of which cites an official act, report a stricter practice. Fragomen (4 February) says TRCs are now issued only to holders of LD2 work visas and TT dependent visas (the TT visa covers the parents, spouse and children of a Vietnamese citizen, and the spouse and children under 18 of a foreigner on a work, investor or certain other visa: Article 8(18) of the Law on Foreigners); Vialto (24 February) says the Ho Chi Minh City immigration office no longer accepts business-visa (DN) holders directly and requires a work visa first, and that this applies only in Ho Chi Minh City. The Law itself (Article 36, as amended with effect from 1 July 2026) is wider: it also allows TRCs for LD1 holders, for the DT1-DT3 investor visas (for those putting real capital in) and for several other visas, but not for DN, tourist, visiting or e-visa holders. If you arrive on a DN business visa, a visiting visa, or an e-visa, you now have to formally change your visa purpose before a TRC application can even begin — a conversion that is reported to add about two weeks and more paperwork, and the Law allows a change of visa purpose only in limited cases, such as holding a work permit (Article 7(4)). So the old dream of 'land on a DN, flip it to a residence card, done' no longer works in one clean step. If long-term residency is your real goal, the honest paths are a genuine work permit (LD), marriage to a Vietnamese citizen (TT), or investment (DT). Everything else is a rolling short-stay game, which is fine — just go in knowing that.

Visa runs vs extensions: the honest mechanics

According to DigiTao, Vietnam e-visas and visa exemptions cannot be extended from inside Vietnam. DigiTao reports that travelers whose e-visas expire after 90 days must leave Vietnam and apply for a new e-visa. DigiTao also reports that in-country extensions are available for sponsored visas; business visas, for example, can be extended through a Vietnamese company. DigiTao gives figures for a new e-visa of USD 25 or USD 50 and about three working days, but these figures are undated and are not treated as current in this guide. Before paying for an alleged extension, verify the procedure and whether it requires leaving Vietnam.

The registration your landlord must do — and usually forgets

Here is the obligation almost nobody tells renters about. When a foreigner moves into any accommodation, Vietnamese law requires the temporary residence (tạm trú) to be registered with the local police — on the paper form within 12 hours of arrival (24 in remote areas), or immediately online (Article 33 of the Law on Foreigners; Circular 87/2026/TT-BCA) — and legally that duty falls on the accommodation provider, i.e. whoever directly manages the place: in a rental, usually your landlord or their authorised agent. Hotels normally do it at check-in, and Airbnb-style hosts carry the same duty. Long-term landlords very often do not, and in a long lease the practical responsibility can drift onto you. This matters more in 2026 than ever: under Decree 282/2025 a landlord or host who fails to declare 1-3 foreigners is fined VND 3-5 million (VND 10-15 million for 4-8 foreigners, VND 15-20 million for 9 or more, double for organisations), a foreigner who does not show a passport for the declaration risks VND 3-5 million as well, and a missing registration history can quietly sink a future TRC or visa extension. The move: write the registration into your rental contract, ask for a copy or confirmation of the filing right after you move in, and re-do it every time you change address — old registration does not follow you to a new flat.

Overstay in 2026: Decree 282/2025 fines and Decree 59/2026 deportation rules

If your local friends seem twitchier about visa dates than they were a year ago, the penalty rules are part of the reason. Decree 282/2025, in force since 15 December 2025, sets overstay fines by length of overstay: from VND 500,000 to 2 million for under 16 days up to VND 30-40 million (around US$1,500) for a year or more, and deportation can be added from the 16-day tier up (Article 21). Decree 59/2026, in force since 1 April 2026, replaced Decree 142/2021 and governs how deportation, temporary detention and escort of violators are carried out. The practical takeaway is boring but real: know your exact expiry date, don't gamble on 'a few days over, they never check,' and keep your registration clean. Beyond the fine, a forced-exit order or deportation can leave you refused entry for up to six months or up to three years respectively (Articles 21 and 30 of the Law on Foreigners). None of this should scare you off Vietnam — it's still one of the easier places in the region to live — but the days of hand-waving your way past a lapsed visa are genuinely over.

The tax line most nomads quietly plan around

A detail that matters if you're here for the whole lease and earning remotely: Vietnam considers you a tax resident once you spend 183 days here in a calendar year (or in the 12 consecutive months counted from your first day here), which in theory pulls your worldwide income into local tax (salary-type income at progressive rates). Renters should know a second test: a regular residence in Vietnam, which includes rented housing under leases totalling 183 days or more in the tax year (Decree 253/2026/ND-CP, Article 4), also makes you a resident, unless you can show tax residence in another country. Enforcement against quiet remote workers is inconsistent today, but it's a real line, and it's why a chunk of the nomad crowd deliberately structures the year around the day count — four months in Vietnam, then a stretch in Thailand or Malaysia — though a long lease can undo that arithmetic. Separately, working on a tourist e-visa remains a grey zone: reports suggest deportations for it are rare, but the law provides fines (VND 15-20 million, Decree 282/2025, Article 21) and possible deportation for working or carrying out other activities in Vietnam without permission, and the people who actually get pursued are those working with Vietnamese clients or companies on the ground. If your income is foreign and your footprint is quiet, most people carry on; just understand it's grey, not green.

Matching the visa to your rental reality

So how do you actually choose? If you're renting 6-12 months in a nomad-heavy area — My An, Khuê Mỹ or Sơn Trà in Đà Nẵng, the alleys of District 3 or Bình Thạnh in Sài Gòn, Tây Hồ in Hà Nội — and you work remotely for foreign clients, cycling the 90-day e-visa with two or three well-spaced visa runs is the path of least resistance, and honestly what most of your neighbours are doing. If you want a full year without touching a border and can find a legitimate company sponsor, the DN visa buys you that calm — just vet the sponsor, because a fake or shaky company is the one real scam to avoid here. If Vietnam is becoming home, aim squarely at LD (work), TT (marriage) or DT (investment) and the TRC, and start that paperwork early because the 2026 purpose-change step is slow. Whichever road you pick: put registration in your lease, keep a photo of every visa and stamp on your phone, and re-verify the current rules on the official evisa.gov.vn portal before you commit — because in Vietnam, the rule that was true last season has a habit of quietly changing before the next one.

Decree 286/2026: new coordination rules in force since 15 September 2026

Decree No. 286/2026/ND-CP took effect on 15 September 2026 and replaced Decree 64/2015/ND-CP. The decree introduces new management rules and expands coordination between ministries, provincial authorities, and immigration authorities to exchange information concerning foreign nationals, including visa, work-permit, business, training, conference, and seminar matters. The decree also provides for real-time synchronization of information with a National Immigration Database. As of 17 August 2026, Vietnam e-visas are valid for up to 90 days, are available to citizens of all countries and territories, and as a rule cannot be extended or renewed from inside Vietnam, because e-visas are issued only to foreigners who are abroad; travelers generally must leave and obtain a new visa. Visa-exempt stays are not extended automatically: a new visa or an extension may be considered (Article 31(1)(c) of the Law on Foreigners), but only through a Vietnamese sponsor and with no guarantee. For renters, it is prudent to keep your visa, work-permit, and temporary-residence information consistent. This is practical advice, not a stated effect of the decree.

Temporary-residence declarations: sponsors and accommodation establishments

Decree 286/2026/ND-CP, in force since 15 September 2026, requires ministries and provincial People's Committees to direct the organizations that invite or sponsor foreign nationals to coordinate with accommodation establishments on temporary-residence declarations (Article 9(1)); the duty of an inviting or sponsoring organization itself comes from the Law on Foreigners (Articles 33 and 45(2)(d)). If an organization invites or sponsors you, ask who is responsible for the declaration before you move in.

Law 118/2025/QH15: the July 2026 legal refresh

Law No. 118/2025/QH15 took effect on 1 July 2026. It amends and supplements provisions of 10 laws related to security and public order, including Vietnam's rules on foreigners' entry, exit, transit and residence. The stated aim is to facilitate and simplify administrative procedures for foreigners. The amendments are also reported to promote electronic data use and electronic processing of procedures. When checking current entry or residence rules, make sure the source reflects this law.

Law No. 118/2025/QH15 amends and supplements provisions of 10 laws related to security and public order. The changes affect Vietnam's rules on foreign nationals' entry, exit, transit and residence, effective 1 July 2026. According to the stated policy objectives, the amendments aim to improve visa policy, facilitate foreign nationals' entry and residence, expand digital transformation, reduce administrative procedures, and maintain state-management requirements for security and public order.

Decree 219/2025: foreign worker rules updated

On 7 August 2025, the Vietnamese Government issued Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP regulating foreign workers in Vietnam. It took effect the same day and replaces relevant provisions of Decree No. 152/2020/ND-CP and Decree No. 70/2023/ND-CP. The stated aim is a more streamlined and favorable environment for recruiting foreign workers with high technical expertise and experience, supporting investment cooperation and the development of science, technology, and engineering. One practical point: Decree 219 does not remove the vacancy-advertising rule — for ordinary employment and two other working forms, the employer must publish a recruitment notice for Vietnamese candidates at least five days before filing for a work permit (Form No. 03, Part II). If you work in Vietnam, check which provisions apply to your situation.

TRC processing practice updated February 4, 2026: visa conversion for DN1, VR, and some e-visa entrants

According to a February 4, 2026 law-firm alert (Fragomen) that cites no official notice, Vietnamese authorities updated the processing practice for Temporary Residence Cards effective immediately. As of that date, the reported practice is that TRCs are issued only to holders of LD2 work visas and TT dependent visas, although Article 36 of the Law on Foreigners also lists other categories, such as LD1 and the investor visas. Foreign nationals and dependents who entered on DN1, VR, or certain e-visas must complete an additional visa-conversion step before becoming eligible to apply for a TRC. Previously, applicants in those categories could file a TRC or long-term visa application directly. The Ho Chi Minh City Immigration Office has also reverted to a stricter TRC issuance procedure for foreign nationals holding newly issued work permits or work-permit exemption certificates, as reported in connection with this change.

Reported UĐ1 and UĐ2 categories (1 July 2026)

According to partially confirmed reports, Vietnam is reported to have introduced two new visa categories on 1 July 2026: UĐ1 and UĐ2. UĐ1 is described as intended for foreign nationals who are high-quality human resources in the digital technology industry and other people eligible for preferential treatment under specified Vietnamese laws or resolutions. UĐ2 is described as covering the spouse and children under 18 of a UĐ1 visa holder. The reports also mention a maximum validity of up to five years for these visas, but the date of that estimate is not available, so the duration is not confirmed.

Reported e-visa border-gate coverage

According to an undated, unverified report, Resolution 389/NQ-CP expanded e-visa acceptance to 41 additional entry and exit border gates, bringing the total number of eligible ports to 83. These figures are not a confirmed current list. Verify the official list of eligible gates before travel.

Temporary residence card validity

As of 21 October 2026: Circular No. 70/2026/TT-BCA, issued by the Minister of Public Security, took effect on 1 July 2026. A Vietnamese newspaper reports that the maximum temporary residence card validity may have increased from five years to ten years under the new rules. Treat this as an unconfirmed press report and confirm the current maximum with the immigration office before relying on it.

Circular No. 70/2026/TT-BCA and related 2026 changes

Circular No. 70/2026/TT-BCA was issued by the Minister of Public Security and took effect on 1 July 2026. It amends document forms under Circular No. 04/2015/TT-BCA and guidance on visas, temporary residence cards, exit permits, and permanent residence under Circular No. 31/2015/TT-BCA. The circular was issued alongside changes under Law No. 118/2025/QH15. When preparing immigration documents, check the forms and guidance as amended by Circular 70/2026 rather than relying only on Circular 04/2015 or Circular 31/2015.