VI Vietnam is a potential market and attracts a large number of foreign investors to invest. In order to facilitate the entry and exit of foreign investors in Vietnam, the Vietnamese government has regulated the issuance of investment visas (also known as DT visas) for these subjects. Below is useful information to help clients understand more about the investment visa application process.
1. What is the visa for foreign investors?
According to Law No.47/2014/QH2013-Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam, “Visa means a document issued by a competent authority of Vietnam to a foreigner to grant entry into Vietnam.”
Vietnam investment visa is denoted as “DT” and the maximum duration for each visa is one year (12 months), this is the type of visa that will be issued to foreign investors (can be owners, members/shareholders of the company) when setting up or contributing capital to businesses in Vietnam. In addition, the DT visa is also granted to lawyers who have been licensed to practice law in Vietnam.
To clarify, “foreign investor” means an individual holding a foreign nationality or an organization established under foreign laws and carrying out business investment activities in Vietnam (Article 3(19) Law on investment, No. 61/2020/QH14).
Depending on the financial ratio of the investors, there are four types of DT visas for foreigners investing in Vietnam as below:
| Investment visa type | Subjects granted |
| DT 1 | contributing capital of VND 100 billion or more or investing in business lines benefitting from investment incentives, in administrative divisions benefitting from investment incentives decided by the Government |
| DT 2 | contributing capital of VND 50 billion to less than VND 100 billion or investing in business lines benefitting from investment incentives treatment decided by the Government. |
| DT 3 | contributing capital of VND 3 billion to less than VND 50 billion |
| DT 4 | contributing capital of less than VND 3 billion |
2. Documents to apply for Vietnam investment visa for foreign investors
So to get a Vietnam visa, you have to go through 2 steps in the order:
Step 1: Carrying out procedures for guaranteeing entry for foreigners by the guarantee company in Vietnam;
A dossier of application for a Vietnam investment visa for foreign investors includes the following documents:
- Documents proving that you are a foreign investor:
- Investment Certificate or Certificate of eligibility for capital contribution.
- Business registration, the operating license of the company.
- Proof of capital contribution: Bank statement or confirmation of the bank.
- Legal profile of the guarantee company (Certified copy of Certificate of Enterprise Registration & Certificate of Investment Registration of the company investing in Vietnam)
- Application form to introduce the company’s signature and seal: NA16.
- Visa application forms in the case of foreigners who have not yet entered Vietnam Form NA2: access the address https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/web/guest/huong-dan-dvbl-xdnc fill in form NA2, then print, sign and seal.
- Copy of passport with validity as prescribed.
- Other documents: Referral letter
(*Form NA2, NA16 issued together with Circular No. 04/2015/TT-BCA)
Step 2: Foreign individuals carry out procedures to receive/stick Vietnam visa according to regulations at the Vietnamese Embassy abroad or at Vietnam’s international airport.
According to Article 18(1) Law on entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners in Vietnam foreigners shall be issued with a visa at a border checkpoint in the following cases:
- The foreigner departs from a country that does not have any visa-issuing authority of Vietnam;
- The foreigner has to stop by multiple countries before arriving at Vietnam;
- The foreigner comes to Vietnam to take a tour organized by an international tourism company in Vietnam;
- Foreign crewmembers of a ship anchoring at a Vietnam’s port and wish to leave Vietnam through another border checkpoint;
- The foreigner comes to Vietnam to attend a funeral of his/her relative, or to visit a gravely ill relative;
- The foreigner comes to Vietnam to participate in dealing with an emergency, rescue, prevention of natural disasters, epidemics, or for another purpose at the request of a competent authority of Vietnam.
- List of Vietnam international airport: Hanoi Airport (HAN); Hai Phong Airport (HPH); Danang Airport (DAD); Hue Airport (HUI); Nha Trang Airport (CXR); Dalat Airport (DLI); Ho Chi Minh City Airport (SGN); Phu Quoc Airport (PQC)
Legal basis:
Law on Enterprise No. 59/2020/QH14
Law on investment, No. 61/2020/QH14
Law on entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners 2014, amended and supplemented in 2019.
Circular No. 31/2015/TT-BCAS on guidelines for issuance of visas, temporary residence cards, entry/exit permits, and granting permanent residence status for foreigners in Vietnam
Above is information about the procedures for applying for an investment visa for foreign investors in Vietnam. However, in fact, we understand the difficulties in applying for an investment visa with many complicated administrative procedures and papers. Therefore, PhamConsult provides professional services on visa registration, visa extension and many other related services to meet the needs of client in the best way.
In order to comprehend the process for requesting temporary residence cards from foreign investors as well as related issues, please contact Pham Consult is a unit specializing in providing tax consulting services, financial consulting, accounting services, salary preparation, and payment. Contact us via hotline: (84-28) 3930 2487 or our Facebook if you need support.
