Citizeo
Pathway

Vietnam Investor Visa

Vietnam Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Vietnam's DT1–DT4 investor visas are for foreign investors whose capital contribution or investment project is formally documented in Vietnam. The category and maximum visa or temporary-residence-card duration depend on the registered capital and, for some projects, the incentive sector or location.

Type
Investor visa tied to a documented Vietnamese investment
Categories
DT1, DT2, DT3, and DT4 based on registered capital or qualifying incentives
Maximum visa validity
DT1 and DT2 up to 5 years; DT3 up to 3 years; DT4 up to 12 months
Temporary residence card
Investor cards are available for DT1–DT3 with category-specific limits; DT4 is excluded
What this is not
No automatic permanent residence follows merely from holding a DT visa
Minimum investment
Documented Vietnamese investment; statutory categories range from DT4 under VND 3 billion to DT1 at VND 100 billion+ or certain incentive projects

Summary

Vietnam's ĐT1, ĐT2, ĐT3, and ĐT4 immigration categories are for a foreign investor in Vietnam, or a representative of a foreign organization investing in Vietnam, whose investment is formally recorded. The categories are not based on personal net worth or money kept in a bank account.

The immigration category depends on the investment shown by the official Vietnamese records:

Category Statutory basis Maximum visa validity Investor temporary residence card
ĐT1 Capital contribution of at least VND 100 billion, or an investment in a government-designated investment-incentive industry or location 5 years Up to 10 years
ĐT2 Capital contribution of VND 50 billion to under VND 100 billion, or an industry the Government designates as encouraged for investment and development 5 years Up to 5 years
ĐT3 Capital contribution of VND 3 billion to under VND 50 billion 3 years Up to 3 years
ĐT4 Capital contribution below VND 3 billion 12 months Not available under the ĐT investor-card categories

The law uses Vietnamese-dong values. Approximate foreign-currency conversions should not be used to decide a tier. The amount, investor identity, company or project, and any incentive classification must be supported by the investment and enterprise records accepted by the Vietnamese authorities.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

The applicant must first be a legally documented investor or qualifying representative—not merely someone who intends to invest. A planned company may justify taking preparatory steps, but the immigration application ultimately needs the required Vietnamese investment and organizational evidence.

Depending on the investment structure, the evidence may include an Investment Registration Certificate, Enterprise Registration Certificate, capital-contribution or share-acquisition records, the enterprise charter and member/shareholder records, and evidence that the registered capital was actually contributed through the lawful banking and investment process. The exact package depends on whether the investor created a new enterprise, contributed to an existing enterprise, acquired shares or capital, or invested through another approved structure.

For an incentive-based ĐT1 or ĐT2 classification, the project or business line must fit the classification adopted by the Vietnamese Government. An applicant should obtain confirmation from the investment-registration authority rather than infer eligibility from a broad description such as “technology,” “green,” or “priority project.” The ĐT1 and ĐT2 incentive branches use different statutory wording and should not be treated as interchangeable.

The immigration authority also checks the passport, lawful presence or entry process, sponsor or inviting organization, and whether the application matches the underlying investment record. The visa or residence-card validity cannot extend beyond the legal limits and will also be constrained by the passport and the duration of the documents supporting the investment.

Work authorization is a separate question. Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP exempts specified investors from a work permit when they are:

The corporate position and contribution both matter. An ĐT visa by itself is not a universal work permit, and an investor below VND 3 billion does not fit that investor exemption. Even an exempt person must follow the applicable notification or exemption-confirmation procedure under the current labor rules.

An ĐT1, ĐT2, or ĐT3 holder can support the TT family category for a spouse and children under 18, subject to relationship and sponsorship documents. The immigration law does not include ĐT4 in that foreign-investor family-sponsorship list.

What This Route Allows

An approved ĐT visa permits entry and stay for the investment purpose within the category's validity. Eligible ĐT1, ĐT2, and ĐT3 investors may apply for an investor Temporary Residence Card instead of relying on repeated visa extensions. A card can make lawful residence and re-entry easier while the investment remains valid, but the authority decides the actual validity within the statutory ceiling.

The route can support active ownership and management of a Vietnamese investment when the person also satisfies Vietnam's enterprise, investment, and labor rules. It may also support TT status for an eligible spouse and child under 18 in the ĐT1–ĐT3 categories.

The underlying investment must remain genuine and compliant. Changes to capital, investor identity, company status, project approval, or passport should be reviewed promptly because they can change the immigration category or supporting documents.

What This Route Is Not

This is not a residence-by-bank-balance program. General savings, an informal promise to invest, or an ordinary personal property purchase does not by itself prove ĐT status. A lawful share or capital acquisition can qualify when it is formally registered and meets the immigration definition, so the structure and official records—not a label such as “passive” or “active”—control.

ĐT4 is not an investor-TRC category. It is also not a reliable placeholder for claiming the rights of a higher tier while capital remains only planned.

Investor status does not automatically authorize every kind of work. The work-permit exemption has its own contribution and corporate-role tests, and other employment may require a work permit.

Most importantly, Vietnamese immigration law does not create a general permanent-residence category simply for holding an ĐT visa or TRC for a number of years. Permanent residence is limited to separately listed cases, such as specified meritorious, scientist/expert, and Vietnamese-family sponsorship cases. Investment residence is also not citizenship and does not start the five-year permanent-residence period used by the standard naturalization rule.

Next Steps

  1. Define the actual investment. Identify the Vietnamese entity or project, the investor of record, the exact Vietnamese-dong contribution, and the proposed ownership or representative role.
  2. Complete the investment-law analysis first. Confirm foreign-ownership restrictions, conditional business lines, approvals, and whether an incentive industry or location has been formally designated.
  3. Obtain consistent official records. The investment, enterprise, banking, tax, and corporate records should show the same investor, amount, and structure.
  4. Map the correct ĐT category. Use the registered amount or confirmed incentive classification. Do not select a tier from a planned budget or an approximate currency conversion.
  5. Have the proper organization prepare the immigration filing. Confirm the current sponsorship, invitation, passport, form, photograph, and investment-document requirements with the Immigration Department or its public-service portal.
  6. Check work authorization separately. If the investor will perform work or management duties, verify the corporate role, VND 3 billion threshold, and the current work-permit-exemption procedure under Decree No. 219.
  7. Apply for the appropriate visa or card. ĐT1–ĐT3 may support an investor TRC; ĐT4 does not. Ask for the validity the records can support rather than assuming the maximum will be issued.
  8. Plan family and long-term status accurately. Confirm TT eligibility for each dependent and do not describe ĐT residence as a direct permanent-residence or citizenship track.
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Sources