The e-visa is the fastest door into Vietnam an investor can open alone — no sponsor, filed online, 90 days. But precisely because it is easy, many investors use it far beyond its nature: turning a “survey” trip into months of on-site management. The e-visa’s legal boundary sits in two layers: the purpose declared when applying, and labor law governing the actual activity.
What investor activities an e-visa lawfully covers
- Market, site and partner surveys; target project due diligence;
- Negotiations, meetings with partners/state agencies, signing transaction documents;
- Preparing the project company’s establishment, opening accounts, completing the investment dossier;
- Short in-and-out trips in the pre-operating phase before a sponsoring organization exists.
These are activities of the nature “entering to decide an investment”, not yet “staying to operate the investment” — and the e-visa serves exactly that part.
The breaking point: when the role becomes operating
Three signs show the e-visa is no longer an appropriate basis: (1) the investor has been officially recorded in the investment dossier and starts running the project in Vietnam on a recurring cycle; (2) the investor takes a specific position/title in the company with salary or remuneration in Vietnam; (3) presence in Vietnam becomes de facto continuous residence stitched together from consecutive e-visas. At this breaking point, the file must move to: a DT visa/card (for the investor status) and, if a permit-category labor position exists, a work permit/confirmation with an LD visa/card — the two routes can run in parallel according to the legal role of each activity.
Using the e-visa correctly: an investor’s strategy
- Survey phase: use a multiple-entry 90-day e-visa, keeping trip documents (meeting invitations, due-diligence schedules) matching the declared purpose;
- The moment the deal is closed: start simultaneously the investment procedure (recording the investor status) and the DT residence file via the project company’s sponsorship;
- If concurrently holding a permit-category position: run the work permit dossier early (consular legalization is the slowest step) so the in-country visa purpose conversion is ready when needed;
- Do not chain back-to-back e-visas to “live” in Vietnam long-term — a dense e-visa entry history is a factor scrutinized when later long-term residence dossiers are assessed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the conditions and term of an e-visa for an investor?
Under the Entry-Exit Law as amended in 2023, the electronic visa (symbol EV) is issued to citizens of all countries and territories through the Immigration web portal: applicants file online themselves, with no sponsoring organization or individual in Vietnam needed. An e-visa runs no more than 90 days, valid for single or multiple entries as registered; entry is through the international checkpoints on the e-visa list (the main international airports, many land borders and seaports). Baseline conditions: a valid passport per regulations, not being in a no-entry category, and declaring the trip purpose accurately.
Can an investor who entered on an e-visa work in Vietnam?
An e-visa permits entry and stay for the declared purpose (which includes commercial/investment purposes at the level of surveys, negotiations, meetings and signings) — but it is not a labor document. If the actual activity is working for an employer in Vietnam in a permit-category position, that person needs a work permit or an exemption case (with a confirmation) regardless of holding an e-visa; working without one is penalized under Decree 283/2026/ND-CP and affects later entries. For an investor operating their own project: the correct residence route for the operating phase is the DT visa/residence card at the capital tier — the e-visa is only a bridge for the pre-investment phase and survey trips.
When must an investor staying on an e-visa switch to the DT category?
As soon as the role shifts from “surveying, negotiating” to “managing, operating continuously in Vietnam”: the investment transaction is signed, the person is recorded as an investor in the investment dossier (investment registration certificate/project company), and starts running the project on site. At that point the project company’s sponsorship supports a DT visa/card application under the ordinary procedure; if a permit-category labor position at the company arises at the same time (e.g. concurrently holding a licensable title), clause 4, Article 7 of the Entry-Exit Law allows a person who entered on an e-visa and holds a work permit/confirmation to convert the visa purpose in-country to the labor category.
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FLAT Law Firm advises FDI companies and foreign employees on work permits, visas and temporary residence cards in Vietnam. Contact us for advice on your specific case.
This content is general information only and is not a substitute for legal advice on a specific case.
