This is one of the most common misunderstandings among the foreign expert community in Vietnam: “I hold a work residence card, so my parents apply for a TT family visa”. The law’s answer is no — and understanding the symbol correctly from the start saves the family a refused file and weeks of pointless waiting.
Why an expert’s parents fall outside the TT category
Article 8 of the Entry-Exit Law defines the TT category by a closed list of family relationships. For a foreigner holding a work or investment visa/card, accompanying family comprises only the spouse and children under 18. The “parents” relationship appears in the TT category only in the second limb — when the sponsor is a Vietnamese citizen. In other words, the law lets Vietnamese citizens bring their foreign parents in under TT, but does not open an equivalent category for the parents of a foreign employee. This is a deliberate residence policy choice, not a drafting gap that file presentation can slip through.
The correct route: VR visa + residence extensions
- Choose the visa channel: sponsorship through the in-country immigration authority (expert/individual/organization sponsor), or application at the Vietnamese mission in the parents’ country;
- Prepare the relationship documents: proof of the parent—child relationship under home-country law, consular-legalized (or apostilled from 11 September 2026 for Convention member countries) and notarized-translated into Vietnamese;
- Receive the VR visa (up to 6 months); after entry, declare temporary residence at the expert’s address;
- Before expiry: file for temporary residence extension (Article 35) with continued sponsorship and the stay reason; each extension is set by the immigration authority on the specific file.
Distinguishing the “correct” family categories to avoid confusion in mixed families
- The expert’s own spouse and children under 18: the true TT category — TT visa up to 12 months, TT residence card up to 3 years;
- The expert’s parents, where the expert also… : the conclusion changes only when the child holds Vietnamese nationality (then the child is a Vietnamese citizen and the parents fall in TT);
- Parents coming for a few weeks to help with grandchildren: a 90-day e-visa or a visa exemption (if eligible) is usually sufficient and simpler than VR — choose by the trip’s actual length.
Administration notes for long visits
Because the parents’ VR-cycle stay has no “set once” quality, a company supporting the expert should bring the parents’ residence calendar into the same reminder system as the expert’s own documents: a relative’s overstay is still that relative’s own violation on the Decree 282/2025/ND-CP scale, and the consequences (fine, overstay record) usually land on the family at exactly the least welcome moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the parents of a foreign expert get a TT family-visit visa?
No, under the current list in Article 8 of the Entry-Exit Law: the TT visa is issued to (i) the spouse and children under 18 of a foreigner holding work, investment, study… visas/cards (LV, LS, DT, NN, DH, PV, LD), and (ii) the parents, spouse and children of a Vietnamese citizen. The parents of a foreign expert fall into neither group: the parent—child relationship is recognized for the TT category only when the child is a Vietnamese citizen. A TT application for an expert’s parents will therefore be refused as the wrong category, even though the family visit need is entirely legitimate — the problem is the chosen symbol, not the need.
So which visa route should an expert’s parents use for a long visit?
The VR visa — issued to foreigners entering to visit relatives or for another purpose (Article 8), with a maximum term of 6 months under Article 9 after the 2023 amendment. Procedure: the expert/company or an individual sponsor requests entry approval through the immigration authority (or the parents apply for the visa themselves at a Vietnamese mission abroad, or via the electronic channel if eligible), with proof of the relationship (the expert’s birth certificate or the home country’s equivalent family record — consular-legalized/apostilled and notarized-translated) and the expert’s lawful residence documents in Vietnam (residence card/work permit). While in Vietnam, the parents may be considered for temporary residence extension under Article 35 where there is a reason and continued sponsorship — this mechanism creates lawful long visits in place of a residence card.
Can an expert’s parents receive a residence card for a long-term stay?
They are not in a card-eligible category under Article 36 of the Entry-Exit Law: family-based cards cover the spouse, parents and children of Vietnamese citizens holding permanent/temporary residence, and the spouse and children under 18 of foreigners holding certain residence cards. The parents of a foreign employee are not in the card list. The practical consequence: the parents’ stay runs on the VR visa + extension cycle and must be calendar-managed (visa expiry, extension milestones) instead of the one-time 3-year stability of a TT card. If the goal is for the parents to live long-term with their child in Vietnam, the family should be advised early on other residence structures (for example when the expert moves to permanent residence, or where a family member is a Vietnamese citizen) rather than expecting a card type that does not exist for this category.
Contact us
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.