Residence Cards for Foreign Workers' Dependants (TT): Conditions, Terms and the Accompanying Spouse's Right to Work

Foreign experts coming to Vietnam for long-term work often bring a spouse and children — these dependants receive TT-symbol residence cards under the worker sponsorship. Three common misunderstandings must be cleared at the outset: a TT card is not a “permanent residence card” (an entirely different, very narrow regime); a TT card does not entitle the accompanying spouse to work in Vietnam; and the special visa-exemption card under Decree 221/2025 — often mislabelled a “special permanent residence card” — is a separate entry-privilege mechanism for specially favoured individuals, not a substitute for dependants TT cards. This article sets out TT conditions, terms and files, and the work boundary for accompanying family members.

Governing Instruments

TT conditions: attached to the worker sponsorship

Under the framework of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners 47/2014 (as amended by Laws 51/2019 and 23/2023), the TT-symbol temporary residence card is issued to dependants of a foreigner lawfully residing in Vietnam under a sponsorship category — typically the spouse, children under 18, and parents of a foreign worker holding a work permit and a labour/investment residence card. Core conditions: the sponsor must hold valid residence status when filing (an unexpired residence card, or an appropriate visa being converted), the family relationship must be evidenced by consular-legalised and notarised-translated documents (marriage certificate, birth certificates, household/relationship confirmations), and the dependant must enter on a family-visit or otherwise convertible visa to change to a TT card. Where an expert falls in a favoured group under Decree 221/2025/ND-CP, distinguish clearly: that decree creates a “special visa-exemption card” (term up to 5 years, 90 days stay per entry) for specially favoured individuals — an entry-privilege mechanism, not a residence card, and no substitute for the ordinary dependant TT procedure.

Term: follows the sponsor card, never independent

A TT card has no independent life: its term follows the remaining term of the sponsor residence card, within the TT category ceiling under immigration law; when the worker card expires, is renewed or ends (job end, contract end), the dependants status changes accordingly — renewed in step with the main card, and when the worker leaves Vietnam permanently the dependants lose the basis for a TT card. The practical consequence: the sponsoring enterprise should manage one joint residence calendar for the expert whole family (work-permit expiry, worker card expiry, each dependant TT expiry, children passport expiry), because a child passport expiring early is the most common reason a TT card is issued shorter than expected.

Application Analysis

May the accompanying spouse work?

No — not on a TT card. A family-visit residence card establishes residence rights only; a foreigner right to work in Vietnam attaches to a work permit (or a confirmation of work-permit exemption) and the corresponding labour residence status under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP. If the accompanying spouse wishes to work, they must take the independent route: be recruited by an enterprise in Vietnam, obtain a work permit (or exemption confirmation where eligible), and convert to a labour-category residence card. Working while holding only a TT card is unlicensed work — penalty exposure for both the individual and the employing unit, with card cancellation and deportation risk in serious cases. Enterprises should communicate this clearly in the expert welcome package to prevent inadvertent family violations.

What file is needed for a dependant residence card?

The typical file in immigration-authority practice: the request and sponsorship letter of the organisation employing the worker (or of the individual sponsor); the dependant residence-card application form with photos; the dependant passport with suitable validity; copies of the sponsor residence card and work permit; family-relationship documents consular-legalised and notarised-translated; and the dependant local temporary-residence confirmation. Two frequent snags: foreign-issued relationship documents not yet legalised (supplementation takes weeks), and a dependant entry visa not in a category convertible to a residence card — so the correct sequence is preparing relationship documents before the family travels, and checking the entry-visa category at the invitation step.

Recommended Actions

Prepare family-relationship documents (marriage, births) and consular legalisation BEFORE the family travels to Vietnam.
Check at the sponsorship step whether the dependant entry-visa category converts to a TT card.
Manage one joint family residence calendar: work permit, worker card, each TT card, children passport expiries.
Tell the expert clearly: a TT spouse may not work; working requires a separate work permit and labour residence conversion.
Keep internal files distinct: TT cards (family residence) versus the Decree 221/2025 special visa-exemption card (entry privilege) — never mix the names.

Frequently Asked Questions

Under what conditions are dependants of a foreign worker issued a TT-symbol residence card?

Core conditions: the sponsoring worker lawfully resides in Vietnam (holding a work permit and an unexpired labour/investment residence card); the dependant is within the sponsored group — spouse, children under 18, parents; the family relationship is evidenced by consular-legalised, notarised-translated documents; and the dependant entered on a visa category convertible to a temporary residence card.

How long is a TT residence card valid, and does it follow the worker’s card term?

Yes — the TT card is issued for the remaining term of the sponsor residence card, within the TT category ceiling under immigration law, and has no independent existence: when the worker card expires, is renewed or ends, the dependants status changes in step. The factor most often shortening a TT card below expectation is the dependant passport (especially a child passport) nearing expiry.

May an accompanying spouse under TT work in Vietnam?

No. A TT card confers residence rights in the family-visit category only. To work, the spouse needs a work permit (or an exemption confirmation where eligible) sponsored by an employing unit in Vietnam under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, and conversion to a labour-category residence card. Working on a TT card alone is unlicensed work, attracting penalties and potentially affecting the whole family residence status.

What documents are required for a dependant’s residence card application?

Typically: the request/sponsorship letter of the organisation employing the worker; the dependant residence-card application form with photos; a valid passport; copies of the sponsor residence card and work permit; family-relationship documents consular-legalised and notarised-translated; and local temporary-residence confirmation. Relationship documents should be legalised before the family travels to avoid processing delays.

This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council