Vietnam

Investor visa and temporary residence card (DT1–DT4). Vietnam has no retirement visa; the only lasting residence option for a family without a Vietnamese employer is capital invested in an actual Vietnamese company, tiered DT1 through DT4 by amount.

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Investor visa and temporary residence card (DT1–DT4)

A multi-year investor visa and, for DT1–DT3, a temporary residence card of matching length, tied to keeping the investment and the underlying company active.

Who qualifies

DT4 (under VND 3 billion, about $120,000): a 1-year investor visa, renewable, but not eligible for a longer-term temporary residence card. DT3 (VND 3–49.99 billion, about $120,000–2 million): a visa of up to 3 years and a temporary residence card of up to 3 years. DT2 (VND 50–99.99 billion, about $2–4 million): a visa of up to 5 years and a card of up to 5 years. DT1 (VND 100 billion or more, about $4 million or more): a visa of up to 5 years and a card of up to 10 years.
Temporary residence card for foreign investors, DT1–DT3
The applicant must be a documented investor or shareholder of record in an operating Vietnamese company at the qualifying capital level.
Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam (Law 47/2014/QH13, as amended by Law 23/2023/QH15)

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

One question, from the program’s own rules.

Savings you could move or invest?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Investment: About $120,000.
Time: 2–4 months at minimum to form or buy into a Vietnamese company, inject the capital, and process the visa and card; DT1-level deals often take longer to structure.
Cost: Beyond the investment capital itself, legal and company-formation costs typically run $3,000–15,000 depending on the tier and complexity.
The hard part: The DT1 and DT2 thresholds require millions of dollars in a real operating Vietnamese business with genuine substance, not a shell; DT3 and DT4 are more attainable but come with shorter, renewable terms.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

This visa doesn’t lead to a passport.

2027
First residence permit
3 years, renewable for 3 years at a time.

Language: Enough Vietnamese to integrate: listening, speaking, reading and writing suited to daily life and work.
Time away: Five years of residence counted from the day a permanent residence card is issued, and living in Vietnam when applying. Spouses and parents of Vietnamese citizens are exempt from the years and language.
Two passports: It depends on the rules at the time and on your home country.

Time on this program does not count toward permanent residence or citizenship; the family would need to switch to one that does.
Investors get temporary residence cards (up to 3 years for DT3, 5 for DT2, 10 for DT1) but are not among those who can get permanent residence, and the citizenship clock only starts with a permanent card.

The law behind these dates

Vietnam Briefing — Investor visa guide (DT1–DT4)

Living there.

Time you must spend there: The program sets no minimum number of days. Renewal still expects it to be your home.
Tax: 183 or more days a year, or a permanent residence in Vietnam, triggers Vietnamese tax residency on worldwide income; the invested company itself also owes ordinary Vietnamese corporate tax.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Read Vietnam’s investor visa framework and start company formation with a licensed advisor.Open vietnam-briefing.com ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of the funds to invest: about $120,000, and where they came from
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health cover for the move

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