🇻🇳 Vietnam · immigration guide
Family visas for moving to Vietnam
Vietnam does not offer the straightforward family remote-worker visa that some online comparisons suggest. Its 90-day e-visa can be useful for a research trip, while a stable family move normally needs a genuine employer, qualifying investment or eligible family relationship.
Last verified 31 August 2026
The short answer
Which route should a family examine first?
Use the e-visa to research, not to pretend a school year is settled. A qualifying employee typically needs employer-led work and residence documentation, with eligible spouse and children linked where the principal status supports it. Investment and Vietnamese-family routes require their own genuine facts.
Current visa options
Four possible starting points and their limits
This table helps you identify options to research; it does not decide eligibility. Check the current category code, required documents and permitted activities with the issuing authority before paying.
Useful for
Electronic visa
Scouting trips and temporary stays
Official e-visas are available for up to 90 days, single or multiple entry; each traveller needs the correct permission.
It does not create permission to work or a durable school-year residence plan. Do not build a move around assumed extensions.
Useful for
Work permit + temporary residence card
A qualifying role with a Vietnamese sponsor
The employer normally drives work-permit and residence-card documentation; eligible relatives may use linked family status.
Qualifications, experience, health and police documents can require legalisation; a change of employer can affect status.
Useful for
Investor/business route
Genuine qualifying investment or business activity
Duration and dependant options depend on the approved category and investment facts.
It is not a paper-company shortcut. Corporate, tax, capital and immigration obligations continue after approval.
Useful for
Family sponsorship
Eligible relatives of Vietnamese citizens or qualifying foreign residents
Can support temporary residence where the relationship and sponsor status meet the rules.
A child at an international school does not, by itself, sponsor both parents.
Plan for each family member
Check each person's status separately
Replace the examples with your names. Do not make a firm commitment while any person's activity or permission is still an assumption.
A useful way to compare the options
How a main applicant can support the family's status
A long-term family plan depends on the reason the main applicant qualifies. Check what happens if the job, company or family relationship changes.
Principal basis
Job / investment / familyThe underlying legal fact creates the route; an e-visa does not.
Residence
Visa or residence cardValidity and eligibility depend on the principal category and sponsor.
Family link
Spouse + childrenRelationship documents and the principal's status support eligible applications.
Separate activity
Work / studyResidence does not automatically authorise every spouse job or child arrangement.
What this means: The main applicant's status should support the whole school year, with linked family applications and separate work permission for any spouse who plans to work.
Common problems to avoid
Four questions to resolve before applying
The e-visa ends at 90 days
It can be single or multiple entry, but it is not a durable residence card or permission to work.
Employment documents travel
Qualifications, experience, police and health records may require certification, legalisation or translation.
Status can be job-linked
A change or loss of employer can affect work authorisation, residence and linked family status.
Accommodation must be registered
Confirm that a landlord or host completes the required local registration and retain evidence.
Organise the application documents
Prepare the documents your visa actually requires
Do not legalise every family document just in case. Confirm what the exact visa option accepts, where each document must be issued and how recent it must be.
Identity
Passports with route-specific validity, photographs and any existing immigration records.
Relationships
Marriage, birth, adoption, custody or dependency evidence matching the legal family structure.
Principal eligibility
Employment, client, income, pension, investment, education or sponsor evidence for the exact category.
Admissibility
Police, health, insurance or clearance documents where the current route requests them.
Authentication
Apostille, consular legalisation, certified copy and translation requirements checked document by document.
A sensible order for the application
From early planning to arrival
- 01
Write down what each person will do
For every adult and child, state the actual work, business, study or non-working activity and intended length of stay.
- 02
Choose the main applicant
Identify the visa option supported by a real job, overseas work, qualifying capital, school or family relationship.
- 03
Check every dependant
Confirm eligible relationships, age limits, separate applications and what happens if the main applicant's status ends.
- 04
Prepare and authenticate
Work backwards from police, health, bank, employer and civil documents that may expire or need legalisation.
- 05
Apply before making firm commitments
Coordinate school and temporary housing, keep written terms and avoid non-refundable payments before the immigration position is clear.
- 06
Keep a calendar of ongoing requirements
Track entry, address reporting, renewals, re-entry, work or school changes, tax review and departure formalities.
Before paying an intermediary
Put these answers in writing
- The current official category code and issuing-authority link for every family member.
- The legal sponsor or guarantor and what happens if that person, employer or school changes.
- The exact work, business, volunteering and study activities each status permits or prohibits.
- Government fees separated from professional, translation, legalisation and third-party charges.
- Entry, reporting, extension, renewal, re-entry and departure obligations with dates and owners.
- The refund or remediation position if refused, delayed or moved to a different category.
Information, not individual immigration advice. Eligibility depends on current law and your evidence. Use the official sources below and a properly authorised professional where the route or activity needs one.
Continue planning your family's visas
Check work and dependant rights separately
Common questions
Questions about family relocation
Does one visa cover the whole family in Vietnam?
Not automatically. The main applicant's visa may allow dependant applications, but every person still needs the correct application, relationship documents and status. Check the position for the main applicant, spouse and every child separately.
Does dependant status allow a spouse to work?
Never infer work permission from residence. Some routes prohibit it, some require a separate employment pass or permit, and some attach work rights only to particular principal categories. Obtain the answer for the exact code and activity in writing.
Can children attend international school on dependant status?
That depends on the route and country. Some children use dependant status; others need a student category or school sponsorship. Confirm the school's document process and the immigration authority's current requirement before accepting a place.
Is a long-validity visa the same as permanent residence?
No. A five-, ten- or twenty-year label may still be temporary, conditional, renewable or split into shorter grants. Read continuing criteria, cancellation triggers and whether the programme expressly leads to permanent residence.
Does visa approval settle our tax position?
No. Immigration, personal tax, employment law, social security and corporate presence use different tests. Days present, where work is performed, accommodation and remittances can matter independently of visa validity.
When should we pay school fees or sign a lease?
Wait until you understand the visa, sponsor, dependant arrangements, permitted activities and refund terms. Keep early housing flexible and ask schools for written deferral or refund terms if the family's status is not yet secured.
Can a family move to Vietnam on e-visas?
Eligible nationalities can use e-visas for a research trip or temporary stay of up to 90 days, with single or multiple entry. They do not create a reliable long-term residence plan or work permission, so families should not base school and housing commitments on repeated visitor stays.
How does employer sponsorship work for a family?
A qualifying employer normally coordinates the principal's work-permit and residence documentation. Eligible spouse and children may use linked family status where the principal route and remaining validity support it; the employer should explain the complete household sequence.
Can a dependant spouse work in Vietnam?
Do not assume linked family residence is work permission. The spouse's role, employer and any work-permit or exemption requirements must be resolved separately before employment begins.
Can a child's school sponsor both parents?
Do not rely on that assumption. A school place may support the child's education arrangements, but both parents need their own lawful bases under current Vietnamese rules.