ThonExpatVietnam
Start

Where to file a TRC: follow the sponsor

In plain termsA TRC (Temporary Residence Card) is filed with immigration where the sponsor is, not where you prefer to live. Immigration Law Article 37 ties jurisdiction to the host — employer, investor, school, or family sponsor — in that locality. Filing in the “easier” city is a classic bounce.

Start here — three checks

  1. Name the sponsor on the application. That entity’s registered locality is the filing map.
  2. If you live in another province, still file where the sponsor sits, unless a published local rule says otherwise — do not invent one
  3. Align work-permit and TRC sponsor names before you queue

Decision map

SignalLock nowIf skipped
Employer ERC address is Hanoi; you rent in Hung YenPlan the Hanoi immigration file. Your bedroom is not the jurisdiction.Hung Yen rejects; Hanoi has never seen the dossier.
Company headquarters vs actual workplace branchMatch the sponsor that appears on the labour file. Split HQ/branch is how files ping-pong.Work permit in city A, TRC attempt in city B.
Family (TT) sponsor is a spouse with a TRC in one cityFile where that sponsor’s residence/immigration record sits.You file where you work, while the sponsor is registered elsewhere.
Investor sponsor is the company you ownUse the company’s registered locality, same as other company-sponsored cards.You file as a tourist in the beach town where you actually stay.
Sponsor just moved provincesUpdate the sponsor’s own registration first, then file the TRC. Do not use the old city from habit.The application names an address immigration no longer recognises.
Common wrong movesWhere people lose time on this exact question.
  • Choosing the office with the shortest Facebook queue.
  • Filing where you live because the landlord’s ward office felt relevant.
  • Letting a consultant file in their home province for “relationships.”
If this fails, do this nextRecovery order — not a generic legal memo.
  • Pull the sponsor’s ERC or residence record and read the locality.
  • If a file was already lodged in the wrong place, retrieve it and refile. Do not wait out the 5-working-day slogan.
  • If the sponsor itself is wrong (old employer), run the sponsor-change playbook before any new TRC form.
Temporary residence cardWhat the TRC is and how it relates to visa symbols.NA6, NA7, NA8 formsWhich form you carry to that immigration desk.Sponsor-change playbookIf the host locality should have changed with the job.

Common questions

Where do I file a TRC in Vietnam?

At the immigration authority for the sponsor’s locality — the employer, school, investor company, or family host named on the application. Article 37 is about the host, not your favourite city.

Can I file where I live if that is different from my company?

Not as a convenience choice. If you live in another province, you still follow the sponsor unless a real local rule says otherwise. Do not assume your rental address moves the desk.

What if work permit and TRC were filed in different cities?

That split is a defect. Align sponsor and locality, then refile. A card and a permit that disagree will fail later even if both were stamped.