Temporary residence registration for foreigners: who must register, how to do it online, deadlines and fines

Whenever a foreigner comes to stay somewhere in Vietnam, whether a hotel, a rented flat or a friend's private home, that place must register their temporary residence with the police. Many landlords and businesses still assume this only applies to hotels. In reality, forgetting to register can lead to a fine, and the foreigner will lack the temporary residence confirmation needed when applying for a temporary residence card.

Between late 2025 and mid-2026 the rules changed considerably: new fines under Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP, a unified nationwide electronic registration system, and Circular 87/2026/TT-BCA on how registration is done. Older guides that mention the Immigration Division or district-level Police are no longer accurate. The summary below is based on currently available sources; some details of the new documents still need to be checked, so confirm with the commune-level Police where the accommodation is located before you proceed.

Current legal basis

The obligation to register temporary residence is set out in the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam No. 47/2014/QH13, amended by Law 51/2019/QH14 and by the 2023 amendment. The specific procedure and the fines are found in the documents below.

Whether Circular 87/2026 fully replaces the former Circular 53/2016/TT-BCA has not been fully verified. Some administrative procedure pages still cite Circular 53/2016 because they have not been updated, so do not rely on them to work out where to file.

• Circular 87/2026/TT-BCA dated 09/6/2026, effective from 24/7/2026: sets out how foreigners' temporary residence information is declared and received.
• Decision 4435/QĐ-BCA dated 10/7/2026: announces the amended temporary residence registration procedure.
• Temporary residence declaration form NA17: issued with Circular 04/2015/TT-BCA, as amended by Circular 57/2020/TT-BCA, Circular 22/2023/TT-BCA and Circular 70/2026/TT-BCA.
• Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP dated 30/10/2025, effective from 15/12/2025, replacing Decree 144/2021/NĐ-CP on administrative penalties.

Who is responsible for registering

General rule: foreigners staying temporarily in Vietnam must register through the person who directly manages or runs the accommodation, who files with the Police of the commune, ward or special zone, or the police station or post, where the accommodation is located. Foreigners do not register themselves, but they are obliged to present their documents so the other party can do so.

Accommodation is not limited to hotels. Guesthouses, rented flats and private homes all count. Before agreeing to let a foreigner stay, the accommodation provider must ask them to present a passport or other valid international travel document, together with documents relating to their residence in Vietnam.

• Hotels, guesthouses and serviced apartments: the manager registers each foreign guest.
• Landlords: register when the foreigner moves in.
• Long-term rentals where the landlord does not live on site: under Circular 53/2016, the person named on the lease or purchase contract registers. It is unclear whether Circular 87/2026 keeps this rule, so both parties should agree in writing who will register.
• Businesses providing housing or dormitories for foreign experts and workers: as the party managing the accommodation, the business must ensure registration is done.
• Residents hosting foreign friends or relatives: the head of household registers as an accommodation provider.
• Foreigners moving to a new address: the new accommodation must register them again.

Registration deadline

Under the Law, the maximum deadline is 12 hours from the foreigner's arrival at the accommodation in ordinary areas, and 24 hours in remote and isolated areas.

Circular 87/2026 is stricter for electronic registration: it must be done as soon as the foreigner arrives at the accommodation. If using the paper form NA17, it must be submitted to the commune-level Police within 12 hours. Whether the 24-hour exception for remote areas applies to paper forms has not been confirmed. The safe approach is to register on the day the guest arrives rather than waiting until the deadline.

Registering online step by step

From 21/5/2026, temporary residence registration for foreigners uses the Ministry of Public Security's unified electronic system, shared with stay notifications for Vietnamese citizens. The separate provincial registration websites used previously may no longer work. Sources give differing addresses for the active website, so ask the commune-level Police where the accommodation is located for the correct one. Registration is free of charge.

Commune-level Police receive information submitted through the system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so guests arriving in the evening or at the weekend can still be registered immediately.

• Step 1: Go to the electronic temporary residence registration system and enter the required details of the accommodation and the person registering to be issued an account.
• Step 2: Log in and enter the foreigner's details: full name, sex, date of birth, nationality, passport or substitute document number, and expected length of stay. The exact fields may change with the new system.
• Step 3: Carefully check the passport number and the name exactly as in the passport, then submit. The result is that the information is received by the system.
• If the accommodation's or registrant's details change: update them on the system straight away.
• Accounts with no registrations for 12 months may be temporarily locked; to use one again, submit a request for reactivation.
• If you cannot register online: complete Temporary Residence Declaration Form NA17 and submit it in person at the commune-level Police. The police enter the information into the system and certify the form.

Fines for failing to register

Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP sets fines according to the number of foreigners not registered, under point e, clause 3; point c, clause 5; and point đ, clause 6 of Article 21. The amounts below follow summaries from local police authorities. Whether these amounts apply to individuals or organisations, and whether organisations are fined double, should be checked against the full text of the Decree.

The fines under the former Decree 144/2021 are no longer in force and should not be used for reference.

• VND 3,000,000 to 5,000,000: failing to register 01 to 03 foreigners, or creating an account with false information to register electronically.
• VND 10,000,000 to 15,000,000: failing to register 04 to 08 foreigners.
• VND 15,000,000 to 20,000,000: failing to register 09 or more foreigners.
• VND 20,000,000 to 25,000,000: allowing a foreigner to stay while they are residing illegally in Vietnam.
• Foreigners who fail to present their passport or documents for the accommodation to register them also fall into the VND 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 fine bracket.

Points for HR departments and foreigners

The temporary residence registration confirmation is one of the documents in a temporary residence card application. A missing confirmation, or a registered address that does not match the address in the application, often delays submission. Businesses should treat temporary residence registration as a fixed step in their onboarding process for foreign employees.

• When a new foreign employee arrives, find out exactly where they will stay and who will register them: the hotel, the landlord or the company.
• Include a temporary residence registration clause in the lease, especially when the landlord does not live in the flat.
• Check that the passport and visa are valid before accepting a foreigner as a resident, to avoid the fine for housing someone residing illegally.
• Each time an employee moves house, renews their passport or re-enters the country, remind them to be registered again at their accommodation.
• Keep the confirmation or a screenshot of the registration for use when applying for the temporary residence card.

How Gateway can help

Temporary residence registration is carried out by the accommodation provider with the commune-level Police. Gateway helps with the next step: obtaining temporary residence cards for employees, investors and family members, for which the temporary residence confirmation is a mandatory document. The decision to issue a card rests with the immigration authority. Government fees depend on the card's validity period, and service fees are quoted case by case. Contact: [email protected], +84367387309.

• Review the current visa and the basis for the card, and determine the card type and validity period that can be applied for.
• Prepare the application file and forms and guide the sponsor through signing, including checking the temporary residence confirmation.
• Submit the application to the immigration authority, track its progress and provide additional documents when requested.
• Collect the card and hand it over together with the passport.