What paperwork do you need after moving to Vietnam in 2026?

Confirm your entry basis matches how you will live before you treat an e-visa week as settlement. Tourist or business e-visas permit the stated visit; they do not replace a work route: Apply for a Vietnam e-visa. Work assignments need the employer to file under Decree 219/2025 before the first lawful workday: Get a work permit.

On arrival, give your hotel, landlord, or host the passport details they need for tạm trú reporting to the ward or commune police: Register temporary residence. Secure a lease immigration and banks will accept: How to rent a home.

Have the sponsor file for a temporary residence card when your category qualifies. Register for a personal tax code (MST, the personal tax identifier) when payroll or direct filing needs it: Get a personal tax code.

Buy and register a Vietnamese mobile number early so bank and app OTPs work. Open a bank account with passport, lawful-stay proof, and tax-residence declarations. Choose health insurance that matches your worker, retiree, or remote-worker status before you rely on cash at private hospitals.

Authenticate foreign degrees and police certificates before translation: Apostille documents. Exchange a driving licence when scooter life begins in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi traffic. Pets need a separate import path: Bring pets.