Vietnam Business Visa DN1 vs DN2: What Each One Covers (2026)

DN1 is issued to a foreigner coming to work with a Vietnamese enterprise or other organisation that has legal-entity status. DN2 is for offering services, setting up a commercial presence, or treaty-based activity. They replaced a single earlier DN symbol, last up to 1 year, are requested through a sponsor, and are not on the temporary residence card list.

DN1 is for a foreigner coming to work with a Vietnamese enterprise or other organisation that has legal-entity status. DN2 is for one entering to offer services for sale, set up a commercial presence, or act under an international treaty Vietnam is party to. Both last up to 1 year, go through a sponsor, and are not on the temporary residence card list.

A sponsor is the agency, organisation or individual that invites you and files your request. Article numbers below are those of Law 47/2014/QH13, as amended by Law 51/2019/QH14 and Law 118/2025/QH15.

DN1 and DN2 against the old single DN symbol

Before Law 51/2019/QH14 there was one DN symbol for anyone entering to work with an enterprise. The split changed the symbol, not the length: the 2014 text already capped it at 12 months.

Working in Vietnam has its own pair of symbols: LĐ1 for a foreigner with a confirmation of not needing a work permit, and LĐ2 for one who must hold a work permit.

Which case are you?

• If you come to work with a Vietnamese enterprise or organisation → DN1, up to 1 year, requested by the company.
• If you come to sell services or set up a commercial presence → DN2, up to 1 year, requested by your sponsor.
• If a Vietnamese company hires you → the work visas LĐ1 and LĐ2 apply, up to 2 years. See who needs a work permit in Vietnam.
• If you want a residence card → DN1 and DN2 are not eligible, while LĐ1 and LĐ2 are. See getting a temporary residence card in Da Nang.
• If your trip is 90 days or less → an e-visa lasts at most 90 days, but its eligibility rule does not mention business purpose. See Vietnam’s e-visa rules and cost.

Still open: whether a Da Nang company can file locally, and whether an LĐ card is issued after DN1 without a visa conversion.

Maximum validity: up to 1 year, and shorter than your passport

DN1 and DN2 are valid for a maximum of 1 year, against 2 years for LĐ1 and LĐ2. Whatever the symbol, validity must be at least 30 days shorter than that of your passport or other international travel document.

Who can sponsor a DN1 or DN2 visa

Any enterprise established under Vietnamese law may invite or sponsor a foreigner, provided its request matches its own functions or operating licence.

The sponsor files with the immigration authority. Since 1 July 2026 it can also send the request by public postal service or online, if it meets the conditions of Article 16b. For an organisation, that means an electronic identity account and an electronic signature.

Before sponsoring anyone for the first time, the organisation sends a one-time notice, updated whenever anything changes, with a certified copy of its establishment licence and a document introducing its seal and authorised signatory. The authority then has 5 working days to review the request, reply, and notify the Vietnamese visa-issuing office abroad.

The procedure page (code 1.003425) names form NA2 and lists the Immigration Department’s offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Circular 70/2026/TT-BCA amends the NA2 form from 1 July 2026, and Law 118/2025/QH15 repealed clauses 6 and 7 of Article 16, including the rule on paying the charge for sending the visa notification.

Converting into a DN1 or DN2 visa, or extending one, inside Vietnam

A visa’s purpose can be converted only in these four cases:

• proof you are an investor, or the representative of a foreign organisation investing in Vietnam
• proof you are the parent, spouse or child of the person inviting you
• being invited to work by an agency or organisation and also holding a work permit or a confirmation of not needing one
• entering on an e-visa and holding a work permit or a confirmation of not needing one

A conversion gives a new visa whose symbol and validity match the new purpose.

Your sponsor can apply to extend your temporary stay, in person, online or by post, with up to 5 working days from a complete file and a government fee of US$10 per extension. A Vietnamese citizen asking instead of a company must be your grandparent, parent, spouse, child or sibling, with papers proving it. See how to extend a visa in Da Nang.

Does a DN1 or DN2 visa qualify you for a temporary residence card?

Not on its own. Since 1 July 2026, Article 36 point b covers foreigners staying in Vietnam who qualify for LV1, LV2, LS, ĐT1, ĐT2, ĐT3, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LĐ1, LĐ2, TT, UĐ1 or UĐ2 visas. DN1 and DN2 are not on that list. Point a covers diplomatic, consular and international-organisation missions and their accompanying family and staff.

A card for an LĐ1 or LĐ2 holder lasts up to 2 years, and its validity must be at least 30 days shorter than your passport’s. See getting a temporary residence card in Da Nang.

DN1/DN2 vs a work (LĐ) visa

Neither the DN1 nor the DN2 definition mentions work permits; the LĐ pair is the one defined by working in Vietnam. LĐ visas last up to 2 years against 1 year. If a Vietnamese company is hiring you, read who needs a work permit in Vietnam before choosing a visa.

DN1/DN2 vs the e-visa

EV is the symbol for Vietnam’s electronic visa, open to passport holders outside Article 8, clauses 1 to 4. It lasts 90 days at most, against 1 year for DN1 and DN2, and its eligibility rule says nothing about business purpose. See Vietnam’s e-visa rules and cost.

What a DN1 or DN2 visa costs

The fee schedule applies to visas requested from a Vietnamese state authority inside Vietnam. A single-entry visa costs US$25. A multiple-entry visa varies with validity: US$50 up to 90 days, US$95 over 90 to 180 days, US$135 over 180 days to 1 year.

Fees set in US dollars can be paid in dollars or in converted dong. If you are not eligible, or you refuse to accept the outcome, the fee is not refunded. See Vietnam immigration fees in 2026.

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Not confirmed: Whether a Da Nang company can file the entry-approval request in person in Da Nang. Whether an LĐ card is issued to a DN1 holder with a work permit and no visa conversion. Whether the fee below applies at an embassy abroad.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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