9G work visa vs TRC
The 9(G) is the Philippines' employer-sponsored work visa, granted to foreign nationals "proceeding to Philippines to engage in any lawful occupation, whether for wages or salary or other forms of compensation." It runs for a maximum of three years or co-terminus with the DOLE Alien Employment Permit, whichever is shorter, and the AEP itself defaults to one year, so most people hold a one-year visa in practice. The Bureau of Immigration's published conversion fee for a principal at a non-Top 1,000 corporation is Php 10,130.00 for one year, Php 17,170.00 for two and Php 24,210.00 for three, plus US$50 to US$150 for the ACR I-Card, on top of the separate DOLE AEP fee the employer pays first. Vietnam's Temporary Residence Card is not a visa you apply for from abroad — it is an upgrade granted after you are already in Vietnam on a qualifying visa, and only a sponsoring company, investment or family member can file it for you. Validity is capped by the card's symbol: ĐT1 investor cards run up to 10 years, NG3/LV1/LV2/LS/ĐT2/DH up to 5 years, NN1/NN2/ĐT3/TT up to 3 years, and the LĐ1/LĐ2 employment cards most foreign workers actually hold up to 2 years, always at least 30 days shorter than your passport. The state fee is USD 145 per card up to 2 years, USD 155 for over 2 to 5 years and USD 165 for over 5 to 10 years, with a 5-working-day statutory decision window.
| 9G work visa | TRC | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | philippines | vietnam |
| Stay per entry | Continuous residence for the whole validity of the card. You do not accrue a per-entry stay limit and there are no border runs; the card replaces the visa for the period it covers. | |
| Total validity | Maximum three years, or co-terminus with the AEP issued by DOLE, whichever is shorter. Because the AEP is issued "for a period of one (1) year, unless the employment contract, or other modes of engagement provides otherwise, which in no case shall exceed three (3) years," a one-year visa is the common outcome. BI sells the conversion in one-, two- and three-year bands. | Depends entirely on the card symbol: ĐT1 up to 10 years; NG3, LV1, LV2, LS, ĐT2 and DH up to 5 years; NN1, NN2, ĐT3 and TT up to 3 years; LĐ1, LĐ2 and PV1 up to 2 years. Since 1 July 2026 the new UĐ1 and UĐ2 cards also run up to 10 years. Every card must be at least 30 days shorter than the remaining validity of your passport, so a passport with 18 months left caps even a 10-year entitlement at about 17 months. |
| Government fee | ₱10,130 — BI published fee to convert to a 9(G) commercial visa: principal applicant, one-year validity, employer not in the Top 1,000 corporations (Php 17,170.00 for two years, Php 24,210.00 for three). The ACR I-Card is charged on top at US$50 for one year, US$100 for two, US$150 for three. BI's table is footnoted "Fees are updated as of 06 March 2014 and may change without prior notice," and the DOLE AEP fee is separate and paid first. | $145 — Per card, for a TRC valid no more than 2 years — the tier that covers the LĐ1/LĐ2 employment cards most foreign workers get. USD 155 for over 2 to 5 years, USD 165 for over 5 to 10 years. Set by Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC, in force 1 April 2026. Excludes the work permit, the sponsor's paperwork and any agent fee. |
| Income required | None | None |
| Savings required | None | None |
| Deposit required | None | ₫100,000,000,000 — Not a refundable deposit — this is the capital contribution that buys the longest card. VND 100 billion or more (or investment in an incentivised business line or locality) gets you an ĐT1 visa and so the 10-year ĐT1 TRC. VND 50bn–under 100bn is ĐT2 (5-year card), VND 3bn–under 50bn is ĐT3 (3-year card), and under VND 3bn is ĐT4, which gets no TRC at all. |
| Minimum age | None | None |
| Health insurance | Not required | Not required |
| Processing time | Budget three to five months end to end. The DOLE Regional Office acts on a new or renewal AEP within fifteen (15) working days from payment of the fee, but that clock only starts after the vacancy has been published for 15 calendar days and the application accepted; the BI stage afterwards adds a pre-screening, a hearing, biometrics and visa implementation, each with its own queue. | 5 working days from receipt of a complete dossier, by statute. In practice provincial immigration offices commonly take 5 to 10 working days, and the clock only starts once the file is accepted as complete — an incomplete dossier is handed back rather than queued. |
| Apply from | Inside the Philippines (Bureau of Immigration main office in Intramuros, Manila, or an authorized BI district office), usually as a conversion from a 9(a) temporary visitor stamp; the employer's AEP is filed first at the DOLE Regional Office with jurisdiction over the jobsite. A 9(G) can also be issued at a Philippine embassy or consulate abroad, but only after written authority is received from DFA Manila. |
Choose the 9G work visa if
- Full employment rights with a named Philippine employer, plus dependent visas for a spouse and children — BI publishes dependent fees alongside the principal's (Php 8,120.00 for a spouse on a one-year conversion).
- Renewable indefinitely while the job lasts, and years on a 9(G) count toward later permanent options such as a 13(a) by marriage or the SIRV/SRRV routes.
- The Provisional Permit to Work lets you legally start work while the 9(G) is still pending — BI grants it on proof of an AEP application rather than a finished AEP, and it runs up to one year.
- Can be converted from inside the country: most applicants enter on a 9(a) tourist stamp and convert, rather than waiting abroad for an embassy to receive DFA authority.
Choose the TRC if
- Acts as a multiple-entry residence permit — you leave and re-enter Vietnam freely for the life of the card with no visa run, no extension stamps and no per-entry day count
- Genuinely long: an ĐT1 investor card runs up to 10 years, longer than almost any comparable Southeast Asian residence permit
- Cheap by regional standards — USD 145 to USD 165 in state fees for the whole multi-year term, not per year
- A holder can sponsor a TT card for a spouse and children under 18, keeping the family on one legal footing
- Statutory 5-working-day decision window, and applications are filed at the provincial immigration office where your sponsor is based rather than requiring a trip to Hanoi
9G work visa last checked 11 September 2026; TRC last checked 11 September 2026. Sources are listed on each visa page.