Every foreigner staying overnight in Vietnam must have their stay declared to the local police, and the person responsible is normally the one providing the accommodation: the hotel, the guesthouse, the landlord, or the Vietnamese household you are staying with. Under the immigration law, the declaration should be made within 12 hours of your arrival, or 24 hours in remote areas, either online or with the commune-level police. The obligation applies whether you are on an e-visa, a visa exemption or a temporary residence card, and a new declaration is needed each time you move.
This step is easy to overlook because, at hotels, it happens silently at the front desk when your passport is copied. Once you rent your own place or stay with friends, it becomes something you need to check. Missing declarations cause practical problems later: residence card applications may stall, banks and schools may ask for proof, and hosts can be fined. This guide explains who declares, how, and the situations in which long-term residents most often slip.
Who has to declare, and what you need to provide
The law places the duty on the accommodation provider rather than on the foreign guest. Hotels, hostels, guesthouses and serviced apartments do it as part of check-in. In rented homes, the landlord, or the person managing the property on the landlord's behalf, is responsible. If you stay in a private home with a Vietnamese family, the head of the household or the person you are staying with makes the declaration. Hospitals, dormitories and other facilities where foreigners stay overnight have similar obligations.
Your part is to give the host what they need: your passport, your visa or residence card details and the date you arrived. Many hosts will photograph or copy the passport data page and the visa or card. That is normal and expected. It is reasonable to ask how and when the declaration will be made and to request confirmation once it has been done.
The declaration is separate from the residence registration system used by Vietnamese citizens, which is governed by a different law. Foreigners do not join a household registration or receive a citizen's residence record by being declared; the declaration simply lets the police know where a foreign national is staying.
Situations and who declares
This table reflects the general pattern. Local police may give more specific guidance, and online systems vary slightly by province.
| Where you stay | Who declares | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel, hostel, guesthouse | The establishment at check-in | Usually automatic; keep your booking confirmation |
| Serviced apartment | The operator | Ask whether they declare for long stays as well as short ones |
| Rented apartment or house | The landlord or property manager | Ask for confirmation, especially at the start of a lease |
| Staying with a Vietnamese family | The head of household or host | Hosts who have never had a foreign guest may not know the procedure |
| Staying with foreign friends who rent | Their landlord, as the accommodation provider | Short stays are often forgotten; raise it politely |
| Hospital admission overnight | The hospital | Normally part of admission paperwork |
For a short stay with friends, the procedure may feel excessive, but the obligation does not change with the length of stay. It is better to ask than to assume.
How declaration is done in practice
There are two common routes. The first is online: the Ministry of Public Security operates an electronic system through which accommodation establishments and individuals hosting foreigners can submit declarations. Hotels use it routinely. Private landlords often register an account once and then declare each foreign tenant. The second route is in person, at the commune-level police office for the area. Since the 2025 reorganisation removed the district tier of local government, the commune or ward police are the relevant level for most residents.
Online systems require the host to register, which can take some time the first time. Landlords who rent to foreigners regularly usually have this in place. A landlord who has never done it may prefer the in-person route, or may ask you to help by preparing passport copies and filling in your details. The legal responsibility still rests with them.
After the declaration, the host may receive a confirmation or a record they can show. Ask for a copy, a screenshot or at least the date it was submitted. If you are about to apply for a residence card, the immigration office may want to see evidence that your current address has been declared, and the easiest moment to obtain it is right after the declaration is made.
Where long-term residents slip
Moving apartments. Each new address needs a new declaration. People who declared carefully when they first arrived often forget when they move across the city a year later.
Weekend trips. Hotels and resorts declare for you, but homestays and private rentals booked informally may not. A host who does not ask for your passport may not be declaring the stay. A quick question at check-in costs nothing and keeps your record continuous.
Staying with a partner's family. During holidays such as Tet, many foreigners stay with in-laws or a partner's relatives in the countryside. The household should declare the stay; families who have never hosted a foreigner may need a gentle reminder.
Renting through an intermediary. When an agent arranges the lease, it can be unclear who handles declaration. Settle this in writing at the start.
Long hospital stays or medical travel. If you move between hospitals or stay with relatives during recovery, the address may change more than once.
Assuming a card replaces declaration. A temporary residence card does not remove the need to declare where you sleep. Card holders are declared like anyone else.
When you host visitors in your own home
Long-term residents often find themselves on the other side of the process when parents, siblings or friends visit from abroad and stay in the spare room. The accommodation provider for legal purposes is still the person responsible for the property, which in a rented apartment usually means the landlord, although some landlords leave it to the tenant to arrange. If you own an apartment yourself, as foreigners may do in eligible commercial projects, you may be the person expected to declare.
The simplest approach is to agree with your landlord, when you sign the lease, how visiting guests will be handled. Some landlords are happy to declare guests if you send passport copies in advance; others will ask you to go to the commune police with them. Either way, raise it before your visitors land, not after they have been staying for a week.
Visitors on an e-visa or visa exemption are declared exactly like any other foreigner. Their status does not change the obligation, and their own later visa or entry may go more smoothly when their previous stays were properly recorded.
Why it matters beyond the fine
Accommodation providers who fail to declare foreign guests can be fined under the government's decree on administrative sanctions, and that is the obvious reason landlords take it seriously. For foreign residents, the more important consequences are practical. A residence card application may be returned if there is no record of your address. Banks sometimes ask for proof of address. Schools, employers and service providers may want to see that your stay is properly recorded. In rare cases, police checks of buildings, particularly after a complaint or an incident, reveal undeclared foreign occupants, and the conversation that follows is far easier if the paperwork is in order.
There is also a quieter benefit. The record of where you have lived builds a residence history. If you later apply for permanent residence on a route that requires years of lawful continuous residence, consistent declarations alongside your cards are part of the evidence that you lived where you said you did.
Restricted areas and special locations
Some areas in Vietnam, including certain border zones, military installations and other security-sensitive locations, have additional restrictions on foreigners' access or stay. Ordinary residential neighbourhoods in cities and tourist towns are not affected, but long-term residents who travel to remote border provinces, islands or areas near military sites should check whether a permit is needed before going.
The practical approach is to ask the accommodation provider at the destination, who will usually know the local rules, and to carry your passport and card at all times when travelling outside your home city. If you plan an extended stay in a remote area, for example for a project or volunteer work, ask the provincial police about any requirements in advance. Since provinces were merged in 2025, some familiar destinations now sit within differently named provinces, so check the current provincial name when looking up guidance.
Visits to friends who live near industrial zones, ports or airports are normally unaffected. The rules matter mainly for genuinely remote or sensitive locations, and the people most likely to encounter them are long-term residents who travel off the usual routes, such as hikers in the northern mountains or volunteers working in border communities.
A short routine for every move
Long-term residents who move several times over the years find it helpful to follow the same routine each time.
- Before signing a lease, ask the landlord how and when they will declare you.
- On moving day, hand over passport and card copies and agree a date for the declaration.
- Within a day or two, ask for confirmation and keep it with your residence papers.
- Tell your residence card sponsor about the new address, especially if you moved provinces.
- Update your bank, employer and school records if they hold your address.
- When you leave, let the landlord know your departure date so their records stay accurate.
None of these steps takes more than a few minutes, and together they remove the most common source of friction between foreign residents and local paperwork.
If you keep a simple log of addresses and declaration dates alongside your card copies, you will also have the residence history ready if it is ever needed for a renewal or a permanent residence application.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Do I need to register my address with the police in Vietnam?
Your stay must be declared to the local police, but the duty falls on the person providing your accommodation: the hotel, landlord or host family. Your role is to provide passport and visa or card details and to make sure the declaration has actually been made.
How soon must my landlord declare me?
The immigration law requires declaration within 12 hours of arrival, or within 24 hours in remote areas. In practice, ask your landlord to declare on the day you move in and to send you confirmation once it is done.
Can the declaration be done online?
Yes. The Ministry of Public Security operates an online system for declaring foreigners' temporary residence. Hotels use it routinely, and private landlords can register to use it. Declaration in person at the commune-level police office is also possible.
Do I need to be declared if I have a temporary residence card?
Yes. A residence card permits you to live in Vietnam, but your actual address must still be declared by your accommodation provider each time you move. The card does not replace declaration.
What if I stay with my Vietnamese partner's family?
The head of the household or the person hosting you should declare your stay to the local police. Families who have never hosted a foreigner may be unfamiliar with the process, so offer passport copies and ask them to check with the commune police if unsure.
Is this the same as the residence registration for Vietnamese citizens?
No. Vietnamese citizens register permanent and temporary residence under the Law on Residence. Foreigners' stays are declared under the immigration law. Being declared does not add you to a household record or give you citizen residence status.