Renting an apartment as a foreigner: documents, bilingual lease, temporary residence

Legal basis: Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam No. 47/2014/QH13 (amended by Law 51/2019/QH14 and Law 23/2023/QH15, effective 15/08/2023); Circular 87/2026/TT-BCA (effective 24/07/2026); Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP; Law on Housing No. 27/2023/QH15 (Articles 161, 164, 172); Circular 32/2013/TT-NHNN (as amended) · Updated 20/10/2026.

Foreigners may rent housing in Vietnam, and the 2023 Law on Housing does not require an individual tenant to hold a residence registration at the property's address. What you need to do falls into four parts: valid entry papers, a contract both sides can read, a temporary residence declaration after you move in, and payment that follows the foreign exchange rules. This guide is for tenants and the people helping them (employer, family) before viewing apartments.

1. Documents to prepare

Document	What it is for	Note
Passport (or another valid international travel document)	Signing the lease, temporary residence declaration	The landlord will ask for a copy of the information page
Visa	Proves you were allowed to enter and stay for its validity	An e-visa allows up to 90 days, multiple entries
Temporary residence card	Replaces a visa, allows residence for a fixed period	Suits long-term tenants (work, investment, family)
Visa-exemption stamp	For nationals covered by Vietnam's unilateral visa exemption	Stay granted at the border: up to 45 days
Company details (if your employer rents for you)	Contracting party, payment documents	State clearly who the tenant is and who will live there

If the lease runs longer than your visa, ask your sponsor (employer, school) about an extension or a temporary residence card, and write into the contract what happens if the extension is refused.

2. A bilingual rental contract

The law does not require a rental contract to be bilingual, but it must be in writing; notarisation is not required. For foreign tenants, a Vietnamese–English contract (or Japanese, Korean, Chinese) in two parallel columns is recommended, stating which language version prevails if the two are read differently.

Read these clauses carefully in a language you are fluent in:

• Rent, payment period, and what is included (management fee, internet, cleaning).
• Deposit: what it secures, how many days after move-out it is refunded, what may be deducted.
• Early termination: the law requires the party ending the contract unilaterally to give at least 30 days' written notice. Foreign tenants should have a specific clause for job relocation or a visa that is not extended. See also losing the deposit when ending a lease early.
• A handover record of furniture and equipment in both languages, with photos.
• Who declares temporary residence, and your duty to tell the landlord if you change passports or are away for a long time.

3. Temporary residence declaration: the landlord files, you provide the papers

A foreigner staying in Vietnam must declare temporary residence through the person directly managing the place of stay, to the commune-level police. The law counts private homes as such a place, so when you rent an apartment, the landlord (or the person the landlord appoints to manage it) files the declaration. Before letting you stay, they must ask to see your passport and residence papers.

• Through the electronic temporary residence declaration system (Circular 87/2026/TT-BCA, effective 24/07/2026): filed as soon as you arrive.
• With a paper declaration form (form NA17): sent to the commune-level police within 12 hours, or 24 hours in remote areas.
• If you move or stay away from the address on your permanent residence card, a new declaration is required.
• A manager who fails to declare may be fined up to 12 million dong (Article 10, Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP, from 15/12/2025).

Ask the landlord for confirmation that the declaration was made (a screenshot or declaration code). The full procedure for Vietnamese tenants too: declaring temporary residence when renting.

4. Paying rent and the deposit

• State and pay prices in Vietnamese dong. Under Circular 32/2013/TT-NHNN, prices in contracts, quotations and payments within Vietnam may not be made in foreign currency, except in permitted cases. If you want a USD reference price, ask a lawyer before putting it into the contract.
• Pay by bank transfer to an account in the landlord's name (or a person authorised in writing to receive the money), with a note such as "deposit / rent for unit … month …".
• Employer pays: agree in advance which documents the landlord will provide (receipt, invoice if any) so your company can reimburse.
• Tax on rental income is the landlord's obligation. Read carefully if the contract says the tenant pays it on the landlord's behalf, as that changes your real cost. See the landlord's papers and taxes.

5. Choosing a unit: ask the building management before paying a deposit

Building rules apply to tenants too: resident registration, access cards, moving hours, pets, limits on short-term rentals. Also ask about the management fee, car parking, and whether the building helps foreign residents with paperwork.

Price reference: three 75 m² Léman Luxury apartments (117 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, former District 3) consigned to HPR for rent, furnished, at 28 million dong/month (1 bedroom) and 32–33 million dong/month (2 bedrooms), updated 20/10/2026. See apartments for rent in central HCMC and all apartments for rent.

This article is for reference only and does not replace legal or financial advice for your specific case.

1. Check how long you may stay in Vietnam — visa, temporary residence card or visa-exemption stamp — against the planned lease term.
2. Send your needs: area, number of bedrooms, budget, move-in date, pets or car parking.
3. View the unit and ask the building management about house rules, the management fee and resident cards.
4. Read the draft bilingual contract, agree which language prevails, and settle the deposit and early-termination clauses.
5. Check the landlord's papers: pink book or sale contract with the developer, ID, a power of attorney if someone else is letting the unit.
6. Sign the contract and pay the deposit in Vietnamese dong to an account in the landlord's name.
7. Receive the unit with a handover record (inventory, photos, electricity and water readings) in both languages.
8. Give the landlord your passport details for the temporary residence declaration and ask for confirmation that it has been filed.

Sources in Vietnamese; titles kept in the original, with a short English translation in brackets.

• National Assembly — Luật Nhập cảnh, xuất cảnh, quá cảnh, cư trú của người nước ngoài tại Việt Nam số 47/2014/QH13 (Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners No. 47/2014/QH13), Articles 3, 31, 32, 33, issued 16 June 2014.
• Vietnam Lawyers Journal — Sửa đổi, bổ sung quy định về khai báo tạm trú đối với người nước ngoài tại Việt Nam (Amended rules on temporary residence declaration for foreigners), 27 July 2023.
• VnEconomy — Quốc hội thông qua việc nâng thời hạn visa điện tử lên 90 ngày (National Assembly extends e-visa validity to 90 days), 24 June 2023.
• Vietnam Lawyers Journal — Cách thức thực hiện khai báo, tiếp nhận thông tin tạm trú của người nước ngoài tại Việt Nam (How foreigners' temporary residence is declared and received — Circular 87/2026/TT-BCA), 22 June 2026.
• Tuoi Tre (Phap Luat TP.HCM) — Không khai báo tạm trú cho khách nước ngoài, chủ khách sạn bị phạt bao nhiêu? (Fines for not declaring foreign guests' temporary residence — Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP, Article 10), 6 December 2025.
• National Assembly — Luật Nhà ở số 27/2023/QH15 (Law on Housing No. 27/2023/QH15), Articles 161, 164, 172, issued 27 November 2023, effective 1 August 2024.
• LuatVietnam — Hợp đồng thanh toán bằng ngoại tệ được không? (Can contracts be paid in foreign currency? — Circular 32/2013/TT-NHNN, Articles 3, 4), 4 September 2019.
• HPR — consignment listings for Léman Luxury apartments for rent (codes KG2610-04, KG2610-05, KG2610-06), updated 20 October 2026.