Legal Guide | Work permit in Vietnam

Welcome to our in-depth guide on obtaining a work permit Vietnam. Whether you’re an expat or an employer, we’ll provide you “open work permit checklist” so that you can prepare the necessary documents and submit them to competent authorities.

To obtain a work permit Vietnam, foreign employees must prepare the following information and documents. These documents of the open work permit checklist will be submitted to the competent authorities.

 1. Process of obtaining a Work permit in Vietnam

• 2-4 weeks for applying for approval of the Company’s demand for foreign workers.
• 1-2 weeks for obtaining Approval.
• Applying for the Work Permit.
• Obtaining the employee’s Work Permit.
• Submitting labor contract (if any).

2. Document preparation

2.1 For Foreign employer

• Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC/IRC) (if any) / Operation license of representative office.
• Current Company Charter and appendix (if any).
• All valid approval(s) for the job position using foreign workers of the Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs issued to the Company (if any).
• Documents proving the recruitment process (job announcements, job postings on the company’s mass media, posts through employment service organizations, etc.).
• Plan to train Vietnamese employee(s) to replace and transfer jobs of foreign employee(s) at the end of their working time at the Company (if any).
• Plans to use foreign employee(s) (if any).

2.2 For Foreign employee

• ID pictures 4x6cm, white background, front view, bare head, without colored glasses within 06 months.
• Passport copy (all pages).
• Criminal record issued within 06 months (in the country of residence or in Vietnam).
• Health Check in the country of residence or Vietnam issued within 12 months.
• Previous work permit (if any).

3. Document preparation for specific working position

• Executive: Documents proving he/she is the head or a person who directly administers affiliated entities of an agency, organization, or enterprise.
• Manager: Documents proving he/she is in charge of the management of an enterprise or the head or deputy head of an agency or organization.
• Expert: Having at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent and at least 03 years’ experience in his/her training field corresponding with the job position. OR Having at least 05 years of experience and a practicing certificate correspondingly.
• Technical: Trained in a technical field or another major for at least 01 year and worked at least 03 years in his/her training field. OR Having at least 5 years of work experience in accordance with the position that the foreign worker is expected to work in Vietnam.

4. Work permit authorities

You can submit your application for a work permit through the following authorities, as outlined in Article 3 of Circular 40/2016/TT-BLĐTBXH:

• The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs
• The provincial or municipal Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs

The specific authority responsible for issuing the work permit will depend on the type of enterprise or organization employing the foreign individual.

We trust that the insights provided by PLF Law Firm have equipped you with essential knowledge on the process of obtaining work permits for foreign nationals in line with Vietnam’s legal requirements.

If you require assistance in registering for a work permit, do not hesitate to contact PLF Law Firm – your premier work permit Vietnam agency, for professional and comprehensive assistance!

Click here to download PLF version of “Work permit in Vietnam”: