A Vietnam work permit file is built around five things you supply: a valid passport, a recent criminal record check, a health certificate, proof of your qualification (usually a degree), and written proof of relevant work experience. Documents issued abroad normally need consular legalisation by a Vietnamese embassy or consulate, because Vietnam does not accept the apostille on its own, and then a notarised Vietnamese translation. The criminal record and health certificate are only accepted within a short window, so order them last and submit fast.
This is the part of the work permit process that the applicant controls, and the part that causes most delays. Employers can file quickly; they cannot conjure a legalised degree that is still sitting in your parents' drawer. Below we go through each document, how it is usually prepared, and the order in which to do things. The precise list and validity windows are set by the current decree and can be applied differently between provinces, so ask your employer for the definitive list in writing before you spend money.
The core documents and what usually goes wrong
This overview shows the documents most applicants are asked for. Your employer may add items, such as a copy of your previous work permit if you have worked in Vietnam before.
| Document | What it proves | Common problem |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | Identity and nationality | Less than the remaining validity the visa or card requires; name spelt differently from other documents |
| Criminal record check | No criminal record in the country or countries concerned | Issued too early and expired by the time of filing; wrong level of check |
| Health certificate | Fitness to work | Issued by a clinic not accepted for the purpose; out of date |
| Degree or qualification | The qualification for the job category | Copy legalised instead of the original or a certified copy; translation missing |
| Experience letters | Years of relevant experience | Vague references with no dates, title or duties; not on letterhead |
| Photographs | Identification on the permit | Wrong size or background |
Most of these are easy to fix individually. Trouble comes from fixing them one at a time, sequentially, across borders and time zones. Prepare them in parallel and check each against your passport before anything is legalised.
Criminal record check: which country and when
The authority wants evidence that you have no criminal record. If you have been living outside your country of nationality, the employer may be asked to provide a check from the country where you have been resident, and sometimes from both. Clarify this before ordering anything, because the answer decides which agencies you deal with.
Ask also for the level of check. Many countries offer more than one: a basic certificate of conduct, a standard police check, an enhanced version. The usual requirement is a national-level document from the competent authority, not a local police letter. If a criminal record check can also be issued in Vietnam because you have lived here legally for a period, the employer will tell you; this can be simpler than ordering one from abroad.
Timing is the trap. The certificate is accepted only if it was issued within a limited period before the application, typically a matter of months. Order it after you have the job offer and the rest of your documents are moving, so that it is still fresh when the employer files. If legalisation in your home country is slow, factor that time in as well, because the clock runs from the date of issue, not from the date of legalisation.
Health certificate: abroad or in Vietnam
You need a medical certificate showing you are fit to work. It can come from a qualified medical facility abroad, in which case it is legalised and translated like other foreign documents, or from a facility in Vietnam authorised to carry out health checks for foreigners working in the country. Many applicants find the Vietnamese option easier, because the certificate is already in the format the authority expects and needs no legalisation.
If you choose the Vietnamese route, ask HR which facilities it uses. Larger hospitals in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang commonly offer the work permit health check, and the process typically involves a general examination, blood tests and a chest X-ray, completed in one visit with results within a few days. Bring your passport and photographs.
Like the criminal record, the health certificate is valid for a limited period, usually up to twelve months for this purpose. If your application is delayed for a long time, check whether it is still in date before the employer files.
Degrees and experience: proving you fit the job
Your degree is often the document that decides your job category. If you are applying as an expert, the authority will look for a university degree in a relevant field together with experience. Prepare the degree certificate itself, not only a transcript, and ask the employer whether the original must be legalised or whether a certified copy is acceptable. Some applicants have their university's registry issue a certified copy so the original can stay at home.
Experience letters need more care than people give them. A useful letter is printed on the former employer's letterhead, signed by someone with authority to sign, and states your full name, your job title, the start and end dates of your employment, and a short description of what you did. The duties described should connect to the position in Vietnam. If you were self-employed, ask the employer what evidence it will accept; contracts with clients and business registration documents are sometimes used.
If a former employer has closed, or refuses to provide a letter, tell your new employer early. There may be alternatives, but they take time to arrange.
Legalisation and translation, in order
Every country has its own steps, but the general pattern for documents issued abroad looks like this. Ask the Vietnamese embassy or consulate in the issuing country to confirm the exact route for your document type.
- Get the document in the right form: original, certified copy, or notarised copy, depending on what the employer asked for.
- Have it authenticated by the competent authority in the issuing country, often the foreign ministry or a designated office. Some documents need notarisation first.
- Have it legalised by the Vietnamese embassy or consulate responsible for the region where the document was issued.
- Bring or send the legalised document to Vietnam.
- Have it translated into Vietnamese, and the translation certified by a notary office or the competent local authority in Vietnam.
- Make several certified copies of the translated set, because more than one office may ask for them.
Vietnam is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille certificate alone is generally not accepted in place of consular legalisation. Some bilateral agreements exempt certain documents from legalisation; your embassy and the receiving authority can tell you whether one applies. Do not assume that a process that worked for a friend from another country will work for you.
Names, dates and consistency checks
Vietnamese officials compare documents line by line, and small inconsistencies are among the most common reasons a file comes back. Before anything is legalised, lay your passport next to each document and check four things: the spelling and order of your names, your date of birth, the dates of each job, and the job titles.
Name order causes more trouble than people expect. A degree might show a middle name that the passport omits, or a married name might appear on recent documents and a birth name on older ones. If there is a genuine difference, gather the evidence that links them, such as a marriage certificate or a deed of name change, and have it legalised and translated along with the rest. It is much easier to explain a difference up front than to answer a query weeks later.
Check your CV too. Employers often submit it as part of the file, and an inflated job title or a period that overlaps with another job raises questions that the experience letters then have to answer. The CV should tell the same story as the documents, in the same words.
If you have worked in Vietnam before
Applicants who have held a Vietnamese work permit before are in a better position, but not an automatic one. Keep copies of your previous permits, the decisions that issued them, and any confirmation that the earlier permit ended properly, for example when you left your previous employer. Some steps may be simplified when a person has recently held a permit for similar work, and the employer may be able to reuse documents that are still valid.
Do not assume that documents from your last application can simply be handed in again. A criminal record check from two years ago is out of date, and a health certificate expires. Degrees and experience letters that were legalised before remain useful, but ask whether certified copies made at the time are still accepted or whether new copies are needed.
Make sure your previous employer returned or reported the old permit as required when you left. Loose ends from a past job, such as an old permit that was never formally closed, can slow down a new application with a different employer.
A timeline that works
Applicants who move fastest tend to follow a similar order. Adapt it to your country's processing times.
- As soon as you are seriously job hunting: locate your degree certificate and request experience letters from past employers while you still have contacts there.
- When the offer is signed: ask for the written document list. Start legalisation of the degree and experience letters, which do not expire.
- About one to two months before filing: order the criminal record check, so it is recent when the file goes in.
- On arrival or shortly before: do the health check, ideally in Vietnam at a facility HR recommends.
- First week in Vietnam: translations and notarised copies, then hand the full set to HR in one go.
Keep scans of everything. If something goes missing between offices, a clear scan helps the employer explain what was submitted and when.
If any step slips, the criminal record check is usually the document to watch, because it is the one most likely to run out of time. Tell HR the issue date as soon as you have it, so the filing can be planned around it rather than discovered too late.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Will an apostille be accepted for my Vietnam work permit?
Generally not on its own, because Vietnam is not a member of the Apostille Convention. Documents issued abroad usually need consular legalisation by a Vietnamese embassy or consulate, unless a bilateral agreement exempts them. Ask the Vietnamese mission in the issuing country for the current procedure.
Can I do the criminal record check in Vietnam instead?
In some cases, if you have lived in Vietnam legally for a period, a Vietnamese criminal record certificate may be accepted, either instead of or alongside the one from abroad. Whether it is enough depends on your history and the current rules, so ask your employer to check with the provincial authority.
How recent must the health certificate be?
It must have been issued within the period the authority accepts, usually up to twelve months for work permit purposes. Because the date matters, many applicants wait until they are in Vietnam and use a local facility that HR recommends, which also avoids legalisation.
What if my degree is in a field unrelated to my job?
That can make it harder to qualify as an expert, which normally expects a degree and experience relevant to the position. Experience and other qualifications may still support another category. Discuss the job title and category with the employer before the file is prepared.
Do I need my documents translated before I arrive?
No. Translation into Vietnamese and certification of the translation is normally done in Vietnam after legalisation. Translating abroad often means doing it again, because the translation must be certified locally in the form Vietnamese authorities accept.
Should I bring originals to Vietnam?
Bring the originals of your key documents, legalised where required, plus scans. Some offices accept certified copies, others want to see originals, and practice varies. Keep originals somewhere safe and hand over copies unless an original is specifically requested.