To get a work permit in Vietnam you need a Vietnamese employer willing to sponsor you, a job that fits one of the categories the law allows foreigners to fill (manager, executive director, expert or technical worker), and a file of documents proving your qualifications, health and clean criminal record. The employer, not you, applies to the provincial labour authority; once the permit is issued you switch to a work visa and, usually, a temporary residence card. You cannot apply for a permit on your own as a freelancer, and you should not start working until the permit is in your hands.
The process is predictable once you see its order. Most delays come from documents that were prepared in the wrong way in your home country, not from the Vietnamese side. This guide walks through each stage in sequence, explains who does what, and points out where people lose weeks. Rules on foreign workers have been revised several times since the 2019 Labour Code, and responsibilities were reorganised when ministries merged in 2025, so treat this as a map and confirm the current requirements with your employer and the provincial authority before you rely on any detail.
Who can actually get a permit
Vietnam's Labour Code sets the basic conditions for any foreigner working in the country. You must be at least 18 and have full legal capacity, have the professional qualifications, skills and experience the job requires, be in good enough health to do the work, and not be serving a criminal sentence or under criminal investigation. On top of that, you need a work permit unless you fall into one of the exempt groups, which we cover in a separate guide.
The law then narrows the kinds of jobs open to foreigners. Employers can bring in foreign staff for positions that Vietnamese workers cannot yet fill, and the role normally has to fit one of four descriptions: a manager, an executive director, an expert, or a technical worker. Each has a definition in the implementing decree. An expert, for example, is usually someone with a university degree and several years of relevant experience, or someone with recognised professional standing. A technical worker is someone with specialised training and practical experience in a technical field.
This matters because it shapes your file. If you are hired as an expert, the authority will want to see the degree and the experience that justify the title. A job description that reads like general office work, with no link to your qualifications, invites questions. Good employers draft the role around what you can prove. If a company tells you that the title on paper does not matter, take it as a sign that it has not done this often.
The sequence, step by step
Every case has its quirks, but most applications move through the same stages in the same order. Knowing the order lets you prepare the slow parts first.
- Job offer and agreement in principle. You and the employer agree on the role, title, start date and place of work. Ask early who will handle the permit: an in-house HR team, an outside agent, or nobody yet.
- Employer's demand for a foreign worker. Before hiring, the employer must explain to the provincial authority why it needs a foreigner for the position and obtain approval. Under recent reforms this step is handled at provincial level and in some cases combined with the permit application itself. Either way, it is the employer's job, but it sets the timetable.
- Your documents from home. Degree, proof of experience, criminal record check and sometimes other certificates, all prepared, legalised and translated in the correct way. This is the slowest stage and the one you control.
- Health check. A medical certificate from a recognised clinic, either abroad or in Vietnam, within the validity period the authority accepts.
- Application. The employer files the application with the provincial authority, often through the online public service portal, then submits originals or certified copies as instructed.
- Permit issued. If the file is complete, the authority issues the permit, which names you, the employer, the position, the place of work and the dates.
- Work visa and residence card. With the permit, the employer sponsors your work visa and then a temporary residence card through the immigration office, so you can stay for the length of the permit.
- Labour contract. You sign a written labour contract in line with the permit, and the employer reports it as required.
Notice that the visa comes after the permit. Many people arrive on an e-visa to start the process, which is common and usually fine for the preparation stage, but the purpose of your stay must match what you are doing. Wait for the permit before you begin the actual job.
Documents: where most applications stall
The core file usually includes your passport, photographs, the health certificate, a criminal record check, your degree or professional qualification, and written proof of relevant experience from previous employers. The authority sets how recent the health certificate and criminal record must be, and those windows are short enough to matter: get the timing wrong and you repeat the check.
Documents issued outside Vietnam generally need consular legalisation before Vietnamese authorities accept them. Vietnam is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille on its own is usually not enough; the common path is certification in the issuing country followed by legalisation at the Vietnamese embassy or consulate there, unless a bilateral agreement exempts the document. After that, the documents are translated into Vietnamese and the translation is notarised in Vietnam. Each country's route differs, so ask the nearest Vietnamese mission which steps apply to you.
Experience letters are the weak point in many files. A reference saying you were a great colleague does not help. The authority wants a letter on company letterhead, signed, stating your position, the period you worked and what you did, so it can match it to the role in Vietnam. Collect these before you leave your last job; chasing a former employer from another time zone months later is far harder. We give a full checklist in our separate guide to work permit documents.
How long it takes and what the permit covers
There is no single timeline, because so much depends on how ready your documents are. The formal processing period at the provincial office is short compared with the weeks people often spend obtaining a criminal record certificate, legalising a degree and arranging translations. A realistic plan treats document preparation as the long pole and leaves a margin for one round of corrections.
Once issued, a work permit is tied tightly to its details. It names one employer, one job position and the place or places of work. Under the Labour Code a permit lasts for a maximum of two years and can be extended once, for up to another two years; after that you apply for a new permit. Your labour contract cannot outlast the permit.
Because the permit is specific, changes in your job can trigger paperwork. A new employer means a new permit. A significant change in position or working location may require the permit to be reissued. If your company is restructured or renamed, ask HR whether the permit needs updating. Treat the permit as a description of your real job; when the job changes, the description must follow.
From permit to residence card
The permit lets you work, but it does not by itself let you stay. For that you need a work visa, usually the LĐ2 category for people who hold a permit, sponsored by the employer through the immigration authorities. Most long-term workers then apply for a temporary residence card, which replaces repeated visas and lets you enter and leave freely while it is valid.
For workers, the residence card is normally issued for a period that does not exceed the work permit, so the two expire together. That is convenient for planning, but it also means that if you leave the job early, both the permit and your basis for residence fall away together. Your family members may be able to apply for dependent visas and cards linked to yours; the details belong to the immigration office and are covered in our residence-card section.
After you receive the card, the place you live must register your residence with the local police. Landlords and hotels usually do this, but many expats find out only when a renewal is refused for missing registration. Ask your landlord to confirm it has been done each time you move.
Mistakes that cost weeks
Starting work before the permit is issued. It is tempting when a school or company is short-staffed, but working without a permit exposes you to fines and possible deportation, and it exposes the employer too. Agree a start date that follows the permit, not the other way round.
Legalising the wrong document. People legalise a copy when an original was required, or the transcript instead of the degree. Before you pay for anything, ask the employer for a written list of exactly which documents, in which form.
Letting checks expire. If the criminal record certificate is close to the end of its accepted window when the file is submitted, a single delay can push it out. Time the checks so they are fresh when the application goes in.
Mismatched names and dates. A middle name missing from the degree but present on the passport, or a job title that differs between your experience letter and your CV, can lead to a request for explanation. Check every document against your passport before legalisation.
Relying on verbal promises. If an employer says it will handle everything, ask who exactly, by when, and what you need to deliver. A short written timeline avoids most of the misunderstandings we hear about.
What you can do to keep the process moving
Most of the process sits with the employer and the authorities, but the applicant controls more of the timetable than people expect. These habits shorten the wait in almost every case.
- Ask for the document list in writing before you leave home, including whether originals, certified copies or legalised copies are needed for each item.
- Order the criminal record check from every country the authority asks about, and note how long each one takes to arrive; some are issued in days, others take weeks.
- Bring several sets of passport photographs in the size the employer specifies, plus scans of every page of your passport.
- Keep a single folder, paper and digital, with every legalised document and its notarised Vietnamese translation, so a request for one more copy does not cost a week.
- Answer HR's questions the same day. Many files wait in an inbox, not at the provincial office.
- Track the expiry dates of your passport, health certificate and criminal record check on one page, and tell HR at once if anything is close to running out.
None of this replaces a competent HR team or agent, but an organised applicant makes their work faster and reduces the chance that a missing page sends the file back to the start.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Can I apply for a Vietnam work permit myself, without an employer?
Generally no. The application is made by the organisation that will employ you in Vietnam, because the permit is tied to that employer, position and workplace. If you want to work for yourself, the usual legal route is to set up or invest in a company, which brings its own rules on who needs a permit.
Can I start the process while I am in Vietnam on an e-visa?
Many people do arrive on an e-visa to look for work or to prepare documents, and the employer then sponsors a work visa once the permit is issued. What you must not do is start working before the permit and the right visa are in place. Check with the immigration office how a change of visa is handled in your case.
How long is a Vietnam work permit valid?
Under the Labour Code a work permit lasts for a maximum of two years and can be extended once for up to two more years. The actual term usually follows your labour contract or assignment. When an extension is no longer possible, the employer applies for a new permit.
Do I need a university degree to get a work permit?
Not in every category, but most foreigners qualify as experts or managers, and for experts a degree plus relevant experience is the usual basis. Technical workers can qualify through specialised training and practical experience. The decree defines each category, so ask the employer which one your file will use.
Does my family get permission to live in Vietnam too?
Spouses and children of foreign workers can usually apply for dependent visas and, in many cases, residence cards linked to the worker's status. They do not gain the right to work through this. Confirm the current dependent categories with the immigration office before you move.
Who do I contact to check the current rules?
Your employer's HR team is the first stop, since it files the application. For official confirmation, contact the labour authority of the province where you will work and, for visas and residence cards, the immigration department of the Ministry of Public Security or its provincial office.