Many business activities in Vietnam require a sub-licence or sector-specific permit in addition to the standard company registration. Forra identifies which licences apply to your operations, manages the application process, and tracks renewal dates so your entity stays authorised to operate.
Registering a company in Vietnam gives you an Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC) and an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC). These confirm the entity exists — but they do not authorise it to operate in regulated sectors. Any business whose activities fall within Vietnam's list of conditional business lines must also obtain a sector-specific sub-licence before commencing those activities.
Sub-licences are issued by the relevant ministry or provincial authority for each regulated sector — MOIT for retail and trading, MOH for food and healthcare, MoICT for technology and telecoms, and so on. Over 240 business lines are conditional under the 2020 Investment Law. Operating without the required sub-licence exposes the entity to penalties and potential suspension.
Also applies to existing entities. Companies already operating may be in activities that became conditional after their registration, or may have expanded scope beyond their original IRC. Forra's eligibility check reviews your current activities against current requirements — not just what was required at the time of registration.
The table below covers the most common sectors where a sub-licence is required before commencing operations. This is illustrative, not exhaustive — Forra confirms the exact requirements for your IRC scope and business activities before any application begins.
| Sector / Activity | Licence / Permit Required | Issuing Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Retail distribution of goods | Retail business licence; may require Economic Needs Test for additional outlets | MOIT / DOIT |
| Food & beverage (restaurant, catering) | Food safety certificate; food establishment certificate | MOH / DoH |
| Education & training services | Operating licence for training centre or school | MoET / DoET |
| Healthcare & medical services | Operating licence for clinic or medical facility; individual practitioner certificates | MOH / DoH |
| Logistics & freight forwarding | Freight forwarding business licence; customs brokerage certificate where applicable | MOT |
| Technology & telecom services | Telecommunications service licence or network infrastructure licence | MoICT |
| Financial services & fintech | Licence from State Bank of Vietnam or Ministry of Finance depending on activity | SBV / MOF |
| Advertising services | Advertising activity licence for foreign-invested advertising companies | MoCST / DOIT |
| Tourism & travel agency | International travel business licence; tour guide management | VNAT / DoT |
| Pharmaceutical & medical devices | Drug trading certificate; medical device trading licence | MOH / DAV |
| Construction & real estate services | Construction activity licence; real estate trading licence where applicable | MOC |
Scope matters more than sector. The same sector can have different licence requirements depending on whether you are selling, distributing, manufacturing, or providing services. Forra's eligibility check confirms which specific sub-licences apply to your actual IRC scope and business model.
Forra manages the complete sub-licence application process: from confirming what is required, through document preparation and authority submission, to collection and handover.
Forra reviews your IRC scope, actual business activities, entity type, and ownership structure to identify which licences are required. Where your activities have changed since registration, we also advise on whether an IRC amendment is needed before the sub-licence application can proceed.
For entities needing multiple licences, Forra produces a sequenced roadmap showing which applications must be completed first, estimated processing times for each, and the earliest date the entity can legally commence each regulated activity. This prevents the common error of commencing operations before all required approvals are in place.
Forra prepares the full application dossier for each licence. Common requirements include:
Forra submits the complete dossier to the relevant authority and manages all follow-up communication. Where authorities request additional documents or site inspections, Forra coordinates the response and attends on your behalf. Processing times vary by licence type and authority — from 5 working days for simple sub-licences to 45+ working days for sector-regulated activities.
Upon approval, Forra collects the licence and delivers it to you with a summary of validity, conditions, and renewal requirements. All licences are entered into Forra's tracking system — we alert you no later than 90 days before any licence expires and initiate the renewal process automatically.
Run through this list. If any item is unclear or missing, Forra can conduct an eligibility assessment and identify which licences are required before operations begin — or before an authority inspection.
The starting point is Appendix IV of the 2020 Investment Law, which lists over 240 conditional business lines. However, the list alone doesn't tell you exactly which sub-licence applies or which authority issues it — that depends on your specific activity and the relevant implementing decree.
The most reliable approach is to have Forra review your IRC scope against current requirements. We conduct this as a free preliminary check before quoting for any licensing engagement.
Operating without a required licence is an administrative violation under Vietnamese law. Penalties under Decree 82/2020/ND-CP and sector-specific regulations vary but can include fines from VND 20,000,000 to VND 100,000,000, business suspension for the unlicensed activity, and in serious cases, revocation of the entity's trading rights.
The correct approach is to apply for the licence as soon as the gap is identified and, where possible, to voluntarily disclose and remediate before an inspection occurs. Forra manages this process and advises on whether voluntary disclosure is advisable in your specific situation.
Processing times vary significantly by licence type and issuing authority. Indicative ranges:
These timelines assume a complete application dossier at first submission. Incomplete applications reset the clock. Forra prepares the dossier in full before submission to avoid this.
Adding a new business activity typically requires two steps: first, amending the IRC to add the new business line code; second, obtaining any sub-licence required for that line. The IRC amendment must be completed before the sub-licence application is submitted, as the sub-licence application will reference the updated IRC.
Forra handles both the IRC amendment and the subsequent sub-licence application as a coordinated process. If you're already a Forra client, we identify the need for an IRC amendment whenever your business activities expand.
Book a free eligibility check with a Forra licensing advisor. We'll review your IRC scope and actual activities, and give you a clear list of what's required and what it takes to get it.