A work permit is legally required for most foreign nationals working in Vietnam before they sign any employment contract. Forra manages the full application process — eligibility check, document preparation, authority submission, and collection — so your hire can start on time.
A work permit (Giấy phép lao động) is an official document issued by Vietnam’s competent Labour Authority that authorises a specific foreign national to work for a specific employer in a specific role in Vietnam. It must be in place before the employment contract is signed and before work begins.
The permit is issued in the employer's name: it is the company that applies, not the individual. This means that if an employee changes employer, a new work permit must be obtained. It is also role-specific: if an employee's responsibilities change materially, an amendment or new permit may be required.
Vietnam's Labor Code (Article 154, Decree 152/2020) defines a set of categories that qualify for a work permit exemption. If your hire falls into one of these categories, a formal exemption confirmation letter must still be obtained from the employer and filed with the Labour Authority — it is not automatic, and working without the appropriate documentation (permit or confirmed exemption) is a compliance risk.
Important: Exemption categories are strictly defined and regularly audited. Incorrectly claiming an exemption — or failing to file the required exemption confirmation — exposes both employer and employee to administrative penalties. Forra assesses each case individually before advising on the correct route.
To qualify for a work permit, the foreign national must meet at least one of the following eligibility criteria corresponding to their role category. The employer must provide supporting documentation confirming the employee meets the applicable standard.
No university degree required; management appointment letter from the parent company or board resolution confirming the role
Permit requiredUniversity degree in a relevant field plus at least 3 years of relevant work experience; or equivalent professional certification
Permit requiredTechnical or vocational training of at least 1 year in the relevant field, plus at least 3 years of relevant experience
Permit requiredEvidence of capital contribution to a Vietnam-registered company meeting applicable thresholds under current regulations
Exemption may applyEmployed by parent or affiliated company for at least 12 months; operating in a WTO-committed service sector; relevant managerial or specialist role
Conditional — case by caseTotal time in Vietnam does not exceed 30 cumulative days per year; activity falls within permitted scope under applicable regulations
Conditional — case by caseRequirements and interpretations change. Forra confirms the applicable category and evidence standard for every case before any documents are prepared.
The work permit application process is managed by Forra on the employer's behalf. The four stages below reflect the standard process for a full work permit application in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi.
Before any documents are collected, Forra reviews the employee's background, role, and the employer's company details to confirm the correct permit category, identify potential issues, and advise on the specific document requirements for that individual case.
Document preparation is typically the most time-consuming stage — especially when foreign documents need to be authenticated and legalised before they can be used in Vietnam. Forra advises on the correct legalisation route for each document and each country of origin, and coordinates the process throughout.
Most foreign documents must be authenticated before use in Vietnam. The standard route is: certified by the issuing authority in the home country → stamped by the Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in that country → translated into Vietnamese → notarised in Vietnam. Some countries use the Apostille process instead. Forra provides country-specific guidance for every applicant.
Once all documents are compiled and verified, Forra submits the complete application to the competent authorities. The authority is required to respond within 5 working days of receiving a complete application.
Upon approval, Forra collects the issued work permit from the Labour Authority and delivers it to the employer. We provide a summary of the permit's validity period, renewal eligibility, and any conditions noted on the permit. We also log the expiry date and will proactively alert you ahead of the renewal window.
The required documents fall into two groups — those provided by the employer and those provided by the employee. The exact list can vary depending on the role category and individual circumstances; Forra provides a personalised checklist for every application.
Detailed description of the role, responsibilities, and required qualifications — must align with the permit category being applied for.
Copy of the company's Enterprise Registration Certificate. Must be notarised at the People's Committee.
The company's registered seal specimen document. Must be notarised.
A draft of the intended employment agreement, specifying position, salary, and contract term — consistent with the permit application details.
Required declaration confirming the employer's current headcount of foreign workers and justification for the new hire.
Note: The business licence and seal register must be notarised at the local People's Committee before submission. Forra handles this step as part of the document preparation stage.
Copy of the biographical page of the employee's passport. Must be notarised in Vietnam. Passport must remain valid for the duration of the permit.
Medical examination certificate from an authorised hospital in Vietnam, confirming the employee is fit for work. Must be obtained in Vietnam; typically valid for 12 months.
Required for expert/specialist roles. Must be legalised (see Legalisation Guide tab). Not required for managers, directors, and certain technical workers with vocational training.
Letters from previous employers confirming at least 3 years of relevant experience in the field. Each letter must be legalised from the issuing country.
Required for managerial roles: confirmation letter from the parent company, board resolution, or equivalent document confirming the employee has held a management position.
Summary CV/work history. Does not require legalisation but should be consistent with all other documents submitted.
Obtained from the national police or equivalent authority in the employee's home country. Must be legalised (see Legalisation Guide). Must be dated within 6 months of the application submission.
Required if the employee has resided in Vietnam for 6 consecutive months or more. Obtained from the local Department of Justice.
Note: Documents marked as requiring legalisation must be processed before submission. Allow 2–5 weeks for legalisation depending on the country of origin. See the Legalisation Guide tab for the correct process.
The document is first certified by the issuing authority in the employee's home country (e.g., the university for degrees, or the police for criminal record checks). This step confirms the document is authentic.
The certified document is then authenticated by the relevant government authority in that country. In most countries, this is the foreign affairs authority or equivalent. In Apostille countries (Hague Convention members), an Apostille stamp replaces this step.
The authenticated document is then stamped by the Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate in the employee's home country. For Apostille countries, this step may be replaced by the Apostille stamp alone (Forra confirms this on a country-by-country basis).
All foreign-language documents must be translated into Vietnamese by an authorised translator in Vietnam. The translation must be certified.
The translated document (and in some cases the original) is notarised at the People's Committee or a notary office in Vietnam, confirming the authenticity of the translation and the original document.
Country-specific variations: Legalisation requirements vary significantly by country of origin and document type. Some countries have bilateral agreements with Vietnam that simplify the process. Forra provides a country-specific legalisation guide for every applicant — do not begin legalisation without confirming the correct process first, as errors at this stage require the entire process to be restarted.
Confirm these before commissioning Forra. Forra advises on the correct permit category and sends a full checklist within one business day.
You don't need everything ready to talk to us. Forra runs a free eligibility assessment first and tells you exactly what's missing.
A work permit can be renewed once, giving the employee a maximum of 4 years of continuous work permit coverage under the same permit number. After the renewal expires, a brand-new work permit application must be submitted — not another renewal. The documentation requirements for a new application are the same as for the original, including fresh criminal record checks and health certificates.
Forra tracks expiry dates and alerts you no later than 60 days before expiry to allow sufficient time for the renewal process. Do not leave renewal to the last few weeks — the 5–8 week timeline applies to renewals as well as new applications.
Working without a valid work permit — or a confirmed exemption letter — is a violation of the Labor Code. Both the employer and the employee can face administrative penalties. The employer can be fined for employing a foreign worker without the required documentation; the employee can be required to leave Vietnam and may face difficulty obtaining future permits.
There is no legal "grace period" or provisional arrangement that permits work to begin before the permit is in hand. If your employee needs to be present in Vietnam before the permit is issued, they should enter on a business visa for non-work purposes only — not begin employment activities.
No. The degree requirement depends on the role category:
If a candidate does not have a formal degree but has significant professional experience, there are documented pathways to demonstrate equivalency — Forra advises on these on a case-by-case basis.
A work permit is issued in the name of the employer and is specific to the employment relationship described in the application. If the employee changes employer — including a transfer between entities within the same corporate group — a new work permit application must be submitted for the new employer. The existing permit cannot be transferred.
The same applies if the employee's role changes materially — for example, moving from a technical role to a management position. In that case, the permit category changes and a new application is required. Forra advises on whether a role change triggers a new permit obligation before any changes are made.
Yes. A work permit holder is eligible to apply for a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) valid for up to 2 years. Once the TRC is granted, the permit holder's immediate family members — spouse and dependent children — can apply for dependent TRCs, which allow them to reside in Vietnam for the same period as the principal permit holder.
Dependent TRC holders benefit from simplified banking, residency registration, and access to local services. Forra handles TRC applications and dependent TRCs as part of our Global Mobility services. See our TRC page for details.
Processing times vary significantly by country — from a few days to several weeks. In some countries the check must be requested in person; in others it can be done by mail or online. Once the check is issued, it must then be legalised before it can be used in Vietnam (see the Document Checklist — Legalisation Guide above), which adds further time.
The criminal record check must be dated within 6 months of the work permit application submission date. If the legalisation process takes longer than expected and the check becomes stale, a new one will be required. Forra advises on the correct source authority and timeline for each nationality as part of the initial eligibility assessment — this is one of the first things to organise.
Yes — this is how most clients use our service. Forra acts as the employer's authorised agent for all work permit matters, communicating directly with the Labour Authority, tracking application progress, managing document preparation, and handling collection and renewal. The employer remains the legal applicant of record, but all day-to-day management, follow-up, and authority correspondence is handled by Forra.
The employer's team needs to: approve the engagement, confirm role and salary details, provide company documents (ERC, seal register), and sign off on the draft labour contract. Everything else — including liaison with the employee to collect their personal documents — is managed by Forra.
The work permit timeline starts the moment you engage us. Book a free call — we'll confirm the right route, assess exemption eligibility, and give you a clear timeline.