ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO WORK PERMIT PROCESS FOR FOREIGNERS LIVING IN VIETNAM 2025

Tuesday, 28/01/25

As Vietnam continues to thrive as a hub for foreign investment and international business, the need for foreign professionals in key sectors remains high. While the regulations under Decree 70/2023/ND-CP have been in effect since September 2023, their application in 2025 continues to shape how businesses and expatriates handle work permits. Whether you’re an organization securing top talent or an individual preparing to work in Vietnam, a well-informed approach to the work permit process will help you sidestep delays, mitigate risks, and control costs. This guide is your roadmap to success, offering clear insights, practical strategies, and step-by-step instructions to navigate Vietnam’s work permit system in 2025. To ensure a smooth work permit application process for expatriates working in Vietnam, it’s important to prepare and organize documents meticulously. In our article, there will be a breakdown of the preparation steps and processes.

KEY DOCUMENTS FOR LEGALIZATION BEFORE ARRIVAL VIETNAM

Expatriates planning to work in Vietnam need to ensure that certain essential documents are legalized prior to entry. These documents will help ensure a smooth and efficient work permit application process. Key documents include:

Academic Qualifications (Bachelor’s Degree or Higher): These documents are crucial to demonstrate the expatriate’s educational background and expertise in their field.
Employment Confirmation or Work Experience Certificates: These certificates validate the expatriate’s professional experience, including their tenure in previous roles and companies abroad.

Having these documents ready and legalized before arrival in Vietnam helps avoid delays and complications during the work permit application process. There are additional documents expatriates can either complete before or after arriving in Vietnam:

Criminal Record (Police Clearance Certificate)
- If completed in Vietnam: The expatriate must provide the original copy of the criminal record.
- If done overseas: A notarized or legalized original copy must be provided.
Health Check for Work Permit
- If done in Vietnam: The expatriate can undergo a medical checkup locally at approved clinics or hospitals, which simplifies the process. If you need a list of hospitals, please message us, and we will share the list of authorized hospitals for work permit health checks in Vietnam.
- If done overseas: Provide the original legalized copy of the health check.

By organizing these documents in advance, expatriates can ensure a more seamless and timely work permit application.

Each rank of job assignment/ job position will need specific type of documents in order to prove their skill and experience for the job they will handle in Vietnam. You can take a look at our article How to Apply for Vietnam Work Permit to see more on the required personal documents from expatriates and documents from the company sponsorship.

WORK PERMIT APPLICATION PROCESS & ESSENTIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Step	Description & Timeline
Step 1: Job Posting	- Doing the posting as per Decree 70/2023/ND-CP. - Details to finalize: job title, position, work type, duration. - Begin immediately after finalizing job details but the posting must occur at least 15 days before the expected date of submitting application for Job position approval letter to the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (DOLISA).
Step 2: Job Position Approval	- Submit application for job position approval letter to the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (DOLISA). - This step follows results from Step 1 and must be completed at least 15 days before the expected date of employing the foreign worker.
Step 3: Work Permit Issuance	- Apply for the work permit after obtaining job position approval. - Ensure all necessary documents from the expatriate are completed. - Must submit at least 15 days before the expected starting working date in Vietnam.
General Note	For a smooth process and to align with internal planning, begin the entire process 3-4 months in advance of the expected start date.

EFFICIENT PROCESS FOR WORK PERMIT AND RESIDENCE IN VIETNAM

Step	Description	Purpose
Step 1: Obtain a Short-Term Business/ Commercial Visa	Acquire a Visa Approval letter for entering Vietnam to initiate the work permit process.	Entry into Vietnam for work permit processing.
Step 2: Apply for the Work Permit	Follow the standard process for work permit application once the expatriate is in Vietnam.	Authorization to work legally in Vietnam.
Step 3: Apply for the Temporary Residence Card (TRC)	Submit the TRC application after receiving the work permit to secure long-term residency and work authorization.	Ensure long-term residency and compliance.
General Note	This combined approach streamlines the process and ensures efficient fulfillment of all regulatory requirements.	Optimize the timeline and compliance for the expatriates to working and living long time in Vietnam.

ARTICLES RELATED TO VIETNAM'S VISAS, TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CARD AND WORK PERMIT

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ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO WORK PERMIT PROCESS FOR FOREIGNERS LIVING IN VIETNAM 2025

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