LEGALLY WORKING IN VIETNAM - BUSINESS VISA - WORK PERMIT - RESIDENCE CARD VIETNAM
Tuesday, 17/10/23
Vietnam, with its advantages of security, political stability, large domestic consumer market, as well as being a gateway to penetrate large markets such as China, India, Japan,... Free trade agreements have been signed with other countries and regions, helping to reduce trade barriers and enhance economic cooperation. This is the reason why Vietnam has become an attractive destination for foreign workers. However, to work legally in Vietnam, you need a work permit. This is a complicated and costly procedure, requiring you to prepare many documents and comply with many regulations of the government. To help you save time and effort, in this article, we will guide you on how to apply for a work permit in Vietnam quickly and easily. You will know the conditions, documents, duration and cost to apply for a work permit. You will also be updated with the latest changes in labor law and regulations of the government.
I. HOW TO WORK IN VIETNAM LEGALLY AS A FOREIGN EXPATRIATE?
First of all, you need to know that most foreigners need a work permit to be employed in Vietnam, unless they fall under one of the exempted cases. Some of the common exemptions are:
- You are an owner or a member of a limited liability company or a joint-stock company with a capital contribution of at least VND 3 billion (about USD130,000);
- You are married to a Vietnamese citizen and reside in Vietnam;
- You enter Vietnam for the purpose of teaching or research with the permission of the Ministry of Education and Training;
- You are an intra-corporate transferee within the same group of companies;
- You work in Vietnam for less than three months;
- …
If you are not exempted, you need to apply for a work permit before starting your employment in Vietnam. To obtain a long-term stay visa or TRC and a work permit in Vietnam, you need to follow these 3 steps to make the procedure easier:
- Step 1: Short-term business visa (01 month single or 03 multiple entries). You will need to enter Vietnam with a short-term business visa under the sponsorship of the employer company by submitting business visa approval letter and getting the business visa stamp on passport at Vietnam International Airport or Vietnam Embassy/ Consulate overseas.
- Step 2: Work Permit: maximum 02 years in validity. At this stage, depending on which category you apply for Work Permit (Manager, Expert, Technical Worker), you will have to prepare and provide documents: University Degree, Experience Confirmation, Criminal Record, Health Certificate... as required by Vietnamese law.
- Step 3: Temporary residence card, which is valid according to the validity of Work Permit. To implement this step, you must have a Work Permit and be present in Vietnam because your passport will be submitted to the Immigration Office during the processing time.
II. WHAT IS VIETNAM BUSINESS ENTRY APPROVAL LETTER?
Approval Letter is a letter issued by Vietnam Immigration Department that allows you to enter and exit Vietnam for a given time period. According to Vietnam Law, a business visa could have a validity of 1 month, 3 months, and is applied for single or multiple entries.
► Application process action by the employer company: There are 2 basic steps that sponsor company can complete the process of applying for an online business approval letter, that is:
- Step 1: Register an electronic account with the Immigration Department
- Step 2: Submit an application for Viet Nam Business entry approval Letter
► Visa Stamping Place: With the approval letter, foreign expatriates can pick up your visa at:
- International airports in Vietnam: Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Da Nang, Van Don, Phu Quoc, Cat Bi, Lien Khuong, Cam Ranh, …
- Or Vietnam Embassy and Vietnam Consulate in country where you are staying.
► Visa Fee Submitted to the Authorities: In addition, the visa approval letter holders will need to pay for visa stamping fee to Government, which can be:
- US $25 for a single-entry visa valid for up to 90 days
- US $50 for a multiple entry visa valid for up to 90 days.
- US $95 for a multiple-entry visa valid from 90 up to 180 days
III. HOW FOREIGN EXPATRIATES APPLY A WORK PERMIT IN VIETNAM?
The Vietnamese government has just issued New Decree No. 70 supplementing and changing a number of important provisions on work permit application procedures for foreigners working in Vietnam.
The work permit is valid for up to two years and can be extended once for another two years. The application process involves the following steps:
- Step 1: The employer company needs to submit job position approval letter to the local labor authority at least 15 days.
- Step 2: The employer company needs to submit all required documents for work permit along with the required documents to the local labor authority at least 15 days before your expected working start date.
► Place of submission for Vietnam Work Permit application: All documents for the 2 steps above must be submitted in two methods. First submit online on the public service website, then submit paper documents direct to the relevant authorities:
- Online at http://dvc.vieclamvietnam.gov.vn
- Submitting paper documents directly at the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs or People’s Committee of the province where the foreigner is expected to work. For example: Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. Address: 159 Pasteur, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
► Work Permit Government fee:
- 600.000VND per New Issuance Work Permit
- 450.000VND per Re-Issuance or Renewal Work Permit
►General Work Permit documents’ requirement according to new Dereece 70/2023/ND-CP:
- Job Position Approval letter;
- If management position, please provide:
+ Company business registration certificate or establishment certificate, or establishment decision, or other documents of equivalent legal value;
+ Company charter or operating regulations of agencies, organizations or enterprises;
+ Resolution or Appointment Decision of agencies, organizations, and enterprises.
- If expert position, please provide:
+ Bachelor degree certificate or higher or equivalent certificate;
+ Certificate of working experience with at least 3 years of experience appropriate to the job position that the foreign worker plans to work in Vietnam.
- If technical worker position, please provide:
+ Degree or certificate proving training for at least one year;
+ Certificate of working experience with at least 3 years of experience appropriate to the job position that the foreign worker plans to work in Vietnam.
- Passport of the foreign worker;
- Two (02) photos in size 4x6 (these photos should be taken with bareheaded, frontal view, showing the face and ears clearly, without glasses, and on a white background and within the last 6 months from the date on which the expat lodges the application dossier for work permit);
- Health check certificate issued in Vietnam or oversea. The health check should be issued within the last 12 months;
- Foreign Police Clearance Certificate or Vietnam Criminal Record. The police check should be issued within the last 6 months;
- Business registration certificate or Representative Office establishment certificate, Branch establishment certificate;
- Power of attorney if the signer is not the company legal representative;
- Work permit application forms signed and sealed by legal representative of the company.
Important notes: All documents issued in foreign countries (degrees, diplomas, certificates of experience, police check, medical certificates, ...) must be consular legalized by Vietnamese embassy/ consulate Abroad and notarized translation into Vietnamese before using in Vietnam.
IV. VIETNAM TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CARD (TRC) FOR FOREIGN EXPATRIATES – LAST STEP OF THE PROCEDURE
TRC Documents checklist: Dossiers are completed and qualified in accordance with the regulations of Immigration Department;
- Passport and current business visa;
- Business entry approval letter (obtaining at step 1)
- Vietnam work permit (obtaining at step 2);
- The employer company’s business registration certificate;
- 02 photos 2x3 cm (white background) per person;
- All the forms will be drafted by US and provide to you for signature and seal;
- Vietnam residential registration certificate.
Place of submission for Vietnam TRC: Sponsor company submits dossier at Immigration Management Office in the province/city where the company is headquartered. Example:
- Immigration Management Office in Ho Chi Minh City: No. 196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 6, District 3, City. Ho Chi Minh
- Immigration Management Office in Hanoi: 44 Pham Ngoc Thach, Dong Da, Hanoi or No. 6 Quang Trung, Ha Dong, Hanoi
Processing time for Vietnam TRC: 5-7 working days
TRC government fee:
- US$145/TRC: Temporary residence cards valid from 1 to 2 years
- US$155/TRC: Temporary residence cards valid for 2 to 5 years
Note: If you want to apply for a term of less than 1 year, you will switch to a visa and not be issued a card.
As you can see, working in Vietnam legally as a foreigner is not too complicated if you follow the rules and prepare well. However, there may be some variations or changes depending on your specific situation and location. Therefore, it is advisable to consult with your employer or a professional service provider for more details and assistance.
We hope this article has given you some helpful insights into how to work in Vietnam legally as a foreigner. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us anytime.
OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT VIETNAM VISA, WORK PERMIT, AND TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CARD
CONTACT INFORMATION
Discovery Indochina Travel Co., Ltd
5th Floor | Platinum Building | 145 Dien Bien Phu Street, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam
Tel: 028 39102358 | 028 39102359 - Mobile: 0938228856 | 0906640505
Email: contact@ditravel.vn
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