WORKING VISA AND WORK PERMIT VIETNAM-ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Vietnam’s Visas

Visa duration

Applicable object

Conditions to apply for Vietnam Visa

DN1/DN2 Visas –Vietnam Business Visa

No longer than 12 months

Granted for people working with company in Vietnam

Foreigners must have a sponsored company in Vietnam

LĐ Visas–Vietnam Working Visa

No longer than 02 years

Granted for foreigners with working purpose

Any foreigner who comes to work in Vietnam must have work permits or work permit exemption certificates under the Labor Code

DT1/DT2/ DT3/ DT4 Visas – Vietnam Investor Visa

No longer than 10 years

Granted for foreign investors in Vietnam and foreign lawyers practicing in Vietnam

Any foreigner who comes to invest must have papers proving the investment in Vietnam following the Law on Investment, and any foreigner who works as a lawyer in Vietnam must have a practice license by the Law of Lawyers

LV Visas -Vietnam Working visas with Vietnam government:

No longer than 12 months

• Vietnam visa symbolized as LV1 - issued to persons working with the departments, agencies and units under the central Communist Party of Vietnam; The National Assembly, the Government, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Supreme People's Court; Supreme People's Procuracy, State, ministries, ministerial-level and governmental agency’s Audit; Provincial Party Committees, People's Councils, Provincial and City People's Committees under central authority.
• Vietnam visa symbolized as LV2 - issued to persons working with political and social organizations, social organizations, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam.

Manager, Executive Director

Foreign Expert

Technical Worker

• Company charter or operating regulations of agencies, organizations or enterprises;
• Business registration certificate or establishment certificate or establishment decision or other documents of equivalent legal value;
• Resolution or Appointment Decision of agencies, organizations or enterprises.

OPTION 1:

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree;       
• Certificate of at least 3 years working experience in a position equivalent to the job position in Vietnam;

OPTION 2:

• Practicing certificate;
• Working Experience Certificate proves that the foreign worker has at least 5 years of work experience suitable for the job position expected to work in Vietnam.

OPTION 3: Being approved by the Prime Minister based on the request of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. 

OPTION 1:

• Diploma or certificate proving training for at least 1 year;
• Working Experience Certificate proves that the foreign worker has at least 3 years of work experience suitable for the job position expected to work in Vietnam.

OPTION 2:

Working Experience Certificate proving that the foreign worker has at least 5 years of work experience suitable for the job position expected to work in Vietnam.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION TO WORK

DETAILED PROCEDURES

PROCESSING TIME

APPLYING FOR A BUSINESS VISA (DN1/DN2)

STEP 1:
Applying for a Visa Approval Letter of Business Visa, Work Visa, or Investment Visa

For business, work or investment, the applicants are required a Visa Approval Letter from the Ministry of Public Security in advance obtained by a company in Vietnam. A normal processing time to obtain the visa approval letter is 7 working days

The required documents need to be provided to both the applicant and Vietnam’s sponsor company:

1. A notary-certified copy of the sponsor company’s business or investment or representative license in Vietnam, tax and stamp registration certificate;
2. Visa application forms must be signed and sealed by a legal representative of the company;
3. Scanning the applicant’s passport;
4. Provide the proposed date of arrival (this is the date you want your visa to start from. The start date of the visa itself will be the day you arrive - you can enter Vietnam at a later date (up to your exit date) but not before that date, so be sure to take time zone differences into account);
5. Providing the place of picking up the visa (the visa can be picked up at either the Vietnamese Embassies/ Consulates in your own or another country, or airports).

5-7 working days

STEP 2:
Stamping Vietnam’s Visa at the overseas Embassies or Consulates of Vietnam, or at the international border gates or Vietnam’s international airports

After your visa approval letter is already, you will receive a scanned copy of it via your email. And then you are pleased to prepare all the following documents to stamp your Vietnam visa:

1. Your original passport must be valid for six months from your intended arrival date, and must have at least one blank visa page;
2. 2 passport-sized photographs (4x6 cm);
3. The copy of the visa approval letter;
4. Complete the entry and exit application form;
5. Visa stamping fee depending on the visa single or multiple entry and visa duration

1-3 working days

APPLYING FOR A VIETNAM WORK PERMIT

STEP 1: 
Implement labor recruitment according to Decree 70/2023/ NĐ-CP

At least 15 days in advance from the expected date of the report explaining the need to use foreign workers

15 working days

STEP 2: 
Report explaining the need and change in demand for using foreign workers

At least 30 days in advance from the expected date of using foreign workers, the employer must be responsible for determining the need and changing the need to use foreign workers for each public position. jobs that Vietnamese workers have not been able to meet and send a report explaining the need to use foreign workers to the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

10 working days

STEP 3:
Apply for a Work Permit according to the Job Position Approval Letter in Step 2.2

At least 15 working days in advance from the date the foreign worker is expected to start working for the employer, the person applying for a work permit shall apply to the Department of Labor and Trade. Military and Society where foreign workers are expected to work.

Within 05 working days

OBTAINING VIETNAM WORKING VISA (LĐ)

STEP 1:
Prepare documents

Prepare documents as required by the Immigration Department

STEP 2:
Submit the application

Submit your application directly at one of the three offices of the Immigration Department - Ministry of Public Security:

• Immigration Department in Hanoi: 44 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi.
• Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh City: 333-335-337 Nguyen Trai, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
• Immigration Department in Da Nang: 78 Le Loi Str, Da Nang City
• Any the Immigration Department of the province/city police where the foreigner is registered for temporary residence

If your dossier is complete and valid, the Immigration Department will receive the dossier, give a receipt, and set a date to return the results.

5-7 working days

STEP 3:
Get the Work permit

Within from 5 to 7 working days, you can come to the Immigration Department and receive the results.

VIETNAM WORK PERMIT

MANAGER, EXCUTIVE DIRECTOR

EXPERT

TECHNICAL LABOR

DOCUMENTS FOR EACH JOB POSITION

• Company charter or operating regulations of agencies, organizations or enterprises;
• Business registration certificate or establishment certificate or establishment decision or other documents of equivalent legal value;
• Resolution or Appointment Decision of agencies, organizations or enterprises.

OPTION 1:

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree;       
• Certificate of at least 3 years working experience in a position equivalent to the job position in Vietnam;

OPTION 2:

• Practicing certificate;
• Working Experience Certificate proves that the foreign worker has at least 5 years of work experience suitable for the job position expected to work in Vietnam.

OPTION 3: Being approved by the Prime Minister based on the request of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. 

OPTION 1:

• Diploma or certificate proving training for at least 1 year;
• Working Experience Certificate proves that the foreign worker has at least 3 years of work experience suitable for the job position expected to work in Vietnam.

OPTION 2:

• Working Experience Certificate proving that the foreign worker has at least 5 years of work experience suitable for the job position expected to work in Vietnam.

GENERAL DOCUMENTS

1. Job position approval letter;
2. Written form applying for a work permit from the company (based on Form No. 11 under Decree 152/2020/ND-CP);
3. Vietnam Criminal Record or Police Clearance Certificate in expat’s home country that has been consular legalized which is valid within the last 6 months from the date of applying;
4. Health Check-up Certificate which is valid within the last 12 months from the date of applying;
5. Photos size 4x6 cm (be taken with a bareheaded, frontal view, showing the face and ears, without glasses, and on a white background and within the last 6 months from the date of applying;
6. Original passport and notarized true copy of it;

IMPORTANT NOTES

• All documents issued in foreign countries (Degrees, Diplomas, Certificates Of Experience, Police Checks, Medical Certificates, ...) must be consular legalized by the Vietnamese embassy/ consulate Abroad and notarized and translated into Vietnamese before using in Vietnam
• Foreigners applying for a Vietnam Work Permit for the position of Expert or Technical Laborer can use the old Work Permit or old Certificate of Exemption from Vietnam Work Permit that has been issued with the same job title to replace the Working Experience Certificate consular legalized confirmed by the foreign company.
• In case Managers, Experts, or Technical Workers will work in the form of transfer internally, it is required to provide more additional information: 
  • Document shows that overseas Parent Companies or organizations are appointing employees to work at the Subsidiary Company in Vietnam;
  • Document proving that the foreign employee has been working in an overseas Parent Company for at least 12 consecutive months before moving to work in Vietnam.