Work Permits for Foreigners in Vietnam: 2026 Updates

What is a Work Permit?

Vietnam is increasingly becoming an attractive destination for international experts, managers, and technical workers. According to data from the Ministry of Home Affairs, as of the end of 2024, nearly 162,000 foreign workers were working legally in Vietnam—over 91% of whom required a work permit. This figure clearly reflects the scale of international labor movement and the need for a transparent and strict legal framework.

A work permit for foreigners is also known as a legal document issued by a competent state agency, confirming the legal right of a foreign individual to work in Vietnam within a certain period and scope. This is not merely a piece of paper—it is the legal foundation protecting both employees and employers against serious legal risks.

Common Types of Work Permits for Foreigners Today

Currently, the labor laws for foreigners in Vietnam provide many different types of work permits, varying by work purpose, residence time, and job position. Understanding each type of work permit for foreigners will help businesses choose the right form while limiting legal risks during the recruitment and employment of foreign labor.

Below is a summary table of common types of work permits for foreigners working in Vietnam, including applicable subjects, main characteristics, and basic procedures for businesses to easily track and choose the appropriate form.

If your business has not yet identified the appropriate type of work permit for foreigners or needs support in preparing a dossier, please contact Far East Legal—a legal unit specializing in consulting and processing cases of granting work permits for foreigners to receive detailed guidance and process procedures quickly and correctly.

Conditions for Work Permit Application According to the Latest Regulations

To be granted a work permit, foreigners need to simultaneously meet the groups of conditions for work permit application for foreigners under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP:

• Personal: At least 18 years old, full civil act capacity, health meeting requirements as prescribed by the Ministry of Health, and no criminal record or pending criminal prosecution.
• Professional: Depending on the position—manager, executive director, expert, or technical worker—the requirements for qualifications and years of experience will differ. Note: Decree 219 has reduced the experience requirement from 3 years to 2 years for experts with a university degree and trained technical workers.
• Enterprise side: The employer must prove a real and reasonable need when recruiting foreign labor—meaning that no Vietnamese workers can meet the requirements for that position.

Differences Between Work Permit, Labor Visa, and Temporary Residence Card (TRC)

To avoid confusion during the implementation of the work permit for foreigners procedure, businesses and employees need to distinguish clearly between a Work Permit, Labor Visa (LD2), and Temporary Residence Card (TRC). These are three types of documents with completely different functions but closely linked in the process of foreigners working and residing legally in Vietnam.

Standard Implementation Order:

Apply for work permit for foreigners → Apply for Labor Visa (LD2) → Apply for Temporary Residence Card (TRC).

Preparing these documents correctly and fully will help businesses ensure compliance with new regulations on work permits, while supporting foreign workers to work and reside stably in Vietnam.

Regulations on Granting Work Permits for Foreigners: (Effective from August 07, 2025)

From August 07, 2025, many new regulations on work permits for foreigners officially apply, directly affecting the recruitment and employment of foreign labor in Vietnam. Compared to before, the procedure for applying for a work permit has been streamlined in several steps such as online submission, integrated labor recruitment need explanation, and electronic dossier processing.

However, not all dossiers are processed the same. In reality, many businesses still encounter situations where:

• Dossiers are requested for supplements due to incorrect professional documents.
• Foreign documents are not legalized correctly according to regulations.
• Experience confirmation is not according to the standard form.
• Incorrect job position compared to licensing conditions.

Therefore, businesses should regularly update important content such as:

• Conditions for work permit application for foreigners.
• Latest dossier for applying for a work permit for foreigners.
• Cases exempt from a work permit.
• Procedures for renewal or re-issuance of a work permit.
• Regulations on consular legalization of foreign dossiers.

Dossiers to Prepare When Applying for a Work Permit for Foreigners

To perform the work permit for foreigners application procedure smoothly, businesses need to prepare a full dossier according to current regulations. In fact, many cases are delayed due to missing documents, incorrect information, or incomplete consular legalization.

Below are the basic groups of documents commonly encountered when applying for a work permit for foreigners in Vietnam:

Administrative Document Group

Includes basic documents to submit a work permit application such as:

• Valid passport.
• Photos as prescribed.
• Health certificate.
• Criminal record (Justice Check).
• Application form for a work permit from the sponsoring enterprise.

Professional Competence Document Group

Depending on the job position, the foreign worker may need to provide:

• Professional qualifications/degrees.
• Vocational certificates.
• Work experience confirmation.
• Labor contract or internal appointment document.

Consular Legalization and Notarized Translation

For documents issued abroad, such as degrees or experience confirmations, businesses must perform:

• Consular legalization.
• Translation into Vietnamese.
• Notarization of the translation.
  This is the step most likely to cause delays in the process of preparing a dossier for a work permit for foreigners.

Procedure for Granting a Work Permit for Foreigners

To complete the work permit for foreigners application procedure successfully, businesses need to comply with administrative steps according to the latest regulations. Decree 219/2025/ND-CP has significantly simplified the process.

Step 1: Registration of Foreign Labor Usage Needs

The business determines the job position to be recruited and explains the need. According to Decree 219/2025, this step is integrated directly into the application dossier (Form No. 03). The time for posting Vietnamese labor recruitment news beforehand (if required) must be more than 5 days.

Step 2: Preparation of Dossier

Collect all groups of documents mentioned above. This stage takes the most time—averaging 2–4 weeks—mainly due to the time for consular legalization. Note the validity of each document (criminal record ≤ 6 months, health certificate ≤ 12 months) before submission.

Step 3: Submission of Dossier

Submit at the Provincial People’s Committee where the business is headquartered. This is an important change from Decree 219: the Provincial People’s Committee is the sole competent authority.

Online Submission via Public Service Portal: Decree 219/2025 allows for completely online submission. Businesses can authorize authorities to apply for a criminal record simultaneously and receive both the work permit and criminal record in electronic form.

Cases Exempt from a Work Permit

Not all foreigners working in Vietnam need to apply for a work permit. Decree 219/2025/ND-CP lists 15 exempt cases, including:

• Working in Vietnam for less than 90 days in a calendar year.
• Owners or capital contributors of LLCs with a contribution value of 3 billion VND or more.
• Experts working in fields such as finance, science and technology, and national digital transformation.
  Note: Being exempt from a permit does not mean no procedures are required. Businesses must notify the competent authority at least 3 working days before the worker starts.

Cases of Revocation of a Work Permit

Understanding situations leading to the revocation of a work permit is the best way to protect business interests.

• Violation of labor law regulations: The permit will be revoked if the worker or business commits serious violations, including providing fake information.
• Expiration of contract or termination of work: When a labor contract ends or a foreigner stops working, businesses have the responsibility to promptly notify the management agency to perform revocation procedures.

Related Costs and Fees

The cost of performing the work permit for foreigners procedure includes state fees and many arising expenses:

• Consular legalization.
• Notarized translation.
• Health check-up.
• Labor Visa and TRC.
• Legal support services.