Vietnam work visa | Applications, fees & requirements [UPDATES]

A Vietnam work visa is a required certificate for foreigners who want to work in Vietnam legally. When applying for a Vietnam visa for work, you need to prepare some essential documents. In this article, we will share conditions to apply for a Vietnam work visa, process time as well as the fee to obtain a Vietnam work permit.

1. Who is eligible for a Vietnamese work visa?

A Vietnam work visa is available for foreign passport holders engaged in employment with a legally recognized company in Vietnam. As mentioned in Article 2 of Decree 152/2020/ND-CP, the Vietnamese Government gives this opportunity to foreigners for multiple roles such as performing labor contracts, involvement in commerce, insurance, and education,…

However, four job positions are currently prioritized for work visas including executive directors, managers, experts, and technical workers, each field must meet the conditions as follows:

• Managers or Executive Directors: At least 3 years of experience in the relevant position.
• Experts:
  • Completing a bachelor’s degree or higher.
  • Working in the trained field for at least 3 years.
  • Working and practicing license about the expected job position in Vietnam for at least 5 years.
• Technical Workers:
  • Having completed at least 1 year of training in a technical or related field and working at least 3 years of practical experience in the trained field.
  • Working experience relevant to the anticipated job position in Vietnam for at least 5 years. 

2. How to apply for a Vietnam work visa?

Do you need a visa to go to Vietnam for work? Do you know how to apply for a Vietnam work visa? This is some detailed information about the conditions, documents, process, and cost of for applying a Vietnam visa. 

2.1 Conditions to apply

According to Labor Code No. 45/2019/QH14, foreigners who want to apply for a Vietnam work visa have to comply with the following conditions:

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• Your work position in Vietnam should be in an executive or manager, or an expert possessing the essential technical skills and knowledge for the job.
• Having good health.
• Having no previous or ongoing criminal charges.
• Getting the necessary academic qualifications relevant to the job position.
• Having a minimum of 3 years of working experience at an executive level or higher.
• Having a work contract with a company in Vietnam.
• The hiring company which hires you must provide evidence of advertising the recruitment to Vietnamese nationals but they could not hire local people. 

2.2 Dossiers/ documents for work permit Vietnam

The Vietnam work permit application requires approval and you must have some relevant documents related to foreign workers. Employers are responsible for conducting the process, making sure that all documents issued abroad or by foreign diplomatic representatives in Vietnam have to be consular legalized and notarized translations into Vietnamese.

Documents required for the approval of a foreigner’s employment include:

• Registration form for employing foreigners issued by employers.
• A copy of the business registration which is notarized.

Additional documents for the work visa application encompass:

• Application form for a work permit issued by employers.
• A health examination certificate, either issued in Vietnam or abroad. These certificates must be valid for 12 months from the application date.
• Original foreigner workers’ criminal record, issued in Vietnam or abroad, ensuring the record must be valid for at least 6 months before the application date.
• Documents and papers give evidence that foreign workers hold positions such as managers, executive directors, and other designated jobs.
• Two color photos (4x6cm size, taken within the last 6 months, a white background, straight-looking, and not wearing colored glasses, hat, or anything).
• A copy of a valid passport that is certified.
• Legalized documents show that foreigners are eligible for a Vietnam work visa.

2.3 Vietnam work visa process

You can apply for a Vietnam work visa at an Embassy or Consulate of Vietnam in your country. The detailed process will be shown below.  

2.3.1 Submit a request for foreigner’s employment

Employers can submit the approval process for application form No. 01/PLI, respectively Decree 152/2020/ND-CP and a copy of the business registration must be notarized:

• Send directly to the Ministry of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs or the People’s Committee of the province. The  Vietnam work visa process may last approximately 15 days.
• To save time, you can submit a request through the online platform at http://dvc.vieclamvietnam.gov.vn/. The process may take about 12 days. In case of approval, employers must submit the original dossier to the approval agency by post or in person. The official approval result will be issued within 08 hours of the agency getting the original dossier.

2.3.2 Send in the necessary documents to obtain a work permit.

After receiving the approval documents for work permit Vietnam in Step 1, you are required to send all the documents to the appropriate authority. Here are some specific locations:

• In Hanoi: Send to the Employment Department, Ministry of Labor – War Invalids and Social Affairs at 75 Nguyen Chi Thanh, Dong Da, Hanoi.
• In Ho Chi Minh City: Send to the Ho Chi Minh Ministry of Labor – War Invalids and Social Affairs located at 159 Pasteur, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
• In other provinces: Send to the Department of Labor – War Invalids and Social Affairs of the province where the foreign employees will be stationed.

2.3.3 Get the result 

After 05 working days, the agency will deliver the result attached to the vietnam employment visa via your email if the application is accepted. Then, the employer is required to submit the original dossier to get the official vietnam work permit visa.

2.4 Working visa vietnam cost & times

The Vietnam work visa process takes approximately 15 business days to approve the demand for hiring foreign workers and around 5 business days for the actual work visa application. The work permit Vietnam cost varies depending on the specific province where the foreigners are intended to work.

3. FAQs

There are many questions about the Vietnam work visa related to application, fee, requirement, processing or degree,… Here are answers to some frequently asked questions

3.1 Can a Vietnam work permit be extended after two years?

Certainly. The work permit for foreigner in Vietnam is eligible to be extended once. After the expiration of the extended period, the employer must submit the application process anew to secure a fresh work permit for the foreign employee through the labor authorities.

3.2 Is a college/university degree necessary for a Vietnam work permit?

Individuals who apply for a work permit in Vietnam are not required for the college/university degree requirement if they are under the following conditions:

• Foreigners are responsible for managerial positions within the company, such as chairpersons of the board of members, the legal representative, a member of the board of members, and the company’s president.
• Technical workers have at least one year of training in a specified technical field or other majors or have at least 5 years of employment certification in a relevant position.
• Foreign experts who have a minimum of 5 years of employment certification in a relevant position.

The process of applying for a Vietnam work visa can be complicated. It requires many documents and you need to meet many different requirements. However, with Vietnam Evisa, everything is more simple. We are ready to help you update the latest regulations and instruct you on how to apply for a Vietnam work permit, which helps you save time effectively. If you have any questions related to your visa, contact us for more information.