Work permit in Vietnam
Feb 2nd, 2010 • Category: ArticlesAs many expats in Vietnam have experienced, the Government recently became firmer with the applications and extensions of business visas. In fact, foreigners in Vietnam have been required to a have a work permit and a business visa for quite some time, but before it has not been enforced and most expats in Vietnam have been using business visas only. It seems like the reason to the sudden change is a problem with illegal Chinese workers in Vietnam.
The best solution to the problem is to get a Vietnamese work permit, and luckily the rules for how to obtain a work permit has become a bit easier. Earlier you needed a university degree AND 5 years experience within your current field. As of now, you only need to have either University degree OR 5 years experience working within your field. For some fields you can also use a professional skills certificate, ex. accountant certificate.
So what do you need to get the work permit?
In order to get a work permit, an expat in Vietnam need to have 3 things:
1. Work contract.
2. Support to from your employer to get the work permit.
3. University degree, higher degree, professional skills certificate OR 5- year experiences working in the same major.
Paper work required to apply work permit
From employee:
1. Work permit application form (following a provided template)
2. Work permission application letter (following a provided template)
3. Criminal record: If you have stayed in Vietnam for more than 6 months, you will have to get the criminal record that is issued by the Judiciary Department of the city where you are living. In case you are not in Vietnam or you have stayed here for less than 6 months, you will have to get that criminal record from your Authority Government.
4. A copy of your certificate or degree. This can be: university degree, higher degree or a special professional skills certificate ex. accountant certificate.
In case you do not have a degree, but you have 5 years experience working within the same field, you will need to get a confirmation letter from your old employers or any paper work to prove that you have 5 years experiences within your field in Vietnam or another country. This paper work will then be translated into Vietnamese and certified by a Vietnamese Government agency to prove that this translated version has the same meaning as the original one and can be used legally in Vietnam.
5. Health check from the hospital. There is a list of hospitals that has the authority to give you a health check in Vietnam and only the hospitals on this list are qualified to prove your health for the work permit application. You will get this list with the first 2 templates for paper work; the Work permit application form and Work permission application form. In case, you are not in Vietnam, you can get a health check from any hospital in the country that you are staying. This health check is valid for 6 months.
6. Curriculum vitae with passport photo
7. 3 new passport photos.
From employer:
1. A valid labor contract.
2. The company license (copy certified by Government authority office)
3. Work permit application form
4. The approval from the Government to use foreign labor.
The 5 years of experience can be counted as total amount of years you have been working in your field. For example:
Mr.A does not have any degree. He started working in Japan from 2001 to 2004 as a web designer, in 2004, he left and traveled around the world. In 2005, he worked at General Manager’s assistant at a real estate company in America, he worked here until 2006. In 2007, he left this job and went to Thailand. He worked at a web agency as a web designer. He left this job in 2009 and come to Vietnam, here he wants to work for another web agency as web designer and he needs a work permit. So Mr.A will need to get confirmation that he used to work as web designer from the company in Japan (3 years experience) and the company in Thailand (2 years experience).
Any paper work that is not in Vietnamese, need to get translated by a Vietnamese Translation office and get stamped to certify the validity of the document. Any paper work that is in Vietnamese or not in Vietnamese, if they require a copied version you will have to get the copy certified by a Vietnamese Government agency.
Your passport photo will have to follow the standards of passport photos in Vietnam.
1.Do not wear anything in your hair.
2. No glasses or sun glasses,
3. The photo of your face must be from the absolute front.
4. No smiling
5. Ears have to be visible
6. Wear a white shirt
7. The pictures size must be 3 x 4 cm.
8. The photo is valid for a year.
After you got all of these papers ready, you will send it to the Labour and Social Welfare Service of the province/city where you are working. They will have to inform if they approve your work permit application or any changes needed within 15 days.
Note: Tourist visas work as before and there is no problem to apply or extend 1 month tourist visas.
If you are not already subscribed to our newsletter, please sign up now to receive future updates about this matter.
No related content.
As always, if we forgot about something, make sure you let us know in the comments below.
[...] the original post: Work permit in Vietnam | Expat Vietnam | expat.vn Share and [...]
hi,
where can i get the application forms etc?
do i apply for my working permit after i arrive in vietnam?? or before i go?
kind regards
Perhaps you could add that under the law some professions are excluded from the 5 years experience rule.
Article 3 (3). Foreigners applying to practice private medicine and pharmacy, personally give medical examination and treatment in Vietnam or work in the education and vocational training area must meet all conditions prescribed by the Vietnamese law on private medicine or pharmacy practice or education and vocational training.
Many English teachers are under the false impression that they can use this route and MOET appear clear that a minimum requirement for teaching is a BA degree. It is my understanding that this article in the law overrules the 5 year option. English teachers beware
Hello Daniel,
You can get all the form at the Judicial Department of the city in Vietnam where you are going to stay.
You can apply for a work permit when you have a work contract and degree (or 5 years experience), so I think you will apply for it when you are here, or if you have someone in Vietnam can do it on your behalf, then you can apply for it before you arrive.
Hello Chris,
Thank you very much for your information.
Thanks
/Expat.vn team
HI There,
Please can you tell me the address to get the application forms in Ho Ch Minh? I have looked online and can’t find these details anywhere…..Thanks!!
Hi Michael,
You can get the form for work permit at Judicial Department in Ho Chi Minh city, the address: 141 – 143 Pasteur street, ward 6, district 3, HCM city.
Regards
/ Expat.vn team
What is the adress to the Judicial Department to go and get the forms in Hanoi. ?
Hi Mat,
You can see the website here: http://www.sotuphaphanoi.gov.vn/home/tin_tuc_chi_tiet.php?nhom_don_vi_id=1&tin_tuc_id=121
The address: 1B Tran Phu street, Ha Dong, Ha Noi
Regards
/Expat.vn team
I went to the address you provided and they told me they do not issue the forms there. I was informed I must go to the Department of Labour in my local district…..
Hi Michael,
Here is our updates:
- At Judicial Department HCM city, you can get the form for Criminal record application.
- We have sent you the form for Work permit application and Judicial form in your private email, please check.
Regards
/Expat.vn team
@Michael, are you referring to the adress in Hanoi?
@Expat crew, if Michael is referring to Hanoi, can you tell me the adress to A local Department of Labour, since its really only about getting a generic template or form, it makes sense that it does not have to be MY local Department of Labour it can be ANY department of Labour, right?
Or is the itch somewhere else?
SORRY, about post number 10 @ michael, I should have read the previous posts, you are talking about HCMC it seems.
But the question should still be valid for Hanoi as well, right ?
A district local Department of Labour or the Judicial Department ?
Hi,
I am a U.S. citizen and have just arrived in Vietnam a month ago after teaching English in Thailand for 4
years. I would like to know the easiest possible way to obtain a U.S. criminal record report. Could I obtain a
U.S. criminal record report in Vietnam…or is it true I can only obtain one in the United States?
Thank you very much,
Richard.
For the Univeristy degree I have (from the United States), do I have to get them notarized by my University and then signed off byt he U.S. State department?
thanks,
Tri
I am told I need to get my degree certificate authenticated. How do I do that? I am a British citizen.
Hello all,
@Richard: You can only get the criminal record in Vietnam if you have been staying in Vietnam for more than 6 months, otherwise, you will have to apply it from your country, or in your case of staying in Thailand for 4 years, you can also apply for it in Thailand
@ Tri: Your degree will need to get certify by Notary Public department from your State in US, then get it certify by USA Gov, then finally you will get it certify by Vietnamese embassy in America
@ Dan: Your degree will need to notarize by Notary Public Department in England, then you will have it certified by Ministry Foreign Affair in England, then you will get it certified by Vietnamese embassy in England.
For each country, there might be different process of the noterization, if there is any concerns for further information, please feel free to send us an email at hello@expat.vn
We hope our information can help.
Regards
/Expat.vn team
Also, how long does the notarized/certified degree good for? I’d like to get this done before I go to vietnam. Once in vietnam, I plan on vacationing 3-6 months before looking for work.
For the criminal background check, are there any specifics as to what kind of background check I should get? I think there are different levels of background checks. Do I need this notorazed/certified?
Thanks,
Tri
Hi Tri,
There is no expiring date for the degree’s notarization & endorsed. For the criminal record, in USA, it should call “criminal non-conviction”, we are not sure how many level of criminal record in the USA but in Vietnam, the Judicial Department will issue this criminal record.
You can get this criminal record if you have been staying in Vietnam for over 6 months, otherwise, you will get it from your country and you will have to get it notarized and endorsed the same process as the degree notarization.
For anything, please feel free email us at hello@expat.vn
/Expat.vn team
Would be grateful if you could send me the forms which you sent Michael (post 10).
Thanks!
Dear Jan,
We have sent you an email with the form attached.
Cheers
/Expat.vn team
Received – thanks very much.
Another question: Some sources suggest that in order to get future visas it may adequate to have a work permit application “in process”. Can you confirm this? Is possible it start the application process by submitting just some of the required papers, then supplement others later? Three months seems quite a tight time frame to get everything ready …
Dear Jan,
As far as we know, you can not use the work-permit-application-in-the-process confirmation to apply for future visa.
You can not apply for a work permit with lack of required documents, when the Gov officer receive your application file, they will check if you got all ready, otherwise, they will reject your application file.
Hope our information can help.
/Expat.vn team
hello, i just have a quick question, i only have a certificate in teaching ESL, no other degree, would it be ok for me to apply for a permit, or do i need to have an university degree in other to apply for one? thank for your time!
Dear Ann,
In order to apply for a work permit as English teacher, you will need to have university degree and for English teacher job, 5 years experience letter can not be used to replace for the university degree
Regards
/Expat.vn team
Dear expart.vn
Can you help to send me below form. I can not find out in any website.
1. Work permit application form (following a provided template)
2. Work permission application letter (following a provided template)
Thanks
Tracy
Dear Tracy,
We have sent you an email for the application forms that you requested. Please let us know if you have any concerns
Cheers
/Expat.vn team