How do you get a work permit in Vietnam in 2026?

The provincial People's Committee has legal authority for permits and work-permit exemption certificates. The employer files through the Public Administration Service Center in the province or centrally governed city where you are expected to work. Local implementation may assign handling to a current provincial department, so use that province's service listing rather than an obsolete district office or old Ministry of Labour instruction.

Decree 219 recognises job categories including manager, executive director, expert, and technical worker. Your employer must match the proposed role, occupation code, work form, location, and supporting experience or qualification evidence to one category. The application window is 60 to 10 days before the expected start date. The authority has 10 working days after a complete file to issue the permit or explain refusal.

Expect a current passport copy, photographs, the employer's application and job-need explanation, plus documents proving the employment form. Your health certificate must meet Decree 219's issuing and age rules; the current rule accepts a qualifying certificate issued within 12 months before filing. A foreign or Vietnamese criminal-record document must have been issued no more than six months before submission.

Qualification and experience evidence depends on the category. An expert or technical worker may need degrees, training records, and confirmation of relevant work. A manager needs evidence of the management position. Documents issued abroad commonly need consular legalisation, which confirms a foreign public document for use in Vietnam, followed by Vietnamese translation and certification unless an exemption applies. Ask the employer to map every document to Decree 219 before paying for legalisation.

No. Some foreign workers fall outside the permit requirement, including defined owners, capital contributors, intra-company transferees, short-duration workers, and other cases listed in the Labour Code and Decree 219. Many still need a work-permit exemption certificate, an official confirmation that a named worker and job qualify. Other narrow cases use an employer notice instead. The sponsor must identify the exact clause and complete the certificate or notice route before work.

A permit or exemption certificate can run for no more than two years and may be shorter because the contract, assignment, passport, or supporting document ends earlier. One renewal is available where the rule's conditions remain satisfied.

Do not assume a permit follows you to any job. A different employer, role, work form, or province can require a new permit, reissue, or notification under Decree 219. Multiple-province work has a specific provincial-authority and notice route. Have the employer check before the first day at the changed location.