Hiring requirements
| Area | Foreign-investor employer must check |
|---|---|
| Eligible position | Manager, executive, expert, technician, or another recognized category |
| Market need | Whether the role qualifies for foreign staffing and whether demand information must be included |
| Work permit | Apply for the permit before the person starts work unless an exemption applies |
| Exemption | Confirm whether the person qualifies and whether advance notification or exemption confirmation is required |
| Documents | Passport, health certificate, criminal record, qualifications, experience, translations, and legalization |
| Employer | Vietnamese company, branch, representative office, contractor, or other permitted host |
| Job matching | Permit or exemption must match employer, position, location, and duties |
| Term | Usually tied to the employment or assignment period and subject to the statutory maximum |
Work-permit applications may generally be submitted between 60 and 10 days before the expected work start date. A complete work-permit dossier is generally processed within 10 working days; a refusal may be issued within three working days under the applicable procedure.
Quota and reporting position
| Question | Current practical position |
|---|---|
| Is there a fixed company-wide foreign-worker quota? | Generally no blanket numerical quota |
| Must the employer justify foreign hiring? | Demand information is generally incorporated into the work-permit application |
| Is separate semiannual foreign-labor reporting still required? | Decree 219 removed the former general semiannual employer report |
| Are all reports eliminated? | No. Authorities may require information, local reporting, inspections, or unscheduled reports |
| Multiple work locations? | Notify the competent authorities in each province or centrally governed city where the worker will work, generally at least three days before the start date |
| Exempt worker? | The employer may still need advance notification or exemption confirmation |
The removal of the general semiannual report should not be read as removal of all employer-record and reporting duties. Employers must still maintain accurate foreign-worker records and respond to authority requests.
Ongoing labor compliance
After hiring, the company should maintain:
- A valid work permit or exemption record.
- A signed employment, assignment, or service agreement matching the approved role.
- Correct salary, payroll, tax withholding, and payment records.
- Social-insurance registration where the foreign worker and contract fall within the compulsory-insurance rules.
- Employee handbook, workplace, safety, and internal-labor compliance.
- Accurate work location and assignment records.
- Passport, visa, TRC, and accommodation-declaration records.
- Evidence of qualifications, experience, health checks, and legalized documents.
- A calendar for permit, visa, TRC, passport, and contract expiry.
- Termination and return-of-document procedures when employment ends.
The employer should not move a foreign worker between group companies, provinces, factories, or client sites without checking whether a new permit, amendment, or provincial notification is required.
Common exemptions to verify
Before applying for a permit, screen whether the person is:
- An LLC owner or qualifying capital-contributing member.
- A qualifying JSC chairperson or Board member.
- An intra-company transferee.
- A short-term expert, manager, or technician within the applicable annual limit.
- An ODA or project specialist.
- A foreign lawyer, accredited journalist, treaty-based worker, or qualifying education professional.
- A worker in a designated priority sector.
- The spouse of a Vietnamese citizen.
- Another category listed under Decree 219/2025.
An exemption from a work permit does not necessarily mean no filing. Some categories require advance notification or exemption confirmation, and the person still needs valid immigration and residence status.
High-risk failures
The most common compliance problems are:
- Starting work before the permit or exemption process is complete.
- Using an investor visa as though it were a work permit.
- Changing the job title or employer without updating authorization.
- Sending the worker to another province without the required notice.
- Treating a foreign consultant or secondee as outside Vietnam labor rules.
- Allowing the work permit to expire while the TRC remains valid.
- Failing to update the accommodation declaration.
- Continuing to use the worker after termination or company suspension.
- Keeping qualifications or criminal-record documents that are expired or improperly legalized.
Foreign-worker compliance is position-based, not quota-based
Verify the role, employer, location, work authorization, exemption procedure, immigration status, and reporting requirements before the foreign employee starts work. Decree 219/2025/ND-CP is the key current framework, effective August 7, 2025. Because implementation and authority arrangements can vary by province, confirm the current filing channel and local notification practice before onboarding or relocating a foreign employee.