Do Foreigners Working in Vietnam Need a Work Permit or an Exemption Certification?

You have received a job offer in Vietnam, but you are wondering: do I need a work permit for foreigners, or only a certificate confirming that I am exempt from the work permit requirement?

This is a very common question for individuals, families and businesses. Understanding this correctly from the start will make working in Vietnam clearer and give you greater peace of mind.

Under Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP, determining which document you need depends on the specific case of the foreign worker. Not every case is the same.

📄 When is a work permit for foreigners mandatory?

Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP sets out the conditions, order and procedures for issuing, re-issuing, extending and revoking work permits. This is an important basis for determining whether a foreign worker must apply for a work permit.

Article 1 of the Decree shows that its scope covers both the issuance of work permits and the issuance of certificates confirming exemption from the work permit requirement. Therefore, these two types of documents are two different handling routes, depending on each person’s case.

If a foreign worker is not in one of the cases exempt from the work permit requirement, the employer needs to carry out the procedures to request a work permit in accordance with regulations.

Preparing the dossier, identifying the job position and the form of work will be explained in detail in the following articles in this series. In this article, the important thing is that you need to correctly identify which group of cases you belong to first.

🧭 What is a certificate confirming exemption from the work permit requirement?

A certificate confirming exemption from the work permit requirement is a document issued for certain cases where a foreign worker does not need to apply for a work permit but still needs to be confirmed by the competent authority.

This is not a work permit. However, the employer still needs to submit a dossier requesting the certificate following the prescribed procedures, rather than simply deciding on their own that no document is needed.

Article 7 of Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP lists the cases in which foreign workers are not subject to the work permit requirement. This is the main basis for comparison when you are unsure about your case.

If you fall into one of these cases, you may need to apply for the exemption certificate. Some other cases only require notification to the competent authority before starting work.

📌 Cases exempt from the work permit requirement under Article 7

Article 7 provides for many groups of cases that are not subject to the work permit requirement. Below is a general explanation to help you picture them more easily. It does not replace reading the regulations carefully or asking the competent authority.

• Cases covered by the Labour Code: Certain cases prescribed in Clauses 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of Article 154 of the Labour Code.
• Owners or capital-contributing members of VND 3 billion or more: Applicable to limited liability companies as prescribed in Article 7.
• Chairpersons or members of the Board of Directors with capital contributions of VND 3 billion or more: Applicable to joint-stock companies as prescribed in Article 7.
• Persons entering Vietnam to provide specialist and technical consultancy services: Related to programmes and projects using official development assistance under international treaties.
• Foreign journalists: Engaged in press and information activities and confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Persons sent to teach or work as managers or executive directors at educational institutions: Established in Vietnam at the request of a foreign diplomatic mission or an intergovernmental organisation.
• Foreign students and trainees: Studying at schools or training institutions in Vietnam or abroad with internship agreements or job invitations, or trainees and apprentices on Vietnamese seagoing vessels.
• Family members of foreign representative offices: Permitted to work in Vietnam under an international treaty to which Vietnam is a member.
• Persons holding official passports: Entering to work for state agencies, political organisations or socio-political organisations.
• Persons responsible for establishing a commercial presence: Falling under the cases prescribed in Article 7.
• Volunteers: Working on a voluntary basis, without salary, to implement an international treaty and confirmed by a foreign diplomatic mission or an international organisation in Vietnam.
• Persons entering Vietnam to implement an international agreement: Signed by central or provincial-level agencies and organisations in accordance with the law.
• Managers, executive directors, experts and technical workers working for fewer than 90 days in one year: Calculated from 1 January to the last day of the year.
• Intra-corporate transferees: Within the scope of 11 service sectors under Vietnam’s commitments to the World Trade Organization and recruited at least 12 consecutive months earlier.
• Persons confirmed by the Ministry of Education and Training: Entering Vietnam to teach, conduct research, transfer international education programmes, or work as managers, executive directors, principals or vice-principals at educational institutions established at the request of a foreign diplomatic mission or an intergovernmental organisation.
• Persons confirmed to work in priority fields: Finance, science, technology, innovation, national digital transformation and other fields prioritised for socio-economic development.

As you can see, this list is quite long and comes with many attached conditions. Therefore, making a conclusion based only on intuition is not enough. Please compare carefully each element related to the job position, the form of work and the duration of work.

⚠️ Cases where only notification is required, without applying for an exemption certificate

An easy point to misunderstand is: not being subject to the work permit requirement does not mean you do not need to carry out any procedure at all.

Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP provides that some cases do not need to apply for a certificate confirming exemption from the work permit requirement, but must still notify the competent authority where the foreign worker is expected to work.

The notification deadline is at least 3 working days before the date the foreign worker is expected to start working in Vietnam. The notification must include basic information about the worker, the employer, the work location and the duration of work.

In addition, when a foreign worker has already been issued an exemption certificate and wishes to work for that employer in many provinces and cities, the employer also needs to give notification at least 3 days before the expected work date.

Distinguishing these three groups helps families and employers avoid confusing “no work permit needed” with “nothing needs to be done at all”.

✅ Self-check checklist before starting work

Before starting work in Vietnam, you can use the checklist below to review the information. This is a preparation step at the principle level, helping you discuss more clearly with the employer or a consultancy unit.

• ☐ Clearly identify the expected job position in Vietnam.
• ☐ Identify the form of work as prescribed in Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP.
• ☐ Compare your case with Article 7 on cases exempt from the work permit requirement.
• ☐ Check whether your case requires an exemption certificate or only notification.
• ☐ Prepare information about the employer, work location and duration of work.
• ☐ Discuss with the employer about responsibility for submitting the dossier and following up on the procedures.
• ☐ Review necessary personal documents, such as a passport that is still valid.
• ☐ Learn more about insurance and related benefits when working in Vietnam.
• ☐ Refer to the insurance contract checklist before starting work in Vietnam to better prepare for your family.
• ☐ Learn more about personal accident cover for foreign workers in Vietnam at a general principle level and check the specific terms when needed.

This checklist does not replace checking the current legal documents. When something is unclear, you should contact the competent authority or a legal consultancy unit for specific guidance for each case.

💬 What should you do next?

If you are a foreign worker, start by identifying which group of cases you belong to. If you are a family member or an employer in Vietnam, review the information early together with the worker.

Preparing thoroughly from the beginning will make your journey working in Vietnam gentler. Do not hesitate to ask again when you are unsure, because each case may differ in job position, form of work and duration of work.

If you need to discuss further to better understand the preparation steps, you can contact us on 0347674755 or visit https://paa.vn for information support. Wishing you a smooth and reassuring start in Vietnam.