What Documents Are Needed for a Work Permit Application?

Preparing a work permit application is often the step that leaves many families and businesses feeling unsure. Missing one document, using the wrong form, or failing to have foreign documents consularly legalized can mean your application has to be supplemented or corrected.

This article lists each group of documents clearly under Article 18 of Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, so you can check everything before you submit.

If you are not yet sure whether your case requires a work permit or a certification that you are not subject to a work permit, please read the opening part of this series carefully before preparing your application.

📋 What documents are included in a work permit application?

Under Article 18 of Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, a work permit application consists of 7 main groups of documents.

The employer is the party that submits the application. The foreign employee needs to prepare and provide personal documents, while the business prepares the request letter and documents proving the need, the position, and the form of work.

Clarifying responsibilities from the start helps make the application more complete. At the same time, the application is also more consistent when the competent authority reviews it.

To understand correctly who the rules apply to, you can also refer to Who Is Considered a Foreign Employee Working in Vietnam?

1. Written report explaining the need and requesting a work permit

This is the employer’s letter, using Form No. 03 issued together with Decree 219/2025/ND-CP.

This letter needs to state clearly the need to employ a foreign worker and request the issuance of a work permit.

The employer needs to fully complete information about the unit, the foreign employee, the job position, the form of work, the work location, and the expected duration of work.

The information in Form No. 03 must match the other documents in the application. Inconsistencies in name, passport number, position, or duration of work can cause difficulties during review.

🪪 Health certificate, passport, judicial record and photos

This group of documents relates directly to the foreign employee. You need to prepare it carefully from the beginning.

• Health certificate: Issued by a medical examination and treatment facility that meets the required conditions. Where the health examination results have been connected and shared on the information system for managing medical examination and treatment activities, or the national health database, the rules on that connection and sharing apply.
• Health certificate issued by a foreign medical facility: May only be used where Vietnam and the country or territory that issued the health certificate have a treaty or agreement on mutual recognition. The validity of such a health certificate must not exceed 12 months from the date of issuance.
• Valid passport: The foreign employee needs a passport that is still valid when submitting the application.
• Judicial record certificate or confirmation letter: Needed to prove that the foreign employee is not serving a sentence, has not had their criminal record expunged, or is not subject to criminal prosecution in a foreign country or in Vietnam. This document must be issued no more than 6 months before the application submission date.
• Exception for judicial records: This document is not required where the interconnected administrative procedure for issuing a judicial record certificate and a work permit has already been carried out as prescribed.
• 02 colour photos: Size 4 cm x 6 cm, white background, facing straight ahead, head uncovered, and no glasses.

Photos must meet the correct specifications to avoid having to retake them. The passport must still be valid, and the information must match the request letter.

For the health certificate, you should carefully check its validity, especially for certificates issued by foreign medical facilities. An expired document, or one that does not fall within a recognized case, may not be accepted.

🔎 Documents proving the form of work

This group of documents proves the form under which the foreign employee is coming to Vietnam. Depending on each form, the documents to be submitted will differ.

• Intra-company transfer: A letter from the employer abroad assigning the foreign employee to work for a limited period at a commercial presence in Vietnam, together with confirmation that the employee was recruited by the employer abroad for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before coming to work in Vietnam.
• Performing an economic or social contract or agreement; participating in a bidding package or project: A letter from the employer assigning the foreign employee, together with the signed contract or agreement.
• Service supplier under a contract: A service supply contract signed between the Vietnamese and foreign parties, together with a letter proving that the foreign employee worked for the foreign enterprise with no commercial presence in Vietnam for at least 24 months.
• Offering services: A letter from the service supplier assigning the foreign employee to come to Vietnam to negotiate the supply of services.
• Transferred from an agency, organization or enterprise abroad to work in Vietnam: A letter from the employer abroad assigning the foreign employee to work in Vietnam, in a position consistent with the intended job.
• Chairman of the Board of Directors, Board member, owner, or member of a limited liability company with contributed capital value below VND 3 billion: Documents proving the person is a manager as prescribed for foreign employee job positions.

You need to identify the correct form of work before preparing documents. Each form has its own proof requirements, and one type of letter cannot be used for every case.

🎓 Documents proving the job position

This final group of documents proves that the foreign employee is a manager, executive director, expert, or technical worker.

This is an important basis for determining whether the foreign employee falls within the scope for consideration for a work permit according to the intended job position.

You can learn more about these positions in What Job Positions Can Foreigners Hold in Vietnam?

Documents proving a job position are prescribed in Article 19 of Decree 219/2025/ND-CP. Depending on whether the position is manager, executive director, expert, or technical worker, the documents to be submitted will differ.

For experts and technical workers, documents usually relate to diplomas, certificates, training history, and confirmation of work experience suitable for the intended position.

For managers and executive directors, documents usually relate to the charter, appointment or transfer decisions, or documents proving title, scope of management, and suitable experience.

Therefore, you should not only prepare documents based on the position title shown on the intended contract. You need to prepare documents that can prove that position in accordance with the regulations.

✅ Work permit application checklist

Before submitting your application, you can use the checklist below to review each group of documents.

• ☐ Written report explaining the need to employ a foreign worker and requesting a work permit, using Form No. 03.
• ☐ Health certificate issued by a medical examination and treatment facility that meets the required conditions, or a foreign health certificate that meets the recognition conditions and validity period.
• ☐ Valid passport of the foreign employee.
• ☐ Judicial record certificate or confirmation that the person is not serving a sentence, has not had their criminal record expunged, or is not subject to criminal prosecution, issued no more than 6 months ago, except where the interconnected procedure applies.
• ☐ 02 colour photos, 4 cm x 6 cm, white background, facing straight ahead, head uncovered, and no glasses.
• ☐ Documents proving the form of work appropriate to each specific case.
• ☐ Documents proving that the foreign employee is a manager, executive director, expert, or technical worker.

This checklist helps you see the overall picture of the application. After reviewing it, you should arrange the documents in the correct group order so they are easier to check.

⚠️ Some important notes when preparing your application

Foreign documents in a work permit application must be consularly legalized, except where exempted under an international treaty to which both Vietnam and the relevant foreign country are members, under the principle of reciprocity, or as prescribed by law.

Documents that have been consularly legalized must be translated into Vietnamese and certified as prescribed. Where a document is a copy, it must be certified against the original before being translated into Vietnamese and certified.

You also need to pay attention to the duration of the work permit. Detailed information is presented in What Is the Maximum Duration of a Work Permit?

The duration stated in the application needs to be consistent with the duration of the intended labour contract, the letter assigning the foreign employee to work, or the relevant contract or agreement, depending on each case.

Preparing your application carefully from the start helps make the review process smoother. You should recheck the information on every document to ensure it is consistent.

If you need support reviewing a work permit application for a foreigner in Vietnam, please contact us via the website paa.vn or by phone at 0347674755 for further advice on the process and the documents you need to prepare.