Final Checklist for Foreign Employees in Vietnam

Are you preparing a file for a foreign employee working in Vietnam but worried about missing a document or getting a deadline wrong? This work permit checklist for foreign employees in Vietnam summarises the key points under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP so families, individuals and employers can review everything easily before submitting.

This article focuses on work permits. If the employee falls into a category that does not require a work permit, you should also see Do Foreigners Working in Vietnam Need a Work Permit or an Exemption Certification?.

📋 Work Permit Checklist for Foreign Employees: New Application Documents under Article 18

The employer is the unit that submits the application requesting a work permit. The basic file includes the following documents:

• ☐ A written report from the employer explaining the need to employ a foreign worker and requesting a work permit, using Form No. 03.
• ☐ A health certificate issued by a medical facility qualified to issue it, except where the result has already been connected and shared on the system as prescribed.
• ☐ The foreign employee’s valid passport.
• ☐ A judicial record certificate, or a written confirmation that the foreign employee is not currently serving a sentence, has not had a conviction expunged, or is not currently under criminal prosecution, issued no more than 6 months before the submission date, except where procedures have already been interconnected as prescribed.
• ☐ 02 colour photos, 4 cm x 6 cm, white background, facing straight ahead, bare head, no glasses.
• ☐ Documents proving the form of work, depending on the case, such as a written assignment of an employee to work for a limited term, a contract or agreement, a service supply contract, a written assignment for service negotiation, or documents proving the person is a manager as prescribed.
• ☐ Documents proving that the foreign employee is a manager, executive director, expert or technical worker as prescribed in Article 19 of the Decree.

Each group of documents is analysed in more detail in What Documents Are Needed for a Work Permit Application?. Before preparing copies, translations or consular legalisation for documents issued abroad, you should check the form of work and the intended job position.

🗓️ Submission Steps and Processing Time under Article 22

The submission date is a point where many families and businesses can easily calculate incorrectly. Under Article 22, the employer submits the file within 60 days but not less than 10 days before the date the foreign employee is expected to start work.

• ☐ Submit the file in person or via public postal service, through a service provider or by authorisation, to the Public Administrative Service Centre in the locality where the foreign employee is expected to work.
• ☐ Double-check the information in Form No. 03, including the job position, field of work, form of work, place of work and duration of work.
• ☐ Follow the processing time: within 10 working days from receiving a complete file, the competent authority considers and approves the need and issues the work permit using Form No. 04.
• ☐ If the need to employ a foreign worker is not approved or a work permit is not issued, the competent authority must provide a written reply stating the reasons within 03 working days from receiving a complete file.
• ☐ For cases working under a labour contract or for a diplomatic mission or foreign organisation in Vietnam as prescribed, after being issued a work permit, the parties must sign a written labour contract before the expected start date and send a copy to the issuing authority when requested.
• ☐ If the employee works in more than one province or centrally-run city, the employer must notify the competent authority in the place where the employee is expected to work at least 3 days before the expected work date.

Information about online submission via the National Public Service Portal and file processing times is explained more clearly in earlier articles in this series. You should keep the receipt, file code and response notice to track progress.

🔁 Work Permit Extension Checklist under Articles 27 and 29

An extension is a procedure that must be done before the work permit expires. The employer submits the extension application at least 10 days but no more than 45 days before the work permit expires.

• ☐ A written report from the employer explaining the need to employ a foreign worker and requesting an extension of the work permit, using Form No. 03.
• ☐ A health certificate issued by a medical facility qualified to issue it, except where the result has already been connected and shared on the system as prescribed.
• ☐ 02 colour photos, 4 cm x 6 cm, white background, facing straight ahead, bare head, no glasses.
• ☐ The valid work permit already issued.
• ☐ A valid passport.
• ☐ Documents proving the form of work as prescribed, except where the employee works under a labour contract.
• ☐ Check the extension period: the extended work permit period follows Article 21 of the Decree but may be extended only once, for a maximum of 02 years.

Within 10 working days from receiving a complete extension file, the competent authority considers and approves the need and carries out the extension. If the extension is not granted, the authority must provide a written reply stating the reasons. You can see more details in How to Apply for a Work Permit Extension?.

📄 Replacement Checklist When a Work Permit Is Lost, Damaged or Information Changes

A replacement applies when a valid work permit is lost or damaged and cannot be used. A replacement also applies when certain information recorded on a valid work permit changes.

• ☐ Changes may include full name, nationality, passport number, or a change in the employer’s name without a change in the employer’s identification number.
• ☐ A written request from the employer for a replacement work permit, using Form No. 03.
• ☐ 02 colour photos, 4 cm x 6 cm, white background, facing straight ahead, bare head, no glasses.
• ☐ Documents proving the change as prescribed.
• ☐ The valid work permit, except where it has been lost.
• ☐ Submit the file to the Public Administrative Service Centre in the locality where the foreign employee is working, in person or via public postal service, through a service provider or by authorisation.
• ☐ Follow the processing time: within 03 working days from receiving a complete file, the competent authority reissues the work permit; if it is not reissued, it must provide a written reply stating the reasons.
• ☐ Note that the validity of the reissued permit equals the validity of the original permit minus the time the foreign employee has already worked up to the date of the replacement request.

If the permit is lost or damaged, you should prepare the replacement file early and keep copies of the documents submitted. How to Replace a Lost or Damaged Work Permit? explains the steps you need to take more clearly.

⚠️ Revocation Checklist for Work Permits and Exemption Certifications

Revocation is the final part of this checklist because it directly affects whether the foreign employee can continue working legally. Both the employer and the employee need to understand the cases where a permit may be revoked.

• ☐ The work permit ceases to be valid as prescribed in the Labour Code.
• ☐ The employer or the foreign employee fails to comply with regulations on issuing, reissuing or extending a work permit.
• ☐ During work in Vietnam, the foreign employee fails to comply with Vietnamese law and is prosecuted or charged with criminal liability.
• ☐ For a work permit that has ceased to be valid, within 15 days from the date it ceases to be valid, the employer must retrieve the work permit and return it to the issuing authority with a written report; if it cannot be retrieved, the employer must state the reasons clearly.
• ☐ Where the competent authority issues a revocation decision, the employer must return the work permit as notified and coordinate management with the competent authority.
• ☐ Similarly, an exemption certification may be revoked when work is not carried out as approved, when the foreign party notifies that work in Vietnam will not continue, when the employer ceases operations, or when regulations on issuing, reissuing or extending the certification are not complied with.

To understand the revocation process, you can refer to How Is a Work Permit or Exemption Certification Revoked?.

✅ Final Deadline and Pre-Submission Checklist

Before submitting, take time to check all documents and deadlines again. This final checklist helps reduce the risk of your file being returned or delayed.

• ☐ Confirm the correct type of document needed: a work permit or an exemption certification.
• ☐ Check that the passport is still valid and the health certificate meets the prescribed conditions.
• ☐ Prepare 02 colour photos, 4 cm x 6 cm, meeting the requirements for background, pose and clothing.
• ☐ Check that the judicial record certificate or judicial confirmation is no more than 6 months old at the submission date, except where procedures are interconnected.
• ☐ Cross-check the form of work, job position, place of work and duration of work in Form No. 03.
• ☐ For a new application, calculate the submission date within 60 days but not less than 10 days before the expected work date.
• ☐ For an extension, submit at least 10 days but no more than 45 days before the work permit expires.
• ☐ Note that a work permit is issued for the duration of the intended labour contract or other prescribed cases but for no more than 02 years; an extension may be granted only once, for a maximum of 02 years.
• ☐ When working in more than one province or centrally-run city, notify the competent authority in the place of expected work at least 3 days in advance.
• ☐ After issuance or extension, check the information on the work permit again and store the file to track its validity.

If you need support reviewing your file, please contact a consulting unit or the competent authority in your locality for specific guidance for each case. Preparing carefully from the start will help the foreign employee and their family feel more secure, clear and compliant while working in Vietnam.