Hiring a foreign expert to work in Vietnam costs more than a salary — the employer must also cover the full cost of obtaining a work permit. Many companies are caught off guard: beyond a state fee of just a few hundred thousand dong lies a series of ancillary costs pushing the real total to VND 8–25 million per file, plus 1–2 months of preparation.
This article breaks down every work-permit cost for foreign experts under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP (effective 7 August 2025, wholly replacing Decree 152/2020/ND-CP and Decree 70/2023/ND-CP): state fees, mandatory ancillary costs, and time costs with optimisation tips.
State fees: who sets them, and how much?
The most common misconception: there is no “national” work-permit fee. Fees are set by the People’s Council of each province/city, so every locality differs:
- New issuance: typically VND 400,000–1,000,000 per permit, depending on the province/city.
- Re-issuance / extension: typically VND 450,000.
- Online filing: some localities charge zero for online submissions — worth checking before filing.
The “VND 600,000 nationwide” trap: that was some localities’ old rate, not a national standard. Always check the provincial People’s Council resolution in force at filing time — rates may have changed after administrative restructuring.
Mandatory ancillary costs
1. Consular legalisation
Article 5.1 of Decree 219/2025 requires consular legalisation of documents issued abroad (degrees, experience certificates, criminal records, etc.). The legalisation fee is VND 30,000 per legalisation (Article 5 of Circular 157/2016/TT-BTC). It sounds tiny, but a file with 3–5 document types, each passing 2–3 steps (foreign notarisation → legalisation → translation), accumulates real money — before counting service fees if outsourced.
2. Translation and notarisation
All foreign-language documents must be translated into Vietnamese and notarised/certified. Costs depend on length and language (English is cheaper than rare languages), typically from several hundred thousand to a few million dong per full file.
3. Health check
A health certificate from a qualified medical facility, within its validity period. Health checks for foreigners usually cost more than standard ones — VND 1–3 million depending on the facility.
4. Photos, certifications and incidentals
Standard ID photos, copy-certification fees, international courier fees (if originals are abroad) — together another VND 1–2 million.
Real total cost: three scenarios
| Scenario | Profile | Estimated total |
|---|---|---|
| Clean file | Expert arrives with documents already legalised, online filing in a fee-exempt province, local health check | VND 8–12 million |
| Average | Documents legalised from abroad, full translation, in-person filing | VND 12–18 million |
| Complex | Documents from multiple countries, full-service agent, supplementary filings | VND 18–25 million |
Note: these are practical estimates, not fixed prices — actual costs vary by file and locality.
Time cost: 1–2 months of preparation vs. 10 days of processing
Under Decree 219/2025, work permits are issued within 10 days of receiving a complete valid dossier. But those “10 days” are only the authority’s processing time — real preparation typically takes 1–2 months: waiting for documents from abroad, legalisation, translation, health checks, and the foreign-labour-demand approval round (where applicable).
Three optimisation tips:
- File online — potentially fee-exempt in some localities and no travel time.
- Standardise documents while the expert is still abroad: ask candidates to legalise degrees and criminal records during recruitment, not after arriving in Vietnam.
- Check the dossier checklist under Decree 219/2025 carefully before filing — one returned file costs another 2–3 weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Is the national work-permit fee VND 600,000?
No. There is no national rate — each province/city sets its own, typically VND 400,000–1,000,000 for new issuance. Always check the local People’s Council resolution.
Can Decree 152/2020 still be used as the basis?
No. Decree 152/2020 has expired, wholly replaced by Decree 219/2025 since 7 August 2025. All current procedures follow Decree 219/2025.
Which documents require consular legalisation?
Under Article 5.1 of Decree 219/2025, documents issued by foreign authorities/organisations (degrees, certificates, experience confirmations, criminal records, etc.) must be legalised, except where exempted by international treaty.
Legal basis
- Decree 219/2025/ND-CP (effective 7 August 2025; replacing Decrees 152/2020/ND-CP and 70/2023/ND-CP): 10-day issuance; Article 5.1 (legalisation duty).
- Circular 157/2016/TT-BTC: Article 5 (VND 30,000 legalisation fee).
- Provincial People’s Council resolutions on work-permit fee rates.
See more articles on labour and employment.
Need help with work-permit procedures for foreign experts? Contact FLAT Law Firm via our contact page.
The information in this article is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. Provincial fee rates should be checked against the People’s Council resolution at filing time. Instrument status verified as of 14 October 2026.
Transparency: this article was prepared by the FLAW AI Legal Council using AI systems. This article is awaiting review by the QA Council and has not been reviewed by a practising lawyer.