Quick answer
The dossier for a new work permit for foreign workers is prescribed in Article 18 of Decree 219/2025/ND-CP and comprises seven document groups: (1) the work permit application form (including the foreign worker demand justification); (2) the health certificate; (3) the criminal record check; (4) documents proving the worker is a manager, executive director, expert, or technical worker; (5) documents proving the form of work; (6) two 4x6cm color photos on a white background; (7) a passport copy. Dossiers are filed at the Public Administration Service Center where the worker will work; the competent authority processes them within 10 working days of receiving a complete dossier. Foreign-issued documents must be consular-legalized (unless exempted under an international treaty).
Legal basis
Article 18 of Decree 219/2025/ND-CP (effective 7 August 2025, replacing Decree 152/2020/ND-CP and Decree 70/2023/ND-CP) lists the components of a new work permit application dossier. The 10-working-day processing time applies uniformly to new issuance and extensions. Permit fees are set by each province’s People’s Council and vary by locality.
Each document group in detail
1. Work permit application form
The employer completes the form issued with Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, covering: the foreign worker’s information, the job position (one of the four groups under Article 3), the job title, the form of work, the requested validity period, and the justification of the demand for foreign workers. The declared title and position must be consistent with all other documents in the dossier.
2. Health certificate
A health certificate issued by a competent medical facility. For workers still abroad: a certificate from a foreign medical facility (consular-legalized); for workers in Vietnam: examination at a hospital or clinic recognized by the Ministry of Health as qualified to examine foreigners. Standard practice: the certificate must be valid within 12 months as of the filing date, and must conclude fitness for work.
3. Criminal record check
Judicial record card No. 1 (issued to individuals and requesting agencies/organizations). Issuing places: if the foreigner has resided in Vietnam — the Department of Justice of the residence locality or the National Center for Judicial Records (Ministry of Justice); if abroad — the competent authority of the home country, then consular-legalized with certified translation. Standard practice: the card must have been issued no more than 6 months before filing.
4. Documents proving the job position
Depending on the registered group:
- Manager: enterprise registration certificate, company charter, appointment decision;
- Executive director: appointment decision as head of a branch/representative office/business location, or field-assignment decision plus 3-year experience confirmation;
- Expert: university degree (consular-legalized + certified translation) and confirmation of at least 2 years of relevant experience (1 year for priority sectors);
- Technical worker: vocational training certificate + 2-year experience confirmation, or 3-year experience confirmation.
5. Documents proving the form of work
Depending on the form: the labor contract (contract-based work); the overseas employer’s dispatch letter assigning the worker to the commercial presence in Vietnam (intra-corporate transfer); the service provision contract signed between Vietnamese and foreign partners (contract performance). This is the most frequently missing or incorrect document group.
6. Photos and passport
Two 4x6cm color photos on a white background, taken within the last 6 months; a passport copy (pages with personal information and the entry visa). The passport must remain valid.
Filing and processing steps
- Prepare the dossier: collect all seven document groups; have foreign documents consular-legalized and translated into Vietnamese with certification.
- File: in person, via public postal service, via hired services, or by authorization — at the Public Administration Service Center where the worker works.
- Receipt and transfer: the Center transfers the dossier via the one-stop-shop mechanism to the competent authority.
- Processing: within 10 working days of receiving a complete dossier, the competent authority reviews the demand approval and issues the permit; refusals must be in writing with stated reasons.
- Receive the result and sign the contract: for contract-based work, the parties sign a written labor contract before the intended start date after the permit is issued.
Most common reasons dossiers are returned
- Missing consular legalization: foreign-issued degrees, criminal records, and experience confirmations not legalized — the most common error.
- Documents past their “customary validity”: criminal record older than 6 months, health certificate older than 12 months, photos older than 6 months.
- Inconsistent job titles across the application form, appointment decision, and experience confirmations.
- Missing or wrong form-of-work documents (e.g., an intra-corporate transfer filed with a labor contract).
- Thin demand justification: no specific reasons why the position requires a foreign worker.
Preparing foreign documents: the legalization chain
The longest part of a new work permit dossier is rarely the Vietnamese paperwork — it is the chain of steps foreign documents must pass through. A typical chain for a degree or criminal record issued abroad runs: issuance by the competent foreign authority, authentication by that country’s foreign ministry (or apostille, where the Hague Convention applies — noting Vietnam’s treaty participation for the specific country), consular legalization at the Vietnamese diplomatic mission, and finally certified translation into Vietnamese. Each step takes days to weeks, and a single error (a misspelled name, a missing seal) sends the document back to the start of the chain. Employers should therefore request foreign documents as early as possible, verify the exact name spelling against the passport before legalization, and keep scanned copies of every step so that a lost original does not force the whole chain to restart. Starting the legalization chain 8–10 weeks before the worker’s intended start date is a prudent baseline.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it really take?
The law provides 10 working days from receipt of a valid, complete dossier. Real-world time depends on preparation: consular legalization of foreign documents usually takes 2–4 weeks. Employers should start the dossier at least 6–8 weeks before the worker’s intended start date.
What are the fees?
Set by each province’s People’s Council, so they differ by locality (typically a few hundred thousand to around one million dong for new issuance). Check the fee schedule of the filing province.
Can dossiers be filed online?
Decree 219/2025/ND-CP promotes digital application and interconnection via the National Public Service Portal. Many localities now accept online filings — check the portal of the province where the worker will work.
What if the worker is already in Vietnam on another visa?
The work permit application can generally be prepared while the worker is in Vietnam, but the worker may not commence work until the permit is issued. Visa status should be kept lawful throughout the process; the employer may need to sponsor an appropriate visa separately.
Who signs the application form?
The employer — i.e., the Vietnamese entity that will employ the foreign worker — signs and seals the application. For representative offices, the Chief Representative signs on behalf of the office. The signatory’s authority should be traceable to the enterprise registration or appointment documents.
Are electronic signatures accepted?
Where the locality accepts online filing via the National Public Service Portal, electronic signatures and digital seals follow the general e-transaction rules. For paper filings, a wet signature and the company’s round seal remain the safe default.
FLAT Law Firm provides end-to-end new work permit services: eligibility review, dossier standardization (including consular legalization), filing, and follow-up until results are issued. Contact us for a quote and detailed advice.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council. Content is for reference only and does not replace legal advice for your specific case.
