Work Permit in Vietnam: The Employer Reality Check

The work-permit page covers the document list. This page is about what happens between you and your employer — where things actually go wrong.

The fundamental rule

The work permit is your employer's obligation, not yours. Article 151 of the Labour Code requires the employer to apply on your behalf. Costs, document handling and timelines are theirs. If a recruiter says "you need to pay for your own work permit", walk away or treat it as an immediate red flag about the rest of the relationship.

What employers commonly try to skip

1. Health check at an approved hospital — they tell you the certificate from your home country is fine. It typically is not accepted by immigration. You should be examined at a Vietnamese hospital on the MoLISA approved list (Vinmec, FV, Cho Ray, etc.). Costs ~$80.
2. Apostille / legalisation of your degree — they will insist a notarised copy is enough. It is typically not accepted by immigration. Your degree should be either apostilled (if your country is in the Hague Convention — note: Vietnam is not in Hague but accepts apostille from member countries via the embassy) or consular-legalised at the Vietnamese embassy in the issuing country. Verify the current requirement with immigration.
3. Background check — they tell you any criminal record check is fine. It should be issued within the last 180 days at submission to meet immigration requirements.
4. "Start now, paperwork later" — illegal. Working without a permit risks fines for both parties and deportation for you. Departing the country and re-entering does not reset this.

The two-year and renewal trap

Work permits are issued for the contract duration up to a maximum of two years. Many employers issue rolling one-year contracts to keep you flexible. Each renewal restarts the document collection because the background check expires every 180 days. Get a long-validity background check at the start; some countries issue 1-year valid ones (UK ACRO is 12 months; US FBI checks have no formal expiry but Vietnam treats them as 6 months).

The TRC link

A work permit valid for 12+ months unlocks a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) for the same length. You should push your employer to apply for the TRC immediately after the work permit issues. Without it you are typically stuck on stapled-in visas that need renewing every 12 months at extra cost.

Salary vs declared salary

Vietnamese employers sometimes propose paying part of your salary "off-book" to reduce PIT and social-insurance contributions. Refuse. The declared salary is what:

• Appears in your work permit and tax records
• Determines your TRC eligibility
• Is provable for visa applications (your spouse's, your kids' DP visas)
• Will be used in any future loan, mortgage or rental application

A $3,000 salary partly declared as $1,500 looks like $1,500 on paper, and that paper is what matters.

Common employer types and their behaviour

Changing employer

If you change jobs, your old permit is cancelled and a new one issued by the new employer. Your TRC is also cancelled with the old work permit, and you need a new TRC from the new employer. Don't sign a notice on the old job until you have a signed contract and IRC confirmation from the new one.

Honest take

A good employer treats the work permit as their problem. A weak one treats it as your problem. Use it as a barometer. If they're sloppy on this, they will be sloppy on payroll, on your contract, on everything.

Related

• Work permit (visa section)
• TRC
• Teaching English in Vietnam
• Hiring locally in Vietnam

Summary

A work permit is your employer's legal obligation in Vietnam—not yours—and lies at the junction of Labour Code compliance and immigration enforcement. This page moves beyond the checklist to expose what employers commonly cut corners on (hospital health checks, degree legalisation, criminal background validity), how two-year maximums and 180-day background-check expiries create renewal friction, and why your declared salary is your only proof of income for loans, visas, and future leverage. Protecting yourself starts here.

Process at a glance

1. Employer requests documents (passport copy, degree, criminal check, health exam at approved hospital, legalised qualification).
2. Employer submits to DoLISA within 30 days of your contract start (they pay, they process—not you).
3. Work permit issues for up to 24 months or contract duration, whichever is shorter.
4. Simultaneously push for TRC (Temporary Residence Card) if permit is 12+ months; unlocks 12-month visa validity instead of rolling 12-month stamps.
5. Renew 180 days before expiry because criminal check expires; background-check re-issue triggers full document re-collection.

Cost breakdown

These are indicative and vary by employer, location, and whether the employer uses an external immigration agency. The employer bears all costs; do not agree to reimburse. If offered a salary partly off-book to reduce contributions, refuse—the declared salary is your only proof of income.

Common pitfalls

• Non-approved health certificate: Using a home-country medical exam or a health check from an unapproved Vietnamese clinic is the single most common rejection. Insist on an examination at a hospital on the MoLISA-approved list (Vinmec, FV, Cho Ray, etc.).
• Apostille confusion: Your employer says "notarised is fine." It rarely is. Confirm whether your country is in the Hague Convention; if so, request apostille. If not, request consular legalisation at the Vietnamese embassy in your home country.
• Background check expiry: A 10-year-old criminal check is useless. Criminal records must be issued within 180 days of submission. Request a long-validity check (UK ACRO is 12 months) at the start to ease renewals.
• Starting before the permit arrives: Illegal and risks deportation and employer fines. Departing and re-entering Vietnam does not reset this risk.
• Off-book salary: Rarely agree. Your declared salary is evidence for loans, mortgages, visas for dependents, and future leverage—off-book splits destroy your paper trail.
• Skipping the TRC: If your work permit is 12+ months, immediately push for TRC. Without it, you renew your visa stamp annually at extra cost; with it, you align your residential status to your permit duration.
• Changing jobs without TRC handoff: Changing employers cancels your work permit and your TRC. Do not resign from your old job until the new employer confirms signed contract and TRC in motion.

Official resources

• Vietnamese Labour Code (Article 151) — Article 151 explicitly requires the employer to apply for the work permit.
• MoLISA Approved Medical Facilities — Current list of approved hospitals and clinics for work-permit health examinations.
• evisa.gov.vn — Vietnamese e-visa and legal stay requirements; cross-reference with immigration.gov.vn for work-permit timelines.

Verify before acting. Rules change, approved hospital lists are updated, and background-check validity is re-interpreted by regional immigration offices. Confirm with a qualified Vietnamese immigration adviser before relying on any specific detail.