Work Permit in Vietnam for Foreigners: Visas & TRC Explained

The work permit in Vietnam for foreigners isn’t a standalone document — it’s the first link in a chain that decides how long you can realistically rent. Get a work permit, and a work visa and Temporary Residence Card follow; with those in hand, signing a 12- or 24-month lease becomes a sensible decision rather than a gamble. Skip a link, and you’re stuck doing visa runs and short, awkward leases.

Most online guides explain this as an HR procedure. This one explains it the way a tenant needs it: as a sequence that ends in a place to live. And it’s built on the current 2025 rules, which changed more than most expats realise.

The chain that actually matters

For a locally employed expat, the path looks like this — each step makes the next one possible:

1. Job offer and employer sponsorship. A Vietnamese company (or licensed entity) has to sponsor you. There’s no employee-applies-alone route — your employer drives the paperwork.
2. Work permit, or an exemption confirmation. Your employer files for one or the other before you legally start work. Both are real paperwork (the exemption is not “no paperwork”).
3. LD work visa. Your immigration status moves into the work-visa family (the LĐ symbols), sponsored off the permit/exemption.
4. Temporary Residence Card (TRC). This card replaces repeated visa runs and is what banks, schools and landlords actually like to see.
5. Plan your lease. Once the job and these documents are stable, a 12–24 month lease is a reasonable commitment.

Landlords and building managers care because your lease length only makes sense if your right to stay does. A tenant with a two-year TRC is a very different prospect from one renewing a one-month stay.

Do you need a work permit?

If you’re employed in Vietnam, assume yes unless your employer confirms a specific exemption. Common exemption categories exist (certain executives, experts in priority fields, intra-company movers, short assignments, people married to Vietnamese citizens, and others), and the list was widened under the 2025 rules — but an exemption still requires an official work-permit exemption confirmation filed by your employer. Don’t assume you’re exempt; have HR confirm it in writing.

What changed in 2025

This is where older guides go wrong. The work-permit framework many articles still cite — Decree 152/2020, amended by Decree 70/2023 — was replaced by Nghị định 219/2025/NĐ-CP, effective 7 August 2025. If a page quotes “Decree 152” as current, it’s out of date. The headline shifts that matter to you:

• Processing time is now up to 10 working days for a complete dossier (the old rule was 5), so build more lead time into your start date and move-in plan.
• Labour management moved house. State management of foreign labour shifted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (Bộ Nội vụ) in 2025, with provincial People’s Committees handling permits — so the exact filing office is being reorganised. Your employer/HR should confirm the current HCMC receiving point.
• Permits issued under the old rules stay valid until they expire — you don’t need to redo a current permit just because the decree changed.

Documents for a work permit

Your employer assembles most of the dossier; your job is to supply clean personal documents on time. Expect to provide:

1. Passport (and copies), plus passport photos (4×6 cm).
2. A criminal-record / police clearance certificate — generally issued within the last 6 months, from your home country and/or Vietnam.
3. A health certificate from an approved medical facility.
4. Proof of your qualifications/experience (degree, professional certificates, reference letters) showing you’re a manager, executive, expert or technical worker.

The state filing fee is set at provincial level and, with the 2025 decentralisation still settling, we won’t quote an HCMC figure you can’t rely on — ask your employer for the current office and fee. The cost that actually lands on you is usually the legalisation, translation and medical check.

Work visa or business visa? (LD vs DN vs e-visa)

These get muddled constantly. Only the work-visa family lets you be employed here:

The trap is the DN visa: people assume a business visa lets them take a local job. It doesn’t. And the e-visa, capped at 90 days, is a short-stay document — anything to do with remote work belongs in our digital-nomad guide, not here.

The Temporary Residence Card (TRC)

Once your work permit (or exemption) is in place, the TRC is the upgrade worth having. It’s a card glued into your passport that lets you stay for its full term without exit-and-re-enter visa runs.

A few practical points. Your employer or sponsor submits the TRC application (at the provincial immigration police, or online), not you alone — the dossier leans on the work permit/exemption as proof of eligibility. Official fees run roughly USD 145–165 depending on the card’s length (up to 2, 5, or 10 years on the schedule; LĐ work cards are generally capped around 2 years). And your TRC must end at least 30 days before your passport expires — if your passport is close to expiry, renew it first or you’ll get a short card.

The everyday payoff: no visa runs, and a clean document to show when a landlord, bank or international school asks you to prove how long you can stay. None of those institutions are legally required to ask for a TRC, but in practice many do.

Bringing your family: dependent visas and TRCs

If you hold a work-based visa/TRC, your spouse and children under 18 can generally apply for dependent status (the TT category) — a dependent visa or TRC tied to yours. It lets them live here legally for the same period without each needing their own work status. Dependent paperwork is its own application, so factor the timing in if your family is arriving with you; it often shapes where you rent, since families weigh school and hospital access.

What this means before you sign a lease in HCMC

Match your lease to your paperwork, not your optimism:

• Permit/TRC sorted or clearly in motion? A 12–24 month lease is reasonable. If your employer is reputable and the dossier is filed, you’re on solid ground.
• Still waiting on HR, or on probation? Consider a serviced apartment or a shorter/flexible first lease until your status is confirmed — don’t lock into two years before your job is.
• Live near work. If your office is in the CBD, District 1 apartments (buildings like The Marq and Vinhomes Golden River) cut the commute. Commuters often prefer Binh Thanh (e.g. Vinhomes Central Park) as a bridge into the centre, and families lean toward Thao Dien.

Frequently asked questions

Do all foreigners need a work permit to work in Vietnam?

If you’re employed by a Vietnamese entity, assume yes unless your employer secures an official exemption confirmation. Exemptions exist for certain executives, experts and other categories, but they’re confirmed in writing — not assumed.

What’s the difference between a work permit and an LD visa?

The work permit is labour authorisation (permission to be employed); the LD visa is your immigration status that sits on top of it. LĐ2 is for work-permit holders, LĐ1 for exemption cases. You generally need the permit/exemption first, then the visa, then the TRC.

How long is a work permit valid?

Up to 2 years, tied to your contract or assignment, and renewable. The LĐ Temporary Residence Card is likewise generally capped around 2 years.

Can a work-permit holder get a Temporary Residence Card?

Yes — that’s the normal next step. Your sponsor files the TRC application using the work permit (or exemption) as proof of eligibility; processing is about 5 working days once the dossier is complete.

Can my spouse and children stay with me?

Yes. A spouse and children under 18 can usually apply for dependent (TT) status — a visa or TRC tied to yours — letting them live here for the same period. It’s a separate application, so plan the timing.

Can I work on an e-visa or a DN business visa?

No. The e-visa (up to 90 days) is a short-stay document, and a DN visa is for business activity, not local employment. Only the LĐ work-visa family (with a permit or exemption) authorises working for a Vietnamese employer. Remote work for a foreign employer is a different topic — see the digital-nomad guide.

How does this affect my lease?

A stable work permit and TRC let you commit to a 12–24 month lease confidently and give landlords/banks the proof they like to see. If your paperwork is still pending, a serviced apartment or a flexible first lease is the safer move.

Key takeaways

Found a job in HCMC? Let’s find you the apartment

Once your work and visa status is on track, we help you rent in the right spot — near a CBD office, on a commuter line into the centre, or in a family-friendly neighbourhood — with leases that match your TRC timeline. No fee charged to tenants.

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Related guides:

• Temporary Residence Registration in Vietnam
• Opening a Bank Account in Vietnam as a Foreigner
• Cost of Living in Ho Chi Minh City