How to get a Vietnam work permit in 10 working days in 2026
The employer files, the decision takes 10 working days and the permit lasts up to 2 years. Remote work for a foreign company has no permit and no visa of its own.
In short
- The employer applies, not you. A company or organization in Vietnam files with the provincial people's committee, and the decision comes within 10 working days of a complete file.
- A degree is not always required. A technical worker qualifies with 3 years of relevant experience and a letter from a foreign employer.
- A permit lasts up to 2 years, plus one extension of up to 2 years. After that, or with a new employer or position, you need a new permit.
- Remote work has no permit and no visa of its own. The e-visa runs up to 90 days and gives no residence card, activity outside the purpose of entry carries a fine from $790 (20 million dong), and 183 days in a calendar year makes you a tax resident.
- Working without a valid permit means a fine and deportation. The worker pays $590 to $980 (15 million to 25 million dong), and the company pays from $2,400 (60 million dong).
In detail
A foreigner gets a Vietnamese work permit through an employer in Vietnam, not alone. The employer files with the provincial people's committee, the decision comes within 10 working days of a complete file, and the permit lasts up to 2 years, with one extension of up to 2 years. Remote work for a company abroad sits outside this system: Vietnam has no permit and no visa for it, and the e-visa runs up to 90 days with no residence card. A stay measured in years takes a permit, a company with real capital or a family tie.
Four positions qualify, and your papers decide which
Decree 219 of 2025, in force since August 7, 2025, recognizes four kinds of position. The letter below always comes from an employer abroad.
| Position | What the decree asks | What proves it |
|---|---|---|
| Company officer | Director, board or members' council member or another officer under the charter, or the head or deputy head of an organization | Charter and appointment papers |
| Executive director | Head of a branch, representative office or business location, or the person directly running one field with 3 years of experience | Office registration, or charter and letter |
| Expert | A degree plus 2 years of experience; or a degree in the field plus 1 year in finance, science, technology, innovation, digital transformation or a priority sector | Diploma and letter; sector papers for artists, coaches, athletes, flight crew, seafarers and teachers |
| Technical worker | 1 year of training plus 2 years of experience; or 3 years of experience with no training | Training certificate and letter; or the letter alone |
Not every position needs a degree: a technical worker with 3 years of relevant experience qualifies with no diploma. The proof is the employer's letter, an earlier Vietnamese permit or an earlier exemption certificate, and the decree names no other. Client invoices are not that letter, which leaves freelancers exposed.
Foreign papers need a certified Vietnamese translation and, since September 11, 2026, an apostille instead of consular legalization. Papers from Germany, Austria, Czechia and countries outside the convention still go through the consulate, unless a treaty exempts them.
The calendar your employer has to hit
For an ordinary labor contract, the order is fixed:
- At least 5 days before filing: a recruitment notice. The application must show the job was advertised to Vietnamese workers and could not be filled locally.
- 60 to 10 days before the start date: the filing. It goes to the provincial service center.
- Within 10 working days of a complete file: the decision. A refusal comes in writing, with the reason, within 3 working days. Once the permit is issued, a written contract has to be signed before the start date.
- Then the visa and the residence card. The employer applies for the LĐ2 work visa and a card of up to 2 years, 5 working days each.
The file is short: the application, a health certificate, a passport, a police certificate no older than 6 months at filing, two photos and proof of the job. A foreign health certificate counts only if Vietnam and the issuing country have a mutual recognition agreement, and only for 12 months. Without one, the check happens at a clinic in Vietnam, which means a trip before the file goes in.
Someone who entered on an e-visa can switch to a work visa inside the country once the permit is issued. The work has to wait: starting while the permit is pending counts as working without one.
Exempt from the permit does not mean no paperwork
Some exemptions need only a notice from the employer at least 3 working days before the start. Others need a certificate, filed in the same 60-to-10-day window and issued in 5 working days. A missed notice means a fine for the employer; a missing certificate counts as a missing permit.
| Who | Paperwork |
|---|---|
| Owner or member of a limited liability company, or chair or board member of a joint stock company, with a stake of $120,000 (3 billion dong) or more | Notice |
| Any of the four positions, in Vietnam for less than 90 days in total in a calendar year | Notice |
| Foreigner married to a Vietnamese citizen and living in Vietnam | Notice |
| Transfer inside a foreign company in one of 11 WTO service sectors, after 12 months with it | Certificate |
| Work confirmed by a ministry or province in a priority field | Certificate |
Below $120,000, a founder needs a permit to run their own company. The ĐT4 investor visa at that level lasts up to 1 year and carries no residence card, so the permit is the way to one.
Two years, one extension, then a new permit
The one extension, also up to 2 years, goes in with 10 to 45 days left on the permit, a health certificate and, on an ordinary labor contract, another recruitment notice. The decision takes 10 working days. After that the employer applies for a new permit on a shorter file. A new employer or position also means a new permit, even if the old one has months to run.
The permit also ties your stay to one employer: end the contract, or do work outside its terms, and it lapses. The employer returns it within 15 days and, as your sponsor, tells the immigration service in writing that it no longer vouches for you and works with the authorities to have you leave. The shorter file for a new employer applies only to the same position and field while the old permit is valid, so plan a job change before the resignation letter.
Decree 283 of 2026, in force since September 10, 2026, sets the penalties:
| Violation | Who pays | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Working without a permit or required certificate, or on an expired one | Worker | $590 to $980 (15 million to 25 million dong) and deportation |
| Employing 1 to 10 foreigners without a valid permit or certificate | Company | $2,400 to $3,600 (60 million to 90 million dong) |
| Altered or forged documents in the file | Company | $3,200 to $4,700 (80 million to 120 million dong), and the worker is deported |
One missed date can turn a valid job into a deportation case
Three mistakes cost the most here: a position your papers cannot prove, a filing outside the 60-to-10-day window, and a permit left to expire while the work goes on. The first brings a written refusal, the second moves your start date, and the third is treated as working without a permit. Murblz matches your papers to the right position before your employer commits to a date, plans legalization, translation and the health check around that date, and stays with the file through the visa and residence card. We guarantee professional work and a transparent process.
The cost of support depends on your position, the papers you already hold and whether your family moves with you; a manager will calculate it in the chat.
Remote work: what Vietnam offers and what it leaves open
Vietnam has no remote-work visa. The immigration law lists every visa symbol, and none covers someone employed abroad who lives in Vietnam. Decree 219 does not fit either: it starts from a job in Vietnam, so a remote worker has no category and nobody to file.
That leaves the e-visa: you apply yourself, the answer comes in 3 working days, and it runs up to 90 days, with one entry or several. It gives no residence card, an extension goes only through a sponsor in Vietnam, and each new e-visa is a fresh decision, not a right.
The law says a foreigner's activity must match the purpose of entry and requires a permit from anyone who comes to work. No published rule addresses a laptop and a foreign salary directly, and none gives them legal cover. Stacking e-visas is a risk you carry. Activity outside the declared purpose carries a fine of $790 to $980 (20 million to 25 million dong) under Decree 282 of 2025, and the authorities can add deportation, revoke your papers or cut your stay short.
Tax does not wait for your visa. Spend 183 days in Vietnam in a calendar year, or in the 12 months from your first day, and you are a tax resident, taxed on worldwide income. A residence card address, or rental contracts totaling 183 days in a tax year, hotels included, has the same effect unless you prove tax residence elsewhere. Below that line, wages for work done in Vietnam are taxed at a flat 20%, wherever they are paid. On a $60,000 salary, 120 days out of 365 comes to $4,000 of tax before treaty relief.
The routes that give you years
According to official data:
| Route | What it takes | Visa, up to | Residence card, up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work visa, LĐ2 or LĐ1 | An employer in Vietnam and a permit or certificate | 2 years | 2 years |
| Investor, ĐT4 | Capital below $120,000 (3 billion dong) | 1 year | No card |
| Investor, ĐT3 | $120,000 to $2 million (3 billion to 50 billion dong) | 3 years | 3 years |
| Investor, ĐT2 | $2 million to $3.9 million (50 billion to 100 billion dong), or a sector the government encourages | 5 years | 5 years |
| Investor, ĐT1 | From $3.9 million (100 billion dong), or a preferential sector or area the government names | 5 years | 10 years |
| Preferential visa, UĐ1, since July 1, 2026 | Highly skilled digital industry worker, or another case given preference by law | 5 years | 10 years |
| Family, TT | Spouse or child under 18 of an LĐ or ĐT1 to ĐT3 visa holder; parent, spouse or child of a Vietnamese citizen | 1 year | 3 years |
A remote worker who wants years has two realistic moves: a contract with a Vietnamese employer, or a Vietnamese company of their own. At $120,000 in a limited liability company, the second brings the ĐT3 visa and a notice in place of a permit.
None of these years adds up to permanent residence on its own. That status goes to holders of state honors, scientists and experts a minister puts forward, and people a Vietnamese parent, spouse or child sponsors after 3 years of continuous residence, all with housing and a stable income.
Doing it yourself, or with Murblz
You and your employer can try this on your own, but it is more reliable with professionals, because the costly mistakes happen before the filing: a position your papers cannot prove, or a police certificate that goes stale during translation. Murblz checks your papers against the decree first, builds the calendar backward from your start date, prepares the file with your employer and follows it to the visa and residence card. The process is clear and transparent: you know what is filed, by whom and when. The cost is available on request from a manager.
Company in Vietnam
Legal form, capital and certificates for a founder.
Learn more →Residence in Vietnam
Grounds, terms and thresholds for a residence card.
Learn more →Personal account in Vietnam
A bank account on your visa or residence card.
Learn more →FAQ
Can I get a work permit in Vietnam without a degree?
How long does it take to get a work permit in Vietnam?
Can I live in Vietnam on an e-visa and work remotely?
Do I need a work permit if I own a company in Vietnam?
What is the penalty for working in Vietnam without a permit?
How long can I stay in Vietnam on a work permit?
Services
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