Everything You Need to Know About Work Permit Exemptions in Vietnam

On August 7, Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP on the employment of foreign workers in Vietnam came into force, clarifying the legal framework governing such activities. While Vietnam’s 2019 Labor Code generally requires foreign nationals to obtain a work permit to engage in professional activities in the country, several notable exceptions now allow companies to hire expatriates without this administrative requirement. There are six categories of work permit exemption.

1. Short-Term Assignments

Foreign nationals entering Vietnam for missions lasting less than three months may apply for a work permit exemption in the following cases:

• Service provision: any service assignment lasting less than three months

• Emergency technical assistance: to resolve complex technical or technological issues that threaten a company’s operations, when no local expert or foreign expert already present in Vietnam is able to address them

2. Investors and Corporate Executives

This category aims to facilitate entry into Vietnam for individuals holding substantial stakes in Vietnamese companies:

• Owners or partners of limited liability companies with a capital contribution of at least VND 3 billion

• Chairpersons or members of the board of directors of joint-stock companies with a charter capital of at least VND 3 billion

3. Executives, Managers, Experts, and Technicians

Two situations allow these professionals to benefit from a work permit exemption in Vietnam:

• Short stays: less than 90 working days per calendar year (from January 1 to December 31)

• Intra-corporate transfers: employees transferred from a foreign entity to its commercial presence in Vietnam, provided they work in one of the 11 service sectors covered by Vietnam’s WTO commitments and have been employed by the foreign employer for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the transfer

4. Staff of State Agencies and NGOs

Certain professionals holding specific positions are eligible for work permit exemption:

• Heads of representative offices or project leaders of international organizations and foreign NGOs

• Individuals accredited by the Ministry of Education to teach, conduct research, or manage educational institutions affiliated with diplomatic missions or intergovernmental organizations

• Professionals certified by ministries or provincial People’s Committees to work in strategic sectors (finance, science, technology, innovation, digital transformation)

5. Treaty-Based Exemptions

This category includes individuals benefiting from exemptions under international agreements:

• Individuals entitled to exemptions under treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory

• Consultants or technicians working on programs funded by official development assistance (ODA)

• Teachers and administrators working in institutions established under international treaties

• Students, interns, or apprentices with internship agreements or job offers from Vietnamese entities

• Unpaid volunteers operating under international treaties

• Individuals performing tasks stipulated in international agreements signed by government bodies

6. Other Categories

Other specific profiles are also exempt from work permit requirements in Vietnam:

• Foreign lawyers authorized to practice law in Vietnam

• Foreign spouses of Vietnamese citizens residing in Vietnam

• Foreign journalists accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• Family members of diplomatic mission staff authorized to work

• Individuals assigned to establish a commercial presence in Vietnam

Application File Preparation

Pursuant to Article 8 of Decree No. 219, obtaining a work permit exemption certificate requires the preparation of an individual application file for each foreign worker.

Required General Documents

Each application file must include:

• The official application form (Form No. 01 in the Annex to the Decree)

• A medical certificate issued by a qualified medical institution, unless health data are already integrated into the national health database. Foreign medical certificates may be accepted if a mutual recognition agreement exists and if the certificate is less than 12 months old

• Two color photographs (4 cm × 6 cm, white background, full face, no head covering, no glasses)

• A valid passport

• Proof of eligibility, which varies depending on the applicant’s profile under the six categories outlined above (managers, executives, experts, technicians, etc.)

Administrative Simplification

A practical provision allows foreign workers who have previously worked in Vietnam to use their former work permit exemption certificate as proof of professional experience, thereby avoiding the need to reconstruct their entire employment history.

For more information: contact us