WORK PERMIT & WORK VISA/TRC
What is a work permit?
A work permit, issued by the Department of Home Affairs, is a document that allows an expat to legally work in Vietnam for a specific period of time.
Documents required for work permit application
- Fully authenticated Bachelor degree (or higher)
- Fully authenticated teaching certificate
- Fully authenticated overseas criminal background check or original Vietnamese one
- Original health check
- Digital file of 4x6cm photo in JPG form
- Scanned file of the whole valid passport (over 6 months) in PDF form
Authentication procedures
AMERICAN
If you are an American national and your documents were issued by a U.S institute, you will be required to go through 3 authentication steps in the U.S:
- Notary public of State/County for notarization: this step is to prove the document is genuine. If a Notary public of County provides notarization, the notarized document is required to go through Clerk of Court as the extra step.
- Secretary of State for legalization: this step is to prove that the notarization from the Notary public is genuine.
- Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate in the U.S for authentication: this step is to prove that the legalization from the Secretary of State is genuine.
Note:
Effective from 17th March 2025, the U.S Embassy in Hanoi and the U.S Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City will no longer issue an affidavit with attached documents to prove their genuity. However, a Name Affidavit can still be obtained the U.S Embassy in Hanoi and the U.S Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.
AUSTRALIAN
For documents to be authenticated at the Australian Consulate, these steps should be followed:
- Make an appointment with the Australian Consulate in HCMC
- Make copies of the documents to be certified and bring along the original ones for verification
- Certify the genuineness of the documents at the Consulate
CANADIAN
For documents to be authenticated at the Canadian Consulate, these steps should be followed:
- Make an appointment with the Canadian Consulate in HCMC
- Make copies of the documents to be certified and bring along the original ones for verification
- Certify the genuineness of the documents at the Consulate
ENGLISH
If you are a British national and your documents were issued by a U.K institute, you will be required to go through 3 authentication steps in the UK:
- Notary public for notarization: this step is to prove the document is genuine. Notary publics are based throughout the UK and their fees and processing times will vary. Notarization can also be done by a solicitor.
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office legalization for an apostille: this step is to prove that the Notary public is genuine.
- Vietnamese Embassy in London for authentication: this step is to prove that the FCO is genuine.
For more information, please visit: https://www.notary.co.uk/index.html
Note:
- Effective from 1st July 2025, the British Embassy in Hanoi and the British Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City will no longer issue Name Affidavit/Name Affirmation in Vietnam.
Therefore, any Name Affidavit/Name Affirmation must be completed in the U.K. before the legalization process.
IRISH
The Irish Embassy in Ha Noi is currently helping their citizens certify documents for WP purpose in two ways:
• Certification in person:
- Make an appointment with the Embassy.
- Book a flight to Ha Noi.
- Make copies of the documents and bring along the original ones to the Irish Embassy for certification
• Certification via post:
- Prepare the original documents which need to be certified and a copy of the passport profile page.
- Transfer the fee via bank and get a receipt. Check the fees and payment methods on the Embassy website.
- Send a package of original documents, copy of the passport profile page and the receipt to the Irish Embassy in Hanoi.
NEW ZEALANDER
For documents to be authenticated at the New Zealand Consulate, these steps should be followed:
- Make an appointment with the New Zealand Consulate in HCMC.
- Prepare a copy of the documents to be certified and bring along the originals.
- Swear the genuineness of the documents at the Consulate.
What is a work visa/ TRC?
Work visa/ Temporary Resident Card (TRC) is an official permission for an expat to enter and/ or stay in Vietnam with the purpose of work. Both work the same way, but the TRC has the up-to-2-year validity while the work visa only has the up-to-1-year validity.
Documents required for work visa/ TRC application:
- Scanned file of proof of temporary residence in PDF form
- Digital file of 4x6cm photo in JPG form
- Valid passport (over 6 months)
- Valid visa
- Application fee
FAQs
Yes. As regulated by the Vietnamese Labor Code, if you work for two companies at the same time, you will have to apply for two different WPs which have separate validity for each company.
No. VUS will cover this fee for expat teachers.
No. VUS will cover this fee for expat teachers.
Yes, you are entitled to a visa sponsorship from VUS for your spouse/children with terms and conditions applied.